The Best Waterproof iPhone case for the iPhone 6! LifeProof vs. Catalyst vs. Seidio vs. Dog & Bone

Do you really need to take your iPhone into the water? Well, if you do, we've got the best case for you!

So are you looking for a case to protect your iPhone this summer while you vacation out by the water? or maybe you live in a wet place and need a tougher iPhone 6 case. Well, we've personally used 5 of the most common waterproof cases out there for the iPhone 6 and we're going to let you know which case is the best.

Out of the 5 that we’ve reviewed, we’re giving our hat-tip to the LifeProof Nuud in general but there are certain scenarios where the Catalyst Waterproof comes out on top and both of these cases do better than the LifeProof Fre, Seidio Obex and Dog & Bone Wetsuit!

In terms of design, which deals with the size/weight, how easy it is to install and build quality, the LifeProof Nuud comes out on top followed by the LifeProof Fre, Catalyst Waterproof, Seidio Obex and the Dog & Bone Wetsuit.

The size of the Dog & Bone wetsuit is really what lowers the score for the case and its really not that easy to take apart which is annoying when it gets wet. With that being said, we feel the build quality of the Wetsuit is higher than the other cases as it has a nice soft-rubber feel to it and took its physical beating a little better than the other cases.

The LifeProof cases score the highest here as they are slim and lightweight and easy to install/remove but if you’re thinking about using a Nuud with screen protector that doesn’t fit the cutout, it’s not going to be waterproof anymore.

For protection all these tough iPhone cases can be dropped from a height of 6.6ft or 2m. The only case of note is the Seidio Obex which came apart quite easily when dropped on concrete. All the other cases stayed together.

In terms of using your iPhone as a underwater camera, the Catalyst Waterproof is the only case that offers 16.4ft or 5 meter water protection and it allows you to attach a wrist strap to the case. The LifeProof cases do not have this feature which restricts the usability of the Fre and Nuud in water-based situations.

For screen protection, there are two cases that don't have screen protectors which are the Nuud and Wetsuit while maintaining the water and drop protection. We generally don't recommend using a third party screen protector with these cases as it will increase the chance that the case will fail in terms of water protection.

In terms of using your iPhone inside these waterproof iPhone cases, the ones with no built-in screen protector come out on top while the toughest case, the Catalyst, makes it a little more difficult to access your iPhone.

When it comes to handling, which we define as getting to your iPhone inside the case, every one of these cases will reduce the functionality of your iPhone slightly. Here are a few notable points:

- sound is generally muted for all the cases
- using larger 3rd party cables only works on the Wetsuit
- the camera flash gets clipped significantly on the Wetsuit (cutout is too small)
- TouchID works on all cases

In terms of screen functionality, every case generally works. The only case with a perfect score is the Nuud since it has no screen protector. You’d think the Wetsuit would be perfect as well but the edges of the case are really high which makes it harder to use the edges of your iPhone. The other three cases, all have gaps that are fairly noticeable which generally leads to a reduction in screen sensitivity though no case reduces your ability to access the swipe menus in the case.

When it comes to screen viewability, the LifeProof Fre is the worst of the bunch. The diffusion, glare and rainbowing on this case is so very awful.

The Catalyst and Obex all suffer a bit of diffusion, glare and rainbowing but it’s pretty minor when compared to other cases and you almost don’t notice it when compared to the awful Fre’s screen protector.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to stay in the loop! We release 2-3 videos a week so there's going to be something new every week. We're all about helping you get the most out of iOS so click Subscribe!

[scotchyscotchyscotch]

Wished you did a review on the new Catalyst iPhone 6 plus case.

[jayp]

Lunatik Aquatic! Can't wait for that review as well as the Lunatik 360! So excited!

[caseya]

Dog and bone wetsuit is awesome. Everything Aaron mentions is spot on. I'd also like to mention their customer service is amazing. I assumed my case was defective and they promptly emailed me back and even provided pictures of what the case was supposed to look like in that particular area. I feel like I have a water proof otter box defender with no screen protector lol

[nikolasschwendeman]

I don't know why but these videos you make are very entertaining!

[angelcruz]

I enjoyed your your video and appreciate your time and effort on every thing you do for us to be able to see pro's and con's on cases we don't have to spend our own money on. Have you done a test on witch ones are louder as far as the ear piece and speaker?

[dylanholcomb]

lol, I totally agree with you about them not progressing the Making of the fre. Also how they never change the built in screen protector! Great vid!!

[sharonramirez]

btw the Catalyst fits (almost) perfectly in the Obex belt clip

[georgyorgy]

Very good comparison vid except you should have included info on the warranties. Warranty = longevity. If anything happens to your Lifeproof, there's hassle-free replacements. The same does not apply to the Catalyst.

[lilkimchim]

If your looking for a way to put a wrist strap on your Nüüd or Frë loop it through the headphone cover. That's what I do

[kevindong]

Great video Aaron. You really deserve more attention and support for all the hard work in your channel. Good luck !

[anyakotecha]

lifeproof gives you a screen protector with the nuud

[destinyaustin]

You should look at the waterproof ghostek atomic case. Sorry if I spelled it wrong.

[FrankTheRabbit]

Enjoy watching your episodes. Thanks for putting them out!

[ubrgk]

if you want to do some failure testing on lifeproof cases - my most common failure modes have been the touch ID sticker, and the apple viewing window on the back.  the adhesives there just don't hold up to time (and my level of abuse).  that said, their warranty department is great, but I think the cases should outlast the warranty period.

[bing]

Got the catalyst very nice. Thanks for the review.

[sabrinaramos]

thank you for all your reviews I'm obsessed with them. they really help thanks!

[betomejicornejo]

What case would you recommend...?

for example summer coming and water parks open and you wanna use your iPhone but you don't want it to get wet and you don't want to spend money on a case waterproof and a case daily use
Which iphone 6 case would you use...?

[blonde]

Sorry but the lifeproof fre for iPhone 6 isn't bad at all specially the screen protector and I have a glass screen protector on my phone idk what you mean I know the past versions were awful but not for the iPhone 6. Only thing I found as a flaw for the fre was the mute switch can't be accessed in this fre case. Not a big deal I just turn on assessing touch when I hit the home button 3 times. Other than that it's perfectly fine so far.

[Starfighter-nkmo]

I have the catalyst and I don't really seem any reduced functionality

[potspassionsprayerstv]

Thanks for a wonderful review. I headed to your amazon link for the Catalyst but Pink was not listed there. So may need to purchase via another route. Sorry. Thanks again.