Wahoo PROTKT Lets Your iPhone Perch Safely Atop Your Bike’s Handlebars [Review]

By

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PROTKT byWahoo
Category: Sases, sports
Works With:iPhone 5/S
Price: $60

Take a look in your local bike emporium and you’ll see zillions of options for mounting your iPhone onto your handlebars. Wahoo’s PROTKT, as its name suggests, goes for boxy protection above all else, although the iPhone within remains quite usable. But should you go for this coddling case, or would you be better off with a super-simple silicone band?

What It Is

The PROTKT is an angular plastic box that clips onto a matching mount on your handlebars. Thanks to the bayonet design you can mount it horizontally or vertically, and as it’s held in place by cable ties you can rotate it into place.

The case itself splits open near the top. You lift off the lid and slide the iPhone into the main section from the top. When I say “lift,” I mean “manhandle.” The top is held in place by a rubber strip that continues around the edges of the case like a big bumper.

External buttons allow access to the power switch, the home button and the screen. You can use the screen, too, although not quite all of it.

The Good

Super sturdy.
Super sturdy.

It’s tough. This case will shrug off spills and drops whilst staying very light. The clip itself is very sturdy, and the provided cable-ties do a good job. Protection will not be your concern here. I also like that you can easily use the screen, and that the camera hole is clear enough that it won’t ruin your photos.

The Bad

Opening the case is a little scary the first few times, but you quickly get used to yanking off the top. The trick is to grab it by its eye (the camera hole) and pull. This lists the top up until you can get to the iPhone inside.

The lack of volume pass-through buttons is annoying, both for sound and for taking photos (you’ll have to remove your gloves to snap a picture using the on-screen buttons). And while you can theoretically use the on-screen volume controls, this is impossible thanks to the fact that you can’t activate Control Center when the case – the bottom lip is too big to allow swiping in from the bottom of the screen.

This wasn’t a problem in iOS 6 as you could double-tap the home button to get there.

The power and home buttons are also very stiff, making it difficult to actually press them one-handed: the pressure requires makes the case move on its mount.

The Verdict

If all you want to do it put your iPhone up on the handlebars and swipe around maps, then this case is great. But if you want to do more complex things with the iPhone still inside it’s a little trickier. That said, I would trust my iPhone to this case more than any other rugged case I have used, which is pretty important.

Overall, then, recommended, but with a few caveats.

wahqamg5-2
Product Name: : PROTKT

The Good: Strong, light, very protective, not too pricey.

The Bad: Hard to wrangle the iPhone once it;s inside. Notification and Control Centers almost impossible to activate.

The Verdict Great for its purpose.

Buy from: Wahoo

[rating=good]

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