Ballistic iPhone 4 cases: Keeping it safe

When I 'invested' heavily into his and her iPhone 4s, I knew our active lifestyle demanded a good solution to protecting the phone.  However, I also needed to keep the phones somewhat 'pack-a-ble' in that some  phone cases are waaay too big to fit into a pocket.  So I was looking at a mid-level solution between the 'barely there' Hello Kitty fashion cases and the lock-it-up-in-a-box full on cases.

I found Ballistic.  They had what looked like a very good compromise to my needs and so I ordered two of the Ballistic Shell Gel SG cases, one for the iPhone4 white phone and one for the black phone.  Yes, there is a slight difference, so make sure you buy accordingly as not all cases for a black phone will work on a white phone and also there is an ATT vs. Verizon issue to contend with.  I had the Verizon model.

Before I installed the cases, I added a kit to both phones from Zagg.  That kept my front and rear glass from getting scratched or scored which might lead to breakage.  It slightly adds some orange peel to the screen and degrades some of the amazing display quality, but it is still worth it to me. 

That done, I slipped the iPhones into the SG case, first into the shock absorbent polymer 'squishy' case section, then into the impact resistant polycarbonate shell.  That provided a great balance of protection as the soft corners of the SG case are thicker right where it needs to be, so if it is dropped and lands squarely onto the corner, the protection is great there.  Smart.  As well, the design keeps the front glass of the iPhone off the surface of the table like four little coasters if you lay it face down.  The hard case does the rest of the work and keeps the gel case in place and of course has cut outs for camera lens and flash.  All the accessory ports are kept clear except for the power and volume controls which are rubber covered but easily used.

I have used this case for several weeks now, tossing it into a hydration pack, in my pocket (it still fits into a pants pocket) and just lived with it in general and I am extremely happy with the overall fit and performance of the SG case.  It was perfect for my needs. It also adds some 'grip' to holding the phone as the stock iPhone is a bit easy to fumble with and drop.

Now there is also a one step up to the SG and that is the HC (Hard Core) case.  Ballistic sent me an HC case so I could compare.  This is what you use when you really want to wrap up your phone.  It adds an even harder case(s) and a front plastic screen cover so the ZAGG (or, I might add, Ballistic has screen protectors too) is not needed as much.  If you want to toss your phone in your tool box or your work/play environment is truly rough, then the HC case is a natural.  For me, the extra bulk is too much and it will not fit in a typical pants pocket (although the HC case comes with a case/pants clip to help with that). 

I have dropped my iPhone once and it was onto the tile floor at home.  It barely made a sound as it landed square on a corner of the SG case and just bounced a bit.  I was not even worried about it.  I have kept it next to car keys in my hydration pack and had no worries or ill effects.  I bought the white SG case to accent my white iPhone and so far it has not dulled or gotten dirty looking.

Thanks Ballistic.  This was money well spent.