I take my iPhone with me in the water as both an emergency communication device (for the places I kite which have AT&T cell signal) and to take pictures and video while in the water. I've tried a bunch of different cases and I thought I'd share my experiences in a review-like format.
I’ve played around with 4+ different waterproof cases for my iPhone (a 5S) - every case design has pros and cons depending on how you want to use it; whether you want/need waterproof access to the headphone jack, if it’s the case you'll use daily or just in the water and what type of pictures/video you want to take while your phone is in the case.
Full Disclosure: HitCase and Optrix sent me their cases as evaluation units. My opinion below is honest and I have not been paid or otherwise compensated for providing my observations here.
For daily use, *I* prefer a minimal/non-bulky case and to touch the glass on the screen (vs. a screen protector), so I use a standard (non-waterproof) case and then pop my phone in the waterproof case for kiting/surfing/ski/snowboarding/SUP, etc. Therefore, ease/speed of installation is important.
Some cases provide waterproof access to the headphone jack and some don't. In addition to accessing the headphone jack, another consideration is the case’s camera lens. In my experimenting, I’ve seen cases with:
a. No or limited access to the front or rear facing cameras at all.
b. Access to the iPhone's native camera lens
c. Telephoto or Fisheye/wide angle built into the case
d. Removable/interchangeable lenses
Every time you make a hole in the case (i.e. for interchangeable lenses or access to the headphone jack), you make a place for a leak to happen.
If you plan to use this as your everyday case, pay attention to audio quality for the mic, handset speaker and speakerphone speaker. If the phone is tightly packed away in a waterproof case, sound may or may not travel in and out of the phone very well during normal daily use.
I haven’t found any plastic screen protector/case that works very well when it’s soaking wet. Sometimes even sliding the on-screen slider to activate my camera when I’m in the water is impossible. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to when I can activate the phone (ie. to take a picture, send a text or initiate a FaceTime video chat - yes, video chatting while in the middle of a kite session has been done!)
I recommend Apple’s AppleCare+ 2-year extended warranty for any iPhone you plan to put in a "waterproof” case. This way, if you flood the phone, it only costs $79 each time, for up to two “incidents”. AppleCare+ must be purchased within the first year, before the standard iPhone warranty expires.
Here’s some info on my experiences with the different cases I’ve used:
1. H20 Audio Amphibix $70
http://www.x-1.com/store/waterproof-cas ... phone.html
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Cons: Not quick to install phone, cheesy-feeling vinyl screen protector wasn’t very touch sensitive, large and floppy, almost zero crush protection.
Camera Lens: No access to rear-facing camera while iPhone is in case.
2. LifeProof Fre $80
http://www.lifeproof.com/shop/us_en/iph ... ne-5-case/
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Cons: installing/removing phone isn’t fast. Cheesy-feeling plastic screen protector. Hard to install phone in case without getting microscopic dust between the screen and screen protector.
Camera Lens: Normal (no tele or fisheye/wide angle)
3. HitCase $90 & HitCase Pro $130
http://www.hitcase.com/hitcase-pro
- HitCasePro.jpg (51.15KiB)Viewed 10808 times
Cons: I’ve had leakage problems with these cases*. Wide angle lens isn't good for taking pictures of items (friends kiting) when they’re more than a few yards away. No waterproof access to headphone jack. Lenses aren’t interchangeable so you have to choose between natural or 170 degree lens when you purchase the case.
Camera Lens: Natural (HitCase) or 170 degree fisheye/wide angle (HitCase Pro).
*The HitCase folks were VERY responsive when I reported my first leak. I had a personal phone call from the owner/founder of the company and they’ve sent me replacement cases. They’re super responsive and easy to deal with.
Disclaimer: HitCase sent me these cases as evaluation units. Good PR may be part of their motivation to be so responsive and fast in replacing my leaky cases, but I got a genuine feeling they were just ‘doing the right thing’ and standing behind their product.
4. Optrix PhotoProX $150
http://www.optrix.com/store/optrix-photoprox/
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Cons: iPhone doesn’t fit directly into the case; you must put the phone in a plastic sleeve before sliding it into the case, no waterproof access to headphone jack, My telephoto lens came apart (they sent me a replacement, but this could have been a leakage problem had it happened in the water), O-Ring design for removable lenses might leak if not installed carefully, I find the 175 degree lens (vs. 170 degree on the HitCase) too wide - it just doesn’t take the same cool images as the 170 degree lens on the HitCase.
Camera Lens(es): Neutral, 2x Telephoto, 175 degree fisheye/wide angle, 10x Macro
Video wise, the case you choose probably depends on what you're trying to film while in the water. If you're looking for GoPro-like point-of-view footage from your perspective while riding, one of the cases with a wide angle lens will provide the best results. If you're trying to shoot footage of someone else at any distance (i.e. a friend kiting), you'll want a case with a neutral or telephoto lens.
I find I keep going back to the HitCase Pro, even though I have a bad taste in my mouth from the initial leakage problems. I really like how easy it is to put the phone inside and snap it shut on 3 sides. And I really, really like the images from the fisheye/wide angle lens:
- SUP_Wide.jpg (157.76KiB)Viewed 10808 times
- Skim_wideangle.jpg (118KiB)Viewed 10808 times
- JS@OB.jpg (109.78KiB)Viewed 10808 times
