[Galaxy Note II Accessories] KaliS-Pugilist:
ok all, basically this is a very nice case that is worth much more than the ~$15 (including shipping in the US) that it actually costs. It fits really nicely and actually feels excellent. Very little bulk is added from this two piece case, while at the same time it adds pretty good protection around all areas except for the screen of course. it is raised around the screen edges, so that you can place the phone face down and not have it touching a flat surface...hopefully good for the dreaded face smack down.

my only semi-negative i could find is that the upper and lower edges on the front face side are not very tight. this is because the outer piece provides sturdiness around the entire device except for the upper and lower edge. the side edges of the inner gel piece are held sturdy due to the hard ridge of the outer cover.

nevertheless, i don't believe this is a big issue unless it becomes really weak and flimsy after prolonged use & wear (stay tuned). Despite that weakness, I also don't believe you will find yourself playing with it and even noticing that much. The case feels excellent in hand, sturdy, and gives you the feeling that it is protected.

As stated, very little bulk is added. In fact, it actually feels thinner than my Trident Aegis that fits on my GS2 Epic Touch. It feels just as sturdy as the Aegis, again except for that which is mentioned of the top and bottom edge. The Aegis eliminates this problem by extending the outer hard ridge up to the same area as it does with the sides. If the Ionic Guardian had this it would be on par with the Aegis (mind you that Trident has a newer design for the Aegis GN2 model, so I'm speaking about the previous model design). Also, there are no dust covers for the 3.5mm jack or the micro usb port. I'd like to see this on this design, but again that is something that Trident gets right and I don't know of other companies really doing the same other than Otterbox.

The case has corners that are very similar to the Ballistic SG design and is basically a copy cat, IMHO. I have never owned a Ballistic so I can't say if it is as sturdy or provides the same amount of protection. I also noticed that the upcoming Ballistic SG also doesn't have the outer case extending over the top and bottom sides or the inner gel. It also looks like they have shrunk the corners a bit as they don't look as pronounced. This may mean that the Ionic Guardian may just be a prototype of sorts of the upcoming Ballistic SG and therefore give you a very close idea of how that case will be. That all being said, I'm wondering how much protection the corners really add to this device. I'm not even tempted to test it out, which is a downside in and of itself, as with my Aegis for the GS2 I found myself bouncing it on stuff all the time with no thought of damage.

Also, remember this is a 2-Piece design. Both the gel and the hard outer shell make up a nice case, but the gel as a stand alone is thin and doesn't give you that confident feeling that you have from the gel from the Trident Aegis or other upper end combo style cases. The outer shell does feel sturdy and may be only a tad bit thinner than the Trident shell.

Overall, I give the Ionic Guardian Case a much deserved 8 out of 10. I'm only taking points away due to the designers not using the outer shell to add support for the gel's upper and bottom edges, and also that the gel itself could be .5mm thicker. That being said, this case is excellent for the price and IMHO it is high value protective case for the GN2, maybe the best available right now. I think the Otterbox Commuter, Trident Aegis, and Ballistic SG are all likely superior...but maybe not by much.

The other phone in the pics is my GS2 Epic Touch in a Trident Aegis Case.

check out the pics: