If it isn’t evident yet, let me tell you that I LOVE taking photographs of my travels. And being married to the Happy Snapper (aka Zombie), you can imagine how integral taking photographs is in our travels. As you can see from most of our trips, we love the outdoors and are always up for a good adventure. So it’s important for us to have gadgets that can take the beating.

I took the LifeProof case for iPhone 4/4S during the latter part of our travel to the Philippines and Malaysia. I decided to see just how ‘lifeproof’ it really is!

IS IT SALTWATER-PROOF? 

In waist or neck-deep waters in the beach, Zombie was able to take photos just fine. The phone definitely got splashed on and got submerged under seawater. Still alive and working!  TIP: As with all underwater/water-proof gadgets, we rinsed the case and phone with tap water as soon as we reached home.

IS IT SAND-PROOF?

Definitely. In this instance, Life Proof saved me time as I lazed on the beach, Instagrammed, and kept in touch with friends. Ordinarily, I’d wait till I’m dry, wash my hands, and then upload my photos. I have to admit , the first time I left the phone on the shores being washed around with waves and sand, I was very wary. But it really did hold up! One thing about Life Proof, because their case is quite sleek, it doesn’t look like it would be sturdy enough to protect your phone from the elements. But once I saw how it stood against the waves and sand, I not only breathed a sigh of relief. I was quite impressed.

WATER-PROOF?

Most definitely water-proof. The LifeProof case on its own will sink. The biggest plus for me is the lifejacket cover (orange) that will allow the phone to float. It comes with a wristband as well so it’s most handy while swimming.

Even though Zombie had his hands full with snorkel gear, having the Life Proof life-jacket and wristband really came in handy and allowed him to move with ease.

UNDERWATER CALLS?

This shot was purely accidental. I was picking up the phone from the bottom of the pool when I felt it vibrate. It was my mom calling! How awesome is that. I don’t know how deep the signal will go but I thought it was pretty cool that you can still get calls while underwater.

PS. My mom was ringing to tell me to stop fooling around in the water,  because merienda (afternoon tea/snack) is ready. The joys of being back with family! Its like being 12 again and getting in trouble for too much play 🙂

WHAT I FOUND COOL:

Since you can take your phone with you wherever you go, you can play music anywhere too! What’s your pick for this perfect day? I’d play a Bob Marley list!

IN A NUTSHELL:

PROS:

– Very sleek and unobtrusive design. If you take a look at other weather-proof phone cover companies, most of their designs are bulky with a lot of protruding edges. Life Proof covers look “normal” enough that you wouldn’t even know it is shock, water, rain , and snow proof.

– Except for Snow, I have seen how the Life Proof cover protects the phone enough for me to say that yes, it is Shock-Proof (accidentally dropped it on the bath-tile ground while rinsing. Nary a scratch!), Water and rain proof.

– It keeps the screen sensitivity. When I tucked my iPhone into the Life Proof cover, I expected to be tapping and scrolling abit harder due to the thicker screen cover. But it was really smooth, no extra pressure needed.

– I cannot get enough of the lifejacket. It’s really a must for a snorkel / ocean buff like me. If you ever drop your phone while on a boat, you’re safe!

CONS:

– You cannot use a generic charger, only an actual Apple charger. This was a bummer as while I do have the Apple charger, I left it in Sydney as we were going to be on the road, I took the car / portable charger, which was a generic brand. This meant I had to completely take the cover off to charge the phone.

– The volume and sleep buttons require extra hard push to work

THINGS TO TAKE NOTE OF:

– It requires a special headphone jack for you to attach your headphones. Some may find this annoying (as you may lose the small jack), but I didn’t mind it at all. Because each Life Proof box comes with the headphone jack anyway.

– You can only take your phone up to 2 metres underwater. So Snorkelling, YES. Scuba, NO.

Now the big question:

WILL I RECOMMEND THE LIFE PROOF COVER TO YOU?

Yes. To me, the pros outweigh the cons. Most especially if you have a lifestyle like ours that involves travelling and a lot of water activities…a big yes. Even if you don’t plan to submerge your phone underwater, just to use it as safeguard against the elements, I do recommend it.

Life Proof covers retail at USD 79.99, and lifejackets at USD 39.99

 

 

*I was given the Life Proof covers to roadtest on my travels. 
What I have written above are my honest opinion on the product, as always.