A very sturdy iPhone 5 case by Ballistic

ARCHIVED: Product Review:

Ballistic HC0956-M005 Hard Case for iPhone 5 - 1 Pack - Retail Packaging - Black/Black

I've used this Ballistic case on my iPhone 5 for the last six months and can safely report it is as sturdy and protective as it looks. Other cases I've used really don't measure up if serious protection is your goal.

My biggest gripe with most of the cases out there has always been the lack of corner padding. This case kicks butt in that department, with a hard shell and a separate soft outer case. And, of course, there's a third level of protection if, like me, you want a clip-style holster to securely keep your phone handy on your belt or outside a pocket.

It comes with a sturdy clear plastic screen cover that has remained surprisingly scratch free this last six months—a first for me. And it has what I thought was a goofy, fragile-looking stand for horizontal viewing, that in fact, has come in handy on many occasions. The designers at Ballistic had the good sense to design a break-away stand with re-attachment instructions. The alternative, I suppose, would be unnecessary weight and bulk.

The negatives are few, but deserve mention:

• The screen protector does what it's supposed to do well, but the tradeoff is you need to be a bit more deliberate with the touch screen. It's simply not a problem for me, but you will notice a difference in sensitivity if you are used to a naked touch screen.
• Lot's of protection makes this a large case!
• Dust protection for the ports is good, but these sometimes create access issues. For example, if you want to use headphones—even the Apple-supplied headphones—there's too much protective plastic in the way to get a good connection. I found this design limitation a bit mystifying, and finally solved the problem myself using an X-Acto knife to remove what can only be described as excess plastic around the headphone jack.
• My final complaint is possibly unfair given the maximum protection design criteria of this case: You can only put the phone in the holster facing inward. And while that prevents screen damage, it means you must pop the phone out of the holster for viewing. This could have easily been designed to face either way—I think I can be trusted to decide for myself how much risk I'm willing to take.

So while this case isn't perfect, all in all, it offers excellent protection at a reasonable price. It will most definitely protect your iPhone from all manner of abuse.