AndrewLast year, my family and I took a trip to Hawaii where we spent a lot of time enjoying water activities such as swimming, exploring the beach, and more. Typically, I used to carry my GoPro or DSLR camera with me everywhere, but with the advancement of smartphone cameras, I left them behind. However, I needed a solution to make my phone waterproof. I have tried the waterproof case made for my phone model in the past, but it was costly and became useless every time I upgraded my phone. Therefore, I decided to review universal waterproofing options.
I won’t be sharing any photos, but rest assured, they were clear and sharp. Although water occasionally dried on the lens cover, it was easily cleaned off, and the photos taken with the phone in the waterproof case were indistinguishable from those taken without it.
Waterproof Cell Phone *case*
After researching and wanting a flexible and affordable option for my changing phone situation, I discovered the Shellbox V2. Despite the various names it has on Amazon, it is the same product. Priced at $50, it is less expensive than a Lifeproof case, yet it offers a hard case, full touch screen access, a physical shutter button, and can hold a wide range of phones. It is also rated as watertight up to 15m/50ft when sealed correctly.
What I Liked About It
It works, and it works well. The case is solid, and the hinges to lock are metal and abundant! I expected maybe one per side but top and bottom each have two. The front “window” is pretty big, but that is to facilitate a wide variety of phones. What I noticed this helps with is I don’t get any fringing or weird edge shapes from the case. The physical shutter button is adjustable to align with the phone’s physical buttons. For instance, I aligned it with the volume up button on my iPhone 14 Pro to trigger the shutter. The back window worked well, enabling me to utilize the full touch screen and even FaceId on my device. The front features a screw to remove air and equalize pressure between the water and the case’s seal, which I found useful.
What I Did Not Like About It
The first thing I changed on the case was the lanyard, it was to say the least… meh. I purchased some floating lanyards, I wanted the added floatation and the bright color for visiability. I found two issues with the case. Firstly, it was challenging to open due to its tight hold. Secondly, the case is bulky in size, making it inconvenient. Although the size is necessary to fit various phone models, it is still cumbersome.
Final Thought & Cost
If you want a hard case for your smartphone and you don’t want to break the bank this is a rock-solid option. You could share it with family members that might have other devices this in theory helps with the upfront cost.
The Shellbox V2 comes in at $50 and I have it on my list of two options worth buying. Because of that let me touch on the alternative. A solid alternative that both my wife and I ended up using almost daily is the Hiearcool Universal Waterproof Case. We got a two-pack for all of $13, paired with the bright floatation lanyards these were great!
While the photos weren’t as clear as with the Shellbox, it only happened a few times out of hundreds of photos. The simple design of these waterproof cases makes it effortless to take the phone in and out, making it a perfect solution for the beach or pool. However, I wouldn’t trust them in deep waters. If you plan on going deeper than 10 feet with any case, you should invest in something that can handle it.
Overall I think there are a lot of great options out there, however these are the two that I enjoy and found very useful in our vacation and plan on using them again this coming summer!
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