With the iPhone 5C/5S reveal earlier this week, I am at long last contemplating my next upgrade. And that’s kind of a shame. Why? Because, after years of searching and literally dozens of reviews, I’ve finally found the perfect case for my iPhone 4S.
If you’re an iPhone user, there’s an excellent chance that your sleek, shiny Apple product is currently sheathed in one of Otterbox’s massive Defender cases. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Otterbox really is the first name in high density, multi-layer protection, and with good reason. They make a fine product that does what it promises, but that safety comes at a price.
Simply put, the Defender is as bulky as it is ubiquitous.
While Ballistic’s previous effort to provide that same level of iPhone defense, the Hard Case, mostly matched the Otterbox for sheer protection, it did it in an even larger footprint. Their new second generation product, however, seems to have found a perfect balance of form and function.
The Ballistic Every1 case incorporates all the protection of the previous multi-layer design into a slim two-piece hard shell. Rather than include an outer rubber sleeve like the Defender or Hard Case, the Every1’s ingenious design relies instead on an integrated rubberized bumper that boarders the periphery of the slick plastic case. This means that you get all the necessary impact reduction without the problematic unpocketability. (Though it does also include its own belt holster, if you’re into that sort of thing.)
This is aided by what Ballistic calls its “Air Gap Suspension Springs” – a millimeter thick inner barrier consisting of evenly spaced thin rubber ridges that provide the phone extra “give” in the event of a drop. The exterior corners are further reinforced by a latching system that clips the face (and its built-in screen cover) to the back half of the shell using the same sturdy rubber bumper material.
The end result is a totally protected iPhone that’s still pocket-friendly. Of course the Every1 boasts all the requisite cut-outs and pass-through ports, and it even ups the ante with a built-in kickstand that securely holds the phone upright in both portrait and landscape mode. Though I’d much prefer that extra space be used for a magnetic mounting option similar to that of my old favorite from Rokform, I’ve honestly found the kickstand to be much more useful than I’d originally assumed.
The best part, of course, is that the Every1 is ultra-affordable. Though it retails for around fifty bucks, you can easily find the cases for half that. And since an iPhone 5 version of the Every1 is now readily available, maybe I won’t lament the loss of my old phone as much as I think.
Review materials provided by: Ballistic
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