Review: Ballistic Shell Gel Case (Epic 4G Touch)

Ballistic is well-known for their iPhone case lineup. Thankfully, they have now also begun to enter the Android market. With their recent release of the soft gel case for the Epic 4G Touch, we decided to see what Ballistic had in store. Although they only offer the soft gel and none of their other amazing cases, the SG Case may be the last case you ever need. Is the Ballistic Soft Gel Case worth your 35 hard-earned bones?

• Available in Pink or Black
• Advanced three layers of protection
• Layer 1 – Ballistic shock absorbent polymer
• Layer 2 – Tough impact resistant polycarbonate shell
• Layer 3 – Soft silicone equipped with Ballistic Corners™
• Includes lay on table feature
• Pocket-able protection
• Sprint Compatible ONLY

The Shell Gel breaks down into two pieces. One is a silicone case that wraps the entire device. The outer piece is a polycarbonate shell that feels like an extremely hard plastic. This holds the silicone into place.

The silicone case provides for ample absorption to protect you device from drops, even ones from above 10-feet. To do this, the silicone engulfs nearly the entire device ensuring no slippage on the edges. There is even a 1/16-inch lip around the entire screen. This helps prevent the screen from ever coming near the ground, but it allows for the collection of dust, dirt, and oils.

Cleaning is no easy task with the case on. Every time I take off the entire case, there is a ring around the front of the device. Without taking off the case, it is impossible to thoroughly clean your device’s screen.

The polycarbonate outter shell is very durable, but prone to marking. I have three noticeable white marks that came from drops that simply will not go away. Though I prefer that the case get the markings and not my device.

The case added nearly a 1/4-inch to each side. This made the already large phone even more substantial. The Epic 4G Touch was doubled in thickness as well, which ultimately made it more difficult and time-consuming to stash and remove the device form my pockets. It becomes a huge bother after while, and I was forced to carry my device in my hand like a savage!

Once in the hand though, the device felt like it would never leave. The additional grippage allowed for ease of mind when carrying. Previously, I would cradle my device like a baby, but no more. My Epic 4G Touch was allowed to feel the wind as I felt it. (Scary, yes, but you get use to it.)

In all honesty, I never take the case off, except for those rare occasions when it simply won’t fit in my pocket. I heavily rely on the Ballistic Shell Gel to protected my phone, and I’m not sure how I survived without it. It isn’t as bulky as the heavy duty cases (e.g. OtterBox) but it does just as good of a job for a cheaper price.