ANDHow many times while on vacation you thought splashing in the warm sea or the pool – boy, but now I could take great photos from the trip, if I wasn’t so afraid of my phone? Exactly … Because although the iPhone X officially has the IP67 waterproof certificate, it does not provide adequate water tightness, which is confirmed by practice. The solution may be the special CATALYST Waterproof iPhone X Case that I tested recently.
However, this is not an ordinary phone case, but a special-purpose case. Rather, you will not decide to use it on a daily basis, unless you work in difficult conditions for electronics. However, on all kinds of holidays, trips or simply when the phone is exposed to all kinds of damage more than ever, it is this case that will protect the phone. Why this one?
There are quite a few models of iPhone cases on the market that provide protection against spills. Not so long ago, Czarek was preparing a combination of this type of case. I was also able to test the i-BLASON case, which, although it received a positive opinion, turned out to be not durable. After several uses, it ceased to be tight, the front cover began to let water and sand pass through. Pity. However, it was a very cheap case, even strangely cheap. But now I know. It’s all about quality.
Catalyst Waterproof iPhone X Case is unfortunately not the cheapest, but its price is justified by the quality of workmanship, the matching of elements and the level of security.
Moreover, which is very important, Catalyst is one of the few manufacturers of this type of enclosure and also sells spare parts for them. Will the gasket wear out, will you lose the cap? You do not have to buy the entire case again, only the necessary element.
What can we find in the sales set?
In the box, which, thanks to its ingenious design, allows you to have a good look at this accessory without unpacking it, you will find three most important elements.
Two of them are, of course, the case itself. The third is a very practical string that hangs on the hand.
I remember a few years ago when I was “hunting” with a secured iPhone for turtles floating in the bay, I was angry that when I snorting I had to hold the phone in my hand, instead of being able to hang it on my hand to comfortably move in the water.
Thanks to this band, which we attach to the phone and thanks to it, we can hang the phone on our hands, using it in water has become much easier.
But before you put your phone in …
.. you must absolutely check the tightness of the housing. The producer also talks about it in his materials. The point is that the sealing elements, like any gasket in any device, can break out, and thus begin to let water into the interior. And then it is not difficult to damage it.
Of course, the waterproof case, which has obtained the IP68 certificate, which guarantees tightness at a depth of up to 10 meters, in combination with a phone that provides waterproofness in accordance with the IP67 certificate, it is not possible to flood it, but … it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Therefore, before the first use, and also later, every time we remove the housing and want to use it again, we must test its tightness.
All you have to do is put a tissue or a piece of paper in the case, close it, press the stopper and put it in the water for about 30 minutes.
If after this time we open the casing and the inside is dry, we can be rather calm. The housing has its tightness.
How does the case work in practice?
The biggest disadvantage of this type of watertight structures is the size. Unfortunately, this cannot be jumped over. In the case of the Catalyst Waterproof iPhone X Case, the manufacturer made sure that the phone not only did not look ugly in it, but also did not look much bigger than without it.
I have to admit that on vacation I somehow didn’t feel that I was carrying a bigger phone than always. At the same time, although the device also covers the speaker and microphone channels, it in no way prevents us from using voice calls.
All thanks to the special acoustic membranes from True Sound Acoustics, which, although they are not “punctured” and do not let the sound directly through, are able to “transmit” it to the microphone or from the loudspeaker. Condition? The membranes “transmit” the sound in the frequency range 50Hz – 20kHz. The bandwidth is therefore very large, which translates into a fairly natural use of the phone. Sometimes, however, in places where there was a lot of noise, I had to speak a little louder into the telephone, because my interlocutors did not always hear me well.
On the other hand, I had no problem understanding them. The problem of the vibration switch has been solved in a very interesting way. Catalyst created such a “crown”, a bit like the one from Apple Watch, which we twist both ways by switching the vibration switch.
This is probably the most intuitive solution I have seen so far in a waterproof case.
Does the case have any disadvantages?
Generally not. However, you can complain a bit that although not much, the phone is a bit larger and a bit heavier. The case in place does not affect the quality of photos and videos taken with the rear camera in any way (a few samples below).
However, it greatly affects the selfie. Unfortunately, the selfies are a bit dark and made like foil. All in all, it’s not like, because it is the foil protecting the front of the device that affects the quality of selfie photos.
The second issue is the Lightening port plug. Unfortunately, Catalyst did not withdraw from this solution, and I mentioned this problem also when reviewing the case for the iPhone 6S.
Catalyst Waterproof for iPhone 6S Review – A waterproof case for holiday trips
The point is that the plug protecting access to the charging port is snap-on only.
Competition, such as Lifeproof, did it in such a way that the channel for the connector is secured with a gasket pressed by the clasp. Here we only have a press-in rubber plug. During my tests, it has not happened to me that the plug has leaked. However, you need to pay great attention to whether the plug is pushed very well and nicely inside, if it is not dirty, and whether any dust or sand has got into the channel, which may deform the plug and lead to leakage. Undoubtedly, this element seems to me the most uncertain in the whole construction.
Therefore, if you decide to buy this case, it will be better if you charge the phone on an induction charger, and not with a traditional cable, which requires removing and inserting the plug after charging. In fact, in times of such a popular inductive charging technology that supports the iPhone X, it is surprising that none of the manufacturers of such cases have created a housing that would not have a channel for the charger at all. After all, without him, the fear would be much less.
Summary
The Catalyst Waterproof iPhone X Case costs about PLN 300. This is not a small amount for a case, but just watch our advertising video below to see how it can happen in a phone that is wet in the pool, which was not protected by such a waterproof case.
If you want a stress-free vacation with a phone with you that you can always use in the water, on the sand, on the beach or wherever you want, then the Catalyst case will be a good choice. I recommend it and until I part with the “ten”, I will not part with this case.
Specification:
Completely waterproof to 10 meters (IP-68)
Correctly installed case protects the device when it falls from a height of up to 2 meters (Shock & Drop MIL-STD-810G)
True Sound Acoustics (50Hz to 20,000Hz)
· Extremely sensitive integrated touch screen protector
· Access to Touch ID, touch screen, buttons and photo / video cameras
Totally sealed against dust, dirt and snow
Covered with non-slip, soft-touch rubber
Comes with a wrist strap
Easy to install
Dimensions: 12 x 80 x 156 mm
Compatibility: iPhone X
· Case compatible with wireless charging
· Case compatible with Apple Pay
The case for review was provided by the online store http://b2btrade.eu
IPhone X Waterproof Case Review from Catalyst Waterproof iPhone X Case
| Benefits | Defects |
|---|---|
|
|
