Review by: Manager of Video Services - Bill Brady

Are you tough or just clumsy with your iPhone? You’ve probably seen photos or videos of brand new iPhone 4s with their front or back completely shattered after being dropped.  It’s very sad to say the least and expensive to repair.  Well I have a couple of cases that you should take a look at that can keep that from happening. I have put both of the cases I am reviewing here through their paces for a couple of weeks now and have solid opinions to share now that I’ve seen them in action.

The first review is of the Ballistic Case made by Go Ballistic. These people tout they have the best rugged case ever built for your iPhone 4. Engineered with four layers of protection and a built in screen protector, this case offers security from drops, fingerprints, scratches, dust and well… life in general. It is a real hard core case.

This thing is a tank and is rugged as hell. It is also big and bulky.  The benefit of the bulk is you don’t have to worry about your iPhone anymore, even if it drops off truss or gets banged around on show site. The makers of the case have posted a few videos on YouTube just to show you what I mean. I would not do this to my iPhone 4, but I am glad that I know of a case that will totally protect it under the worst circumstances.

The inside of the case has rubber that protects against any scratches. It also comes with its own screen protector, so you don’t need to have one on the phone itself. I did notice though that I did get the oil looking splotches, but people have said to use a light dusting of baby powder or put a screen protector on the phone. The phone fits very snuggly and does not move once placed inside. Even without the outer skin, there is extruded rubber that protects the phone if dropped. It still fits into the holster, just not as snug as if you had the outer skin on. The bad thing is the fact that some of the holes and buttons are not covered. When you put the outer skin on, then your Iphone is totally protected from all kinds of abuse. This case has a lot of great features and a couple I don’t like. I didn’t like the fact that the case only goes into the holster one way. I understand the reasoning and that is to protect the screen, but I would like to be able to reverse it so when I do have it in the case I can still use it without taking it out of the holster. The belt clip does rotate but is off center and hangs out if sideways. I like to wear my holster sideways on my belt and this caused a couple of snags when I brushed by the cables on the back of my racks. If you are looking for the top of the line Iphone case for protection and don’t care about the size of this, then this is the case for you.

The second case I tested is from the very popular Otter Box Company. The case I went with is their top-of-the-line Otterbox Defender. This company has been making rugged cases for a while now and produces them for all kinds of products. The Defender includes three layers of protection for the iPhone 4. These consist of a hi-impact polycarbonate plastic shell, a shock and impact resisting silicone skin and crystal clear screen cover.

It’s the perfect balance of protection and function. The silicone skin covers all the holes except the speaker and the mics. The skin has a better fit than the Ballistic Case and seals all the way around and has groves that it fits into. It also has a nice plastic surrounding around the camera that does not reflect the flash. It has an opening covered in plastic on the back to expose the fact that you are actually holding an Apple product. I really like the way that the case fits into the holster. Unlike the Ballistic case where it only went into the holster one way, this can go in any direction you like. The holster also has a great feature, it has a lock for the clip so that you can use it as a stand for watching videos in the Vertical or Horizontal position.

However, you can’t use this case without the silicone skin like you can with the Ballistic case. I enjoy the stylish look and feel of this case and while it does make it a little bulky, the bulk is very manageable. I wouldn’t throw it around as much as the Ballistic case, but do believe that it can take some serious abuse.

These are both amazing cases and I have to recommend them both.  The Ballistic is the most rugged of the two while the OtterBox is a little more stylish and has a few more features that fit me best.  In the end, the ultimate choice for me is the OtterBox for its size and style. Don’t get me wrong, if I were in a more hostile environment I would have the Ballistic case on my side every day and I’m keeping it around for the next time I’m going to be on a rough show.

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Bill’s Rating for the Ballistic Case:
Bill’s Rating for the OtterBox Case: