The new iPhone 4S has a minor physical tweak that makes it difficult to fit into some cases. The culprit is the silent/ringer switch which has been moved down slightly towards the bottom of the phone. Since I’ve had a few reader queries about cases for the iPhone 4S I thought I’d share some information about cases I have on hand.
I have six iPhone 4 cases that I either purchased or received for review and surprise a that a lot of them fit just fine for regular use. Only one of them wouldn’t fit at all. If you have one of the other five you’ll be just fine when you upgrade to an iPhone 4S.
The only case out of the six I have that wouldn’t work was my iPhone 4S was my Otterbox case (not pictured). The hard plastic shell inside of the outer rubbery shell wasn’t tolerating the slightly modified silent/ringer switch. I could not get the two pieces of the hard shell snapped together. It’s possible that Otterbox now offers a model that is more flexible. Check with them to find out.
The next two cases, the Survivor from Griffin Technology and the Ballistic SG from Ballistic, both had a rigid internal or exterior shell and a soft silicone layer that fits the iPhone 4S fine for regular use. No issues there.
The last three cases are all made of soft silicone and worked just fine too. They are the iSkin Solo, iSkin Duet (which is just the Solo with a holster), and the iSkin Revo made by iSkin. Personally I use the iSkin Revo4 every day so I’m glad it fits the iPhone 4S.
If you’ve upgraded to the iPhone 4S try the cases you own on your new phone. You might find one that fits so you won’t have to spend more money. If you know about any other iPhone 4 cases that work with the iPhone 4S please leave a comment and tell everyone about it.
David W. Martin has more than 20 years of experience in the industry as a programmer, systems and business analyst, author, and consultant. David has written for CNET’s iPhoneatlas.com, MacLife.com, CultofMac.com, BYTE.com and recently for aNewDoman.net. He comes to Cult of Mac’s website with deep knowledge and passion for the all things Apple. Follow David on Twitter @david_w_martin or see what he’s up to now at davidwmartin.com.
40 responses to “You Might Be Surprised By How Many iPhone 4 Cases Fit the iPhone 4S”
and you won’t be surprise loads don’t
my speck pixelskin HD fits
I have an otter box case and it fits perfectly
Original iPhone 4 black bumper fits. The volume buttons work, and although the hole for the ringer switch is misaligned enough of the switch is exposed that I can still work it. This is serving me fine until Otterbox Defender 4S ships.
I just wish Otterbox made a Defender case that included inductive charging module. With WiFi or Cloud sync I’d then rarely need to mess with the docking cable.
incase snap case no bueno. hung up on ringer switch.
I’ve noticed some case makers, who are updating their lines for the 4S, appear to be widening the opening around the camera. Otterbox’s Commuter series and Speck’s Candyshell are two examples. Don’t know if this is related to the 4S’ new camera or just a design change they decided to make for all iPhone 4/4S cases.
my wife and i both have the new 4S (in White to boot) and we both bought otterbox defenders. Hers was labeled and designed for the 4 and mine labeled for the 4S. They both fit. The silent ringer switch on the side was partially blocked ( on hers and mine was not) but still worked. Both cases snapped together and fit.
Im surprised that no one knew the design changed a long time ago for the bumper. With the VZ phone, the ringer switch had changed location. The 4s is the same as the VZ 4. Most case manufactures, including Apple’s bumpers, have been universal for quite a while. Any case manufacture that didn’t update theirs is way behind the times.
I am using a speak case and it works no problem. I did not even know the ringer was different because it worked that good!
Otterbox Commuter case works fine with the 4S. Verizon.
The Otterbox Defender for the 4 works fine on the 4S. There’s just enough room for the ringer/silencer. Everything snaps together just fine. It’s really the only thing that is off center wise but as I said I can move it up and down.
I opened the slot in my incase a bit with a dremel. bueno!
impactband for iphone 4 also fits perfectly. Great protection! (shameless plug :) ) http://www.baseonelabs.com
The completely waterproof, best case ever, the lifeproof case fits just fine for the 4s and the 4
The speck case apple gave me for the antenna issue last year fits find. Bumper does not.
The top part of my case does not go all the way down. It’s strange. I bought a Rocketfish iPhone 4 (AT&T and Verizon) soft shell case.
Mophie Juice Pack Air fits just fine on a 4s.
Does Belkin Cases fit with the 4S?
i have the otterbox universal defender case and it fits fine!
The third rail case works with both the 4 and 4s. It also has an added benefit of extra battery when needed. And I always need the extra battery at some point during the day.
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