Design

I picked up the OtterBox Lumen case when I preordered my iPhone 16 Pro Max. I was drawn to the fact that it was one of the few third-party cases to offer a covered camera control button (and not just a cut out for the camera control area). I picked up the green version as I thought the shiny green and blue accents would look good against the black titanium iPhone, and I believe it does! Actually, it probably looks great with all the iPhone 16 Pro colors, but this is the only combination I’ve seen in person.

OtterBox Lumen case in green on iPhone 16 Pro Max in black titanium

The case features a clear hard plastic back plate with a shiny bluish green MagSafe ring. The sides of the case are a softer TPU material that is tinted in a green color, although this is difficult to see against the black titanium iPhone. My hope is that the fact that the sides are not clear will mean that they will not showing signs of “yellowing” as most clear TPU cases do after months of UV exposure, but only time will tell.

Performance

The case provides modest protection and is rated by OtterBox as “DROP+ 3X as many drops as military standard.” My iPhone 16 Pro Max hasn’t had a significant fall yet (knock on wood), but I’ll be sure to update this review should that change. I found that my iPhone 16 Pro Max feels significantly lighter than my iPhone 14 Pro Max did with the OtterBox Symmetry case, which I appreciate it.

OtterBox Lumen case showing the camera control protection

The case has a built-in camera control button which is something that is lacking in most 3rd-party cases at the iPhone 16’s launch. The built-in camera control button works fine and properly detects presses, half presses, and double half presses for accessing the various camera controls. It also works properly with sliding your finger across the camera control to change the zoom. The volume, power, and action button are also covered with this case.

The lip of the front provides protection for the screen and the tempered glass screen protector I installed. The back also provides a nice lip to protect the cameras.

OtterBox Lumen case in green on iPhone 16 Pro Max showing the lip around the screen

The MagSafe ring is strong and holds my Apple MagSafe power bank and Apple MagSafe wallet securely. It also works with my MagSafe desk stand and I don’t worry about it falling off.

OtterBox Lumen case in green on iPhone 16 Pro Max in black titanium sitting beside the iPhone's box

Our Verdict

9.1

Great

The OtterBox Lumen case for the new iPhone 16 is the only OtterBox case at launch to feature a covered camera control area, presumably using glass to conduct your finger's touch to the actual control. It works well and does not seem to hinder the operation of the camera control. The case is lightweight, slim, and comfortable to hold, with grippy material on the side to help secure your grasp.