I purchased this case about three weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised at the speed of shipping - I received this case almost a week before my estimate arrival time. The case itself offers excellent protection, as per Otterbox’s reputation, and I have no doubt that it will easily survive accidental drops or prevent the iPad from bending as a result of normal usage. While I am impressed with the build quality of the case, certain things could be done better. My pet peeves with the case are that the sections of the rubber bumper that are designed to be exposed (usb-c slot and pencil side slot) do not sit flush with the plastic iPad housing after frequent use; this is an extremely minor flaw that does not appear to hinder the protection of the device, and is understandable given the elasticity of rubber, but I would not be surprised if the pencil and usb-c flaps may sit poorer and poorer on the housing as they are used over time (though I’m confident that the engineers at Otterbox have determined this will not significantly affect the protection offered by the case).

My secondary complaint is with the plastic screen protector. Though I believe it to be an issue with Apple’s design, the cover hinders the sensitivity of the iPad Pro screen. I am perfectly fine with pressing slightly harder on the screen but this may be a preference issue for some users (to be fair though, I acknowledge that Otterbox and every other manufacturer who design screen protectors for the iPad Pro have to make a trade off between touchscreen-sensibility and offering meaningful screen protection. This is not a unique issue to Otterbox). Additionally, the screen protector produces a rainbow effect due to the air gap between the iPad Pro screen and the built-in screen protector from the Otterbox. This problem also isn’t unique to Otterbox and cannot be solved without a way of removing the air gapad, such as adhering the screen protector to the screen; I am including this in my review as a suggestion for Otterbox to consider designing future iPad Pro Defender cases with the ability to adhere the screen protector directly to the iPad Pro screen instead of being factory adhered to the case (I don’t expect them to try and do it with this iteration of the case for a variety of reasons, such as having to retool their production lines). The rainbow effect is fairly noticeable in various levels of lighting, which may be an annoyance to some.

Finally, I wish to comment on the plastic shroud for the case. The shroud does come with a built in slot for the second generation Apple Pencil, though the plastic grooves which hold it are relatively thin and allow the pencil to slide forwards and backwards while in the shroud (though it does not move horizontally). I am satisfied with the “primary” viewing angle and find it to be very comfortable to use when drawing or taking notes for extended periods of time, in addition to typing with the on screen keyboard; this angle is a bit steep to careen your neck at but is perfect for use as a tablet (after all, the iPad Pro is not designed to be a laptop even though it can perform many similar tasks). The “secondary" angle is near-vertical and uncomfortable to use, in my opinion, though I can see it being used for media consumption. Just make sure to place a heavy object on the opposite side of the shroud so that it doesn’t tip over, if you plan on hanging it slightly over the edge of a table.

Overall I am very satisfied with the protection offered by this case, though the points that I mentioned are things to consider when purchasing this device. This case is meant to be rugged and offer unparalleled protection but it may not be the best choice for someone who desires for their iPad Pro accessories to be absolutely perfect. $130USD is a lot of money to spend on a case but I believe that it is a wise investment when protecting your $999+USD iPad Pro.