If extreme outdoorsman Bear Grylls has an iPhone 5, he no doubt needs to protect it from all sorts of dangers, like rain, dirt, mud, and when things get really tough, his own micturitions.
Category: iPhone Cases
Works With: iPhone 5
Price: $90
That’s exactly the kind of over-the-top protection Seidio’s Obex case promises—total refuge from water, dust, sand, and grime. Add to that submersion protection in up to three feet of water and an anti-reflective glass camera cover that maintains image quality, and you’ve got the perfect case for taking iPhone photos on the beach.
What It Does
Once sealed into the Obex case, maker Seidio promises 100% of life’s dust will be sealed out. The Obex case is also guaranteed fully submersible in up to three feet of water, meaning you can leave your iPhone under water for a minute, a day, or a month; the Obex won’t leak and your iPhone 5 will emerge fully functional.
Don’t believe it’s true? Seidio figured you might be skeptical, so it had the case independently IP68 and MIL-STD-810G certified. The first weird designation means the case is 100% dust-proof and fully submersible in water, while the second is a military standard test regarding whether a device can withstand multiple drops from various angles and survive. Obex’s toughness successfully exceeded both tests.
In Use
Open the box, and you’ll be alerted in multiple places that, before you toss your $500 iPhone in the Obex and take it scuba diving, you need to first take the case on an empty test drive.
I happily obliged, and after 10 minutes of being submerged, I noted that the inside of the empty case was totally dry, so I decided sending my iPhone into a pool of high quality H20 would have to be next.
If you’ve ever used a waterproof case with a real iPhone on the line, the first dunk is always the hardest. So after a short prayer, beneath the blue went my beloved iPhone. Thankfully, just like Seido promises, my iPhone’s stayed alive under water, happy as a clam, and upon reaching dry land 10 minutes later, emerged fully functional. Whew!
If you’ve never used a waterproof case with an iPhone, the first dunk is always the hardest.
When not under the sea, Obex offers easy access to the lightning port and also the mute button. Volume buttons and even the speaker also operate well with your phone still in the case.
It’s the anti-reflective glass camera cover that excited me, though. Too often cases feature a piece of cheap plastic over the lens which distorts image quality and renders the iPhone’s camera worthless. The anti-reflective glass Obex uses doesn’t degrade image quality, and that’s a huge plus. Now I can take my iPhone to the beach, even into the water, and still take great pictures.
Obex leaves other sensors, the flash, even the Apple logo, visible and fully functional as well. Heaven forbid the silver Apple is blocked.
The glass Obex uses doesn’t degrade image quality, and that’s huge plus.
But I did notice that my iPhone’s screen became a tad less responsive while living in Obex, missing touches and caresses from time to time. It didn’t happen often enough to become a huge nuisance.
I’d also be careful carrying the Obex in water. The mute button cover is secure, but has a small lip that could get caught on something, potentially getting pulled out and filling the case with death water.
Product Name: : Seidio Obex |
[rating=excellent]
