Samsung recently announced the latest editions to its Galaxy line, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones. Naturally, with the announcement of new phones comes the announcements of new protective cases.
Right away, I got cases from two of the bigger names in the smartphone case business, both known for providing strong, highly protective cases -- the Ballistic Urbanite Select and the Griffin Technology Survivor Clear.
where it’s @
The Ballistic Urbanite Select case for the Samsung Galaxy S7 retails for $39.99. More information is available at goballisticcase.com. The Griffin Technology Survivor Clear for S7 retails for $19.99. More information is available at griffintechnology.c….
Both cases fit only on the back of the phone, and both are made to provide rugged protection. However, there are plenty of differences.
First is the Ballistic case, the Urbanite Select. This case boasts that it meets or exceeds military standards for protection. The case comes in a light or dark wood texture or in black with a skin-like texture. I tested the black case.
The case slides onto the phone fairly easily because it's pliable. The edges of the case reach over the phone's sides to hug the screen, providing a lip that protects the phone from flat-faced falls. It lands on the case instead of the phone's glass screen, which helps prevent the screen from shattering.
The back of the case has a large opening to accommodate the camera and flash, and the tapered edges around them mean the flash doesn't reflect off the edge of the case when photos are taken. It also has a tiny cutout at the top for the microphone and cutouts at the bottom for the speaker, charging port and headphone port. The phone's side buttons are covered by raised buttons on the case. The button covers don't diminish the response by the phone.
The best feature to this case is the corners. A corner drop can be fatal to a smartphone screen, as the impact can easily shatter the screen from top to bottom. The Urbanite's corners are extra thick, providing more protection to the most vulnerable part of the phone -- and the area most likely to hit the ground first if the phone is dropped. The packaging says the case is rated to protect from drops of up to 6 feet. I admit, I'm a bit of a weenie about testing with a 6-foot drop, but I did test it from about 4 feet, which is a more correct height for me if I were to drop the phone while using it. The thicker corners allow the phone to bounce a bit, allowing the case to absorb the impact and lessen the chance of damaging the phone.
My biggest issue with the Urbanite is the texture of the case. It is textured in a skin-type pattern, which is supposed to provide a better grip. However, the texture is barely there, and the case -- at least when new -- was so soft it actually slid around easily in the hand. As a result, it's easy to drop the phone while trying to work on the screen. I was more prone to move the phone around in my hand and nearly drop it with this case than with the Griffin one.
That brings me to the Griffin case, the Survivor Clear. This case is similar to the Urbanite in that it fits only around the sides and back of the phone. It has similar cutouts for the ports and covers for the buttons. That's about the end of the similarity.
Unlike the pliable Urbanite, the Griffin case contains a rigid, polycarbonate back that protects the phone from dents and scratches while showing off the S7. The sides are a semi-rigid silicone in black, clear, blue or pink. The sides bend enough to allow the phone to slip in and out easier than with the Urbanite. The sides are smooth, yet the material isn't as slippery as that of the Urbanite. It makes it a lot easier to hold onto the phone, particularly when operating the phone one-handed.
The Griffin case boasts safety in a drop of up to 4 feet. The rubbery sides allow the phone to bounce as they absorb the impact. However, this case lacks two major safety features, the extra padding at the vulnerable corners and a thicker lip to protect the phone's surface. The sides do slide over the screen's surface and grip the phone, but the height of the lip is so small the phone's screen can actually touch the ground if it lands face down. In fact, I dropped it onto its face and the contact was enough to activate the screen from sleep mode. It did this repeatedly.
The corners have what almost looks like buttons of thicker material. However, it barely stands up from the rest of the edge surface. The thinner area around the corners allow the thicker pieces to move upon impact, which is good. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough -- the phone still took a pretty hard impact, even when dropped from a very short height.
The Survivor offers more protection for the back of the phone thanks to the harder material. However, it lacks enough of a lip to provide proper protection for the front screen, and the corners really could use a bit more padding.
In the end, both of these cases have pros and cons. The Ballistic case provides more protection for the screen and corners, while the Griffin case is more sturdy on the back, and the clear material shows off that shiny, new S7 smartphone. It also is easier to grip and hold. In the end, though, the Ballistic wins the protection game.
We've seen how the first couple of S7 cases stack up. As for the S7 itself, well, we'll soon see how it stacks up.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at mljones72@me.com.
SundayMonday Business on 03/21/2016