With my recent upgrade from the LG Cosmos to an android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S5, I found myself needing to figure out an alternate way of carrying my phone when exercising. Now that I have such a large and relatively bulky phone, putting it inside my weight vest or Camelbak when running is no longer an option. Comparatively, if I’m exercising at the gym, I don’t necessarily enjoy placing the phone on the tray of a cardio machine or finding a safe place for it on the floor. Therefore, I decided to do some research and attempt to find a suitable armband for use when exercising, whether walking, running, or otherwise, similar to that which I used to use for my original, first generation, iPod mini.

So, you would say that a search for such an armband would be relatively easy. And you’d be correct, except for the fact that I also bought an Samsung Galaxy S5 Otterbox (Commuter Series) for my smartphone and did not want to remove it every single time I exercised. As a result, I was very interested in finding an armband that was appropriately sized not only for the Samsung Galaxy S5, but also for the phone encased inside an Otterbox. This meant that the armband would have to be made of stretchable material with enough give to support the Otterbox, but not too much so as to ruin the armband if it was overly stretched. Additionally, I wanted to be able to adjust the armband manually if I needed to tighten or loosen it based on the clothing I was wearing. With sweating a given while exercising, I also wished to find a washable armband.

As it so happens, after reviewing quite a few options online and reading articles and comments related to the most common and most positively reviewed armbands, I eventually settled on the Iwotou Samsung Galaxy S5 armband. Billed as a protective armband case for the smartphone in question, I found it met and exceeded all my requirements for an armband.

First, this armband is made of neoprene material which is able to be stretched, is washable if dirtied, and resists any negative effects of sweat. Because of this, my phone is not only protected by the armband, but also by my Otterbox as the encased phone fits nicely inside the armband even within the Otterbox. Because of this double layer of protection, you would think that it would be harder to use/access the phone. However, the clear plastic screen, even on top of the Otterbox’s screen protector, still enables full functionality, though not as easily as when you don’t use the phone through the armband.

The armband has additional perks. First, I am able to manually adjust the armband to accommodate sleeveless shirts and t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, and jackets, with room to spare for further adjustment if needed. Next, though I don’t use it, there is a key pocket available. This aspect seems to be designed for house keys and maybe valet keys, but the bigger keys with lock/unlock and alarm functions will not fit. Concerning access to the headphone jack, the protective cover of the Otterbox can open through the hole on the armband and allow easy access for the headphones to plug in.

In summary, this armband comfortably fits a Samsung Galaxy S5 within an Otterbox. The armband is comfortable and easy to adjust, it is made of quality neoprene material, the headphone jack is easily accessible, and I have no complaints after multiple runs around the neighborhood/park and regular trips to the gym. As such, I would like to give thanks to those commenters on www.amazon.com who noted this armband’s ability to support the smartphone within an Otterbox or related casing. Their advice gave me the push I needed to go ahead and purchase this armband.

Definitely pick up this armband while it’s available! You’ll be glad you did.