LifeProof Realtree Edition Waterproof Iphone Case

LifeProof Realtree Edition Waterproof Iphone Case

Introduction

Accidents happen, and as smart phones become more and more a part of our daily lives, the chance of causing accidental damage to your’s  increases significantly. That’s why it important to to protect that investment with a case of some kind. Unfortunately, some of us are more clumsy than others and drops, spills, and sometimes full submersion are not that uncommon.

For those that are known to abuse their phones more than others, LifeProof has the case for you. You get protection from impact, water, and dirt without all the weight and extra bulk of the other cases on the market. Read on to see how it performs.

 Features

• Protection
  • Protects against every-day hazards—full IP-68 rating against water and dust, and designed to Military Specifications
  • High degree of shock and impact protection—tested to Military Specifications MIL-STD-810F-516.5 (2 meters/6.6ft drop on all surfaces and edges. 26 tests)
  • Fully sealed protection against minute dust particles
• The Four Proofs:
  • Waterproof: Fully submersible to 6.6 feet (2m)
  • Dirt proof: Totally sealed from dirt and dust
  • Snow proof: Completely closed to snow and ice
  • Shockproof: Survives drops from 6.6 feet (2m)
• Freedom
  • Includes bonus General User Headphone Adaptor and Keeper for headphone jack cover
  • Ability to swim and take underwater (2 meters/6.6ft depth) for up to 60 minutes. Optional Swimming Headphone Adapter allows use of waterproof headphones underwater
  • Mil-Spec protection that allows you to go anywhere, anytime, and do anything with carefree freedom
• Beauty
  • Ultra-slim and adds only 1/16” (1.5mm) when measured from the center of the phone
• Convenience
  • Weighs less than an ounce (28g).
  • Unique combination of materials that will not stick to your pocket
  • Compatible with all iPhone 4 and 4S models (International carriers, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon).
• Full Functionality
  • Double AR-coated optical glass lenses provide unprecedented crystal-clear photo and video quality
  • All phone features are operational while maintaining a high level of protection
  • Improves the bass and mid-frequency speaker response by utilizing the back of the case as a sub-woofer for a richer, fuller sound.

Specifications

Case Dimensions	2.6″ (W) x 5.08″ (L) x 0.52″(D) (66mm (W) x 129mm (L) x 13.3mm (D) )
Case Weight	0.98 oz. (28g)
Operating Temperature iPhone	32°F (0°C) to 95°F (35°C)
Temperature range for LifeProof Case alone	-40°F (-40°C) to 140°F (+60°C)
Operational Depth	6.6 feet (2 meters) underwater maximum
Drop Height	6.6 feet (2 meters) maximum

Packaging

The LifeProof case comes in a very nice looking box, with large, clear pictures of the case itself along with all of the key features on the front and back.

Flipping up the cover reveals cut-away pictures to display how thin the case is along with even more features. You can also see the front of the case itself through a small plastic window. Inside the box you get the case, a user manual, a watertight headphone cable, and a cleaning cloth.

Closer Look

Along the left side we see two small bumps that protrude just far enough so that if you were to hit the ground on that side, the bumps would absorb the impact rather than the buttons.

On the top the key feature here is the screw-in watertight headphone jack cap. It threads in to the case and has an o-ring to keep everything nice and dry in case of an accident. If you want to use your headphones with the case on, LifeProof supplies a small extension that threads in place of the cap and allows you to plug your headphones in while keeping the phone itself watertight.

In the picture on the right we can see the difference in thickness between the naked phone and the case. Considering the amount of protection it gives, the difference is pretty minimal.

On the bottom edge we see the speaker and microphone ports as well as the door that gives access to the charging port. The door has a small piece of rubber on it to keep it watertight and snaps to the body securely to make sure it doesn’t accidentally open.

Standing the case side-by-side with the phone gives us a good idea of exactly how much larger it will make your phone. The majority of the extra bulk comes from the bottom edge of the case, but again considering the protection offered, it’s a pretty good trade off.

General Use

After using it for about a week I found very few issues with the LifeProof case. The extra size and weight isn’t that noticeable, especially compared to many other cases on the market. The regular speaker and microphone seemed to work just like normal, but the bottom speaker was muffled enough that listening to music through it wasn’t really viable any more. The case also muffled alert vibrations, making it near impossible to feel if it was in my pocket.

The texture on the case is a smooth plastic, allowing it to slide in and out of your pocket easily. The built-in screen protector seemed to work exactly as intended protecting the glass from minor scratches and scuffs.

The buttons are a little stiff to press and the ringer mute switch is tricky to flip, but I got used to that after a day or two. Plugging the charger in also took some getting used to because you have to worm in past the door and push it way in. Overall though it didn’t dramatically affect my general use, which is exactly how it should be.

Protection

Obviously with a case like this the number one selling point is protection. So I put it through a few “normal accident” type of tests to see how it fared. As you can see in the picture above, the phone is completely submerged underwater and working just fine. That’s a pass.

After dropping the phone dozens of times on to wood, tile, concrete, etc. the case suffered only minor scuffs and there was absolutely no damage to the phone. Another pass.

Finally I dropped the phone in a mud puddle a few times to get it nice and filthy, then rinsed it off well in the sink. While there was a small amount of grit left in the cracks in places, it wasn’t noticeable unless you were looking for it, and obviously much better than the alternative. I’ll give it a pass here too.

 Final Thoughts

Pros:

• Amazing protection
• Light weight
• Relatively low profile
• Retain all phone features

Cons:

• Stiff buttons
• Muffled audio and vibration
• Price

Overall, I was very impressed with the iPhone 4/4S LifeProof case. You get unmatched protection from water, dirt, and impact while keeping a light weight and adding minimal bulk. Although the buttons are noticeably stiffer than without the case and the audio and vibration is muffled, you still retain all of the phone’s features. The only serious problem I have with the LifeProof case is the price. At $90 a pop for this limited edition ($80 for the standard), it is one of the most expensive cases you can buy for your iPhone 4/4S. But if you are the type of person who is constantly destroying phones, that is a small price to pay for the amount of protection you get.

If you are looking for a no-comprises phone case and don’t mind spending the extra cash, the LifeProof case should be your first stop.