Griffin Survivor Summit protects your iPhone, but at a cost

by Jeff Byrnes

October 22, 2015

We all want to keep our iPhones safe from damage, and there are a number of bumpers and full-fledged cases out there to protect our investment. Some folks are rougher on their devices than others, and that’s why there is such a huge market for rugged cases that can protect your iPhone from long falls, splashes, dirt, and sand. The Griffin Survivor Summit is designed to be just such a case, so let’s see how it stacks up.

The Facts

Company Name: Griffin
Product Name: Griffin Survivor Summit
Price: $49.99 for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, $59.99 for iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus
Compatibility: iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus
Website: Griffin’s Survivor Summit
Date Reviewed: Oct. 22, 2015

The Basics

The Griffin Survivor Summit case is available in four color options. You can get all black, black and clear, gray and pink, or black and blue. Each case comes with a holster that doubles as a kickstand for your device.

The Survivor Summit is designed and tested to keep your iPhone safe from falls as far as 10 feet onto concrete, so it’s definitely got the ruggedness taken care of. Summit’s Impact Dispersion System is a multi-layer system of protection that absorbs impacts, directing them away from your phone.

The case is designed to give IP–55 rated water resistance, meaning it’s splash-proof, dirt-proof, sandproof, and windproof. You can’t take it for a dunk in the lake or pool, but rain, dirt, and sand won’t damage your device.

Griffin hasn’t left out your screen and home button, either. A slide-on screen shield protects your iPhone’s display and the overlay on the Home button is Touch ID-compatible. More on that in a moment.

Integration With iOS Devices

The iPhone 6 fits well within the Survivor Summit, and Griffin advertises that the case is also compatible with the iPhone 6s. I’m seeing a possible problem with full cases designed for both the slimmer iPhone 6 and the slightly larger iPhone 6s, unfortunately.

The screen shield has a bit of space between it and the display, meaning the device sometimes doesn’t recognize touches and taps unless you press harder than you might be accustomed to. It also seems to mean that the Touch ID is more finicky then usual; I registered many more false readings with the case than without it.

Use and Feel

The Summit Survivor looks rugged and versatile, and it does a fantastic job of keeping debris away from your iPhone. It also looks somewhat professional, meaning you could probably feel comfortable using the case in an office environment as well as out in the wild.

The plugs that protect your headphone port and Lightning connector from damage fit perfectly, but are easy to remove when you need to plug in your earphones or charge your device. The buttons also work very well, matching perfectly with the mute switch, volume rockers, and sleep button.

What’s Hot

Provides protection for drops of up to 10 feet onto concrete
Splash-proof, rainproof, dirtproof, sandproof, and windproof
Easy access to ports

What’s Not

Screen shield has too much play, meaning you have to press harder to use your device
Touch ID overlay is finicky

How Does It Stack Up?

If you have an iPhone 6s, I suspect the Griffin Survivor Summit will fit perfectly and not have any of the problems I noted. With the iPhone 6, though, the case just feels a bit too loose on the device. It still provides the protection you need, but you may lose your patience with having to press so hard to use your device and try multiple times to register your fingerprint to unlock your handset.

Where Can You Get It, and How Much Does It Cost?

The Griffin Survivor Summit is available from the manufacturer’s Web page, as well as from Amazon. It is priced at $49.99 for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s models. If you have an iPhone 6 Plus or iPhone 6s Plus, the case will run you $59.99.

Our Advice

If you’re looking for a solid case that will protect your phone, and don’t mind compromising a bit on how easy your handset is to use, this is a great choice. If you want everything to work perfectly, though, and not to have to think about how to use your device, you might want to look at another model.