Get wet with your iPhone – Catalyst Waterproof Case Review

Design – Its quite slim for a waterproof/shockproof iPhone case

In terms of weight and bulk, the Catalyst Waterproof iPhone case will not add much to your iPhone. In fact, the only case that is slimmer is the LifeProof Fre. The case is fairly easy to install though it’s not foolproof as one needs to be careful to ensure that the o-ring isn’t pinched between the two pieces of the waterproof iPhone case.

The case doesn’t have any rubber so it’s really easy to fit into tighter pockets. However, with the lack of rubber bumpers, the Catalyst will show its wear and tear quicker than other cases. The texture of the case will hide smaller scratches but larger dents and dings will be visible. From our perspective, we’re quite pleased with the look of the case. It’s a great improvement over the transparent polycarbonate of the Griffin Survivro+Catalyst but doesn’t like childish like some of the coloured LifeProof Fre’s.[divider][/divider]

Protection – The Catalyst Wateproof Case is great with water. Drops? Not as much

This waterproof iPhone case will easily allow you to convert your iPhone into an underwater camera, allowing you to take it up to depths of 16.4 ft. The water is kept out by the o-ring that sits embedded on the back case panel. Catalyst includes a lengthy install document which outlines how to clean the case and o-ring to ensure maximum waterproofing. One of the neat things about the instructions is that they mentioned the use of a thin film of petroleum jelly to ensure the waterproofing of the case.

In terms of shock protection, the Catalyst Waterproof iPhone case did protect our device from lower drops but once we started dropping it form 6ft, the case started to come apart. On one drop, the case came completely apart. Now our iPhone isn’t damaged and the case isn’t damaged either and according to Catalyst, this is considered as a successful drop test that meets Mil Std 810G. We’re a little less certain given that this case was the first case in the history of our channel to completely come apart.

So if you’re thinking about getting this case, it might be wise to weigh the risk of having a higher chance of damaging your iPhone from high drops. For the most part, the regular user isn’t going to endure a 6ft drop and we’re confident that the case will protect the device from table height and waist height drops.

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Functionality – Seriously, $15 for a Catalyst headphone jack extension? And it is not waterproof!

Getting to your iPhone is a breeze with the Catalyst Waterproof case. The sound coming from the case isn’t muted and call quality is quite clear. The sound quality of the Catalyst is greatly improved over the Griffin Survivor+Catalyst which is great. The TouchID membrane works fairly well and looks better when compared to the transparent “sticky” looking membranes found on LifeProof and Otterbox cases.

The screen protector is large so you can easily access all the swipe menus on your iPhone though it will diffuse the screen slightly and your iPhone will suffer a bit of glare. Unlike one of its competitors, the LifeProof Fre, the Catalyst Waterproof iPhone case doesn’t suffer from any sort of rain-bowing effects.

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