Incipio, one of the more popular brands in the mobile accessory space, has been putting out products for many Android smartphones. Some products have even passed through here; check out our reviews of the various HTC One cases. We recently had a chance to review the Incipio ATLAS Ultra-Rugged Waterproof case for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
The case is made up of four layers which provide superior defense against shock and drops all the while remaining lightweight. One of the best things about this case is that it’s really slim, yet it’s waterproof, dustproof, shockproof; thanks to Tempered glass, rigid Plextonium Polycarbonate, supportive TPU, and shock absorbent silicone. It’s a mouthful to be sure, but they combine to create quite the protective shell for your device.
For a rugged case, the ATLAS Ultra-Rugged Waterproof case is quite good looking. It’s quite easy for a rugged case to end up making your phone look like a brick but this is not the case with Incipio’s design. Your phone stays relatively slim yet it feels solid as a rock.
While there are a lot of good things about this case, there was one issue that really bothered me. Sure, we use phones for all purposes (browsing, messaging, emailing,etc) but the most vital feature is making and receiving phone calls.
We found that with this case on our Galaxy S4 our callers complained of not being able to hear us loudly or clearly. Moving it closer to your mouth and speaking loudly helps, but it’s not our natural tone. Yes, we could go with a Bluetooth headset or hands free device, but that’s another product and more money. Perhaps the model we tested did not have a complete cutout for the microphone. We’ve not run into this issue with other Incipio products so we’re willing to bet this is an anomaly.
Also note that if you have a screen protector on your Galaxy S4 you might run into issues with display sensitivity and touch response. We had one in place ahead of our review and found that the screen did not respond to our touches quite like we hoped.
Generally speaking this was not Incipio’s best work but we still found it to be a better than average unit. If you work in a field where protection is a must (or if you are Bear Grylls) then this case will keep your Samsung Galaxy S4 clean as a whistle. And dry as a bone.
The Incipio Atlas Ultra-Rugged Galaxy S4 case retails for $89.99 and comes in four color options. You can also find them at Amazon for as low as $73.95, depending on the color you want.
I bought my husband this case a week ago and its really getting on my nervous the fact that I can’t hear him clearly on the phone. I feel like getting a whole new case due to the speakers on the case. But the case it self is good, its just hearing
I definitely struggle with people not being able to hear me clearly and it’s very frustrating. Not sure if I’ll be using this case much longer… Thankfully I got this half off
this case is the worst thing i ever bought and it cost $100
the case front broke from a 2′ drop and also cracked my phone. incipio would not do a damn thing for my phone even though they say they will cover it. so then i got them to exchange my broken case for a tablet cover for same amount of $. they sent me the wrong case, even though i emailed them the size. terrible company and horrible customer service.
DON’T BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM WITHOUT VASOLINE!!!!!