Imagine a smartphone that withstands drops, is impervious to water and dust, scoffs at shocks and is even “kid-proof.” OK, continue imagining. Not going to happen. Aside from purpose-built tough cookies like Caterpillar’s CAT60, smartphones aren’t the hardiest of devices. This is where a rugged protective case like the LifeProof NÜÜD for iPhone 6s comes in.
Look amongst your friends. How many have a cracked smartphone display? How many have dents on the exterior? How many dead phones from dropping into the kitchen sink?
Sure, there’s a growing trend of dust- and water-resistant smartphones like the iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Sony Xperia XZs. And that’s great news for consumers. However, the common smartphone will likely give you nominal protection and durability.
Hence, the proliferation of tempered glass screen protectors, protective cases and more.
For the “active” and those who enjoy the outdoors, protecting smart devices become even more crucial.
NÜÜD for iPhone 6s
As an overview, NÜÜD is a water-proof, dust/dirt-proof, shock-proof and snow-proof protective case. It’s built to US Military Standard for drop and shock protection, guaranteed to survive drops of up to 2m. It also meets Ingress Protection (IP) – rated IP68 which means it can withstand water immersion to 2m for up to one hour.
The hardy case is made from polycarbonate, transparent polymer, synthetic rubber and silicone.
As a whole, it incorporates all the great features from the critically-acclaimed Fre case, but sports a screen-less design. This means you get direct contact with your iPhone 6s’ display.
Its unique design protects buttons, ports, cameras and the fingerprint sensor of your phone, yet leaves them accessible for use.
What’s in the box
- NÜÜD case
- Instruction manual
- Microfibre cloth
- Headphone adaptor
- Scratch protector
- Water test unit
Setting up
Setting up the case is straightforward but remember to clean your iPhone with the enclosed microfibre cloth beforehand. There’s also an optional screen protector, so you may want to have that installed too.
As an added precaution, LifeProof has included a water test unit in the box. Sandwich the test unit between the top and bottom cases and snap them in to lock. Once this is done, you can submerge the test unit with the case in water. Check for leaks.
If all is good, then you can place your iPhone 6s onto the bottom tray, then put the top on. Make sure they snap tight, and you’re good to go. Screw in the headphone port cover and snap in the Lightning port flap.
You may want to re-configure your TouchID, just in case, to ensure fingerprint recognition works optimally with the case on.
Performance
The cool thing about the NÜÜD case is that it features a screw-type cover for the phone’s headphone jack, and a protective hard flap for the Lightning port. Speaker grills, cameras and Touch ID scanner are protected by a transparent polymer.
But first let’s touch on the design and build. Naturally, a rugged case is going to add some bulk and weight to your phone. It’s a compromise in exchange for ultimate protection. It measures 150 x 78 x 11mm and weighs 43g. It isn’t a bad trade-off.
Because of its screen-less design, it adds a little bit more bezel compared to the Fre. It’s pretty ingenious how they’ve pulled it off though, and the great thing is you’ll have direct contact with your iPhone 6s’ screen.
Build-wise, it’s rock solid as can be. I mean in my daily use, it survives the little knocks and abrasions, spills and such.
The power and volume buttons may take a little bit more effort to press, but not overly so. Toggling the mute button might be tricky at first too, but I didn’t really have major problems with it at all.
So, back to TouchID. Surprisingly, despite the polymer cover on top of the fingerprint scanner, TouchID works pretty much flawlessly. The only thing you may need to do is adjust the placement of your thumb slightly due to the case’s bezel.
I’ve heard and read about complaints over audio quality and how it can appear muffled. I’ll agree that audio quality is muffled to a certain extent, but it’s not overly bad. For phone calls, it isn’t as apparent, but may be so when you play music.
To be honest, I’m not in the habit of listening to music direct from the phone’s speakers (they’re not great in the first place). My aural pleasures are derived from a Bluetooth-connected headphone, so I’m less affected by this minor annoyance.
Talking about headphones, due to the design of the case surrounding the headphone jack, it may not always be a perfect fit. Hence, LifeProof has included a headphone adaptor cum extender to ensure you get plugged in.
So, recently, I had the opportunity to go on an outdoor trip. This trip involved a 45-minute 4×4 off-road ride, and a 1km hike up to a waterfall. This of course, was the perfect environment to test the NÜÜD.
And sure enough, there were several occasions where an unprotected iPhone would have just crashed and burned. For one, water. Water everywhere. We’re talking splashes, immersion, the works.
On one instance, the iPhone 6s fell into a stream. Sure, it was for no more than 10 seconds, but the fact that it had protection, gave me peace of mind.
On another, the iPhone 6s slipped out from my pocket as I was hiking up towards the falls. The NÜÜD and iPhone survived unscathed.
Pros
- Fantastic build
- Solid shock protection
- Solid waterproofing
- Screen-less design
- Convenient flap design for Lightning port
- TouchID works flawlessly
Cons
- Slight added bulk and weight
- Slightly muffled audio
- Pricey
Verdict
LifeProof NÜÜD offers ultimate protection from our daily spills and knocks, and for the more extreme, will come out unscathed as well.
To be fair, it’s not a case for everyone and the price point may also be a deterrent for some.
Having said that, if peace of mind is what you’re looking at, then MYR300 is a whole lot cheaper than replacing a broken iPhone.
And who would argue with that?
Pricing and availability
LifeProof NÜÜD retails at MYR359/USD89.99 and is available at all major retailers including Machines, Switch, Urban Republic, MacStudio, Connect, EpiCentre as well as online at Lazada. Also available for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
For more information, visit www.lifeproof.asia.
