LifeProof is definitely the go-to case when it comes to waterproofing your iPhone.
They offer outstanding protection for your mobile devices without the bulk you might
expect from other products.
This is the long awaited LifeProof Nuud for iPhone 6.
In this review we'll put this case through it's paces and see if it lives up to the LifeProof
name.
The Nuud series of LifeProof cases was the first case on the market to provide complete
waterproof protection while not obstructing the screen.
Other cases put a plastic screen protector between you and your phones screen.
The LifeProof Nuud however uses a gasket to seal the edge of the case to the screen to
keep dust and moisture out.
I've never been a huge fan of screen protectors because of smudging, rainbowing, and interfering
with the touchscreen responsiveness.
The idea of waterproofing your iPhone without covering the screen is pretty amazing, but
it definitely has it's downsides.
LifeProof provides a plastic test unit inside of the case and a note assuring you that your
case has already been water tested.
To give you extra confidence that it works they recommend you put the case under water
with the plastic test unit inside and place a coffee cup over the case to keep it submerged
for 30 minutes.
If after the test there's no water in the case then you can reasonably assume your iPhone
will fair the same.
If you plan to purposely get your phone wet you'll want to take the case apart and inspect
the seal for debris that may interfere with it's ability to block out moisture.
I've used a LifeProof Nuud case on my iPad Mini for several months and the few times
I've taken the case apart I have found debris between the gasket and the glass that probably
would degrade it's waterproofing ability.
You'll also want to be careful when disassembling the case that you don't pull the gasket out
of the case.
If it does come out just carefully place it back in the groove of the case to reassemble.
Otherwise it's a really great design and ultimately what makes the Nuud series the top pick for
a waterproof iPhone case.
Of course since there's no built in screen protector your iPhone is subject to screen
scratches.
LifeProof does include a screen protector that covers only the parts exposed outside
of the case.
If you choose to use this you'll definitely want to install it with the case on.
If any of the screen protector gets between the gasket and the screen your iPhone is no
longer waterproof.
That goes for any third party screen protectors as well.
It's possible that some of the glass screen protectors would still provide a decent enough
sill to block out water but chances are they'll make your device too thick and I wouldn't
recommend using them.
You install your iPhone in the case by placing the bottom of the phone into the front of
the case and firmly pressing down.
You then snap on the back making sure the entire case is snapped down all the way around.
I usually go over it twice just to be sure all the sides are snapped.
When finished close the flap for the Lightning port.
When installed correctly you should notice the O-ring pressed between the screen and
the case.
The case does add a decent amount of width and height to the phone with this plastic
bumper, but that's what makes it shock proof.
Thankfully it's still a very thin case on par with a lot of standard non-waterproof
cases.
Taking a closer look at the buttons and ports you'll find they all provide great tactile
response and still click very well.
Touch ID works just as well as without a case.
There is a plastic membrane covering the home button that looks pretty flimsy, but it certainly
gets the job done.
Lifeproof chose to not make the opening of the home button completely round because of
how close it is to the edge of the screen.
Otherwise the small please of plastic between the home button and screen would be very fragile.
It doesn't get in the way at all but takes some getting used to.
The mute switch is actually a toggle built into the case and is backwards from the actual
mute switch.
So down is on and up is vibrate.
The front facing camera and proximity sensor are covered by plastic and the ear piece is
covered with a wire mesh that allows air and sound through but not dust and water.
The speaker port and microphone port are covered by wire mesh as well.
There's a flap with a gasket for the Lightning connector and an opening only large enough
for standard connectors.
Any larger third party cables certainly won't work.
On previous cases this gasket was very easy to lose.
Lifeproof has addressed that by tucking this gasket in on all four sides.
The cover for the headphone jack is threaded which I really appreciate.
It's definitely not going to accidentally fall out.
Lifeproof includes a threaded headphone adapter that you can use with waterproof headphones,
or more likely, to allow larger third party headphone jacks to connect.
The camera lense is covered with a higher quality glass and is recessed to prevent scratches.
This does allow for snow to collect around the lens, so be aware of that if you're playing
in the snow.
The case is slightly raise around the entire screen.
It doesn't seem to get in the way of the Notification Center drop down but I do occasionally have
trouble pulling up Control Center.
You have to really make sure you press you finger deep into the edge of the case.
Lifeproof claims their cases are waterproof, dirt proof, snow proof, and shock proof.
After being tossed in the snow a few times the phone and case came out unharmed.
For the purposes of this review I'm going to skip the dirt test.
If the case is waterproof it'll certainly keep dirt out and to be honest I really don't
want to get my brand new case dirty.
After all, the white front is prone to staining.
For water testing I decided to run my phone through the washer.
This actually tests it's waterproofing ability as well as some shockproof ability.
The case passed this test with flying colors.
Most people aren't going to put their phones through this kind of torture.
More than likely it'll be a spilled drink or a drop in the toilet.
But if the case can withstand this it can certainly hold up to more likely scenarios.
And the beauty of the Lifeproof case is that when you're done you can rinse the soap off
in the sink.
This case is rated for drops up to 6.6 feet.
A much more realistic drop for me is right when I take my phone out of my pocket.
And although I've never once dropped my phone while texting, the Lifeproof Nuud can certainly
handle that as well should it happen to you.
I did pick up a minor scuff on the corner of the case and the two pieces also separated.
It's easily snapped back together though.
In terms of call quality it's about what you'd expect, which isn't great.
In my call tests the person I was talking to could hear me fine and didn't notice any
difference.
I did notice the sound through the earpiece was degraded though.
It was still clear and not muffled at all but sounded a little bit like someone talking
in a cave and when there was additional background noise I had a hard time hearing them.
For music the speaker worked surprisingly well.
Lifeproof uses the airspace on the back of the case to amplify the sound and it really
works.
The back of the case vibrates while playing music and the sound is great.
In the end this is a really amazing case considering its size and having direct access to the screen.
The few caveats I've mentioned will definitely cause it not to be the daily case for many
people.
But if you're heading out to the snow or water, or if you're just generally rough on your
phone, this is the case for you.
If you have any questions that I didn't cover feel free to leave them in the comments.
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