For the Dog & Bone Wetsuit Full Review, we’re letting Monty do the review
[toggle title=”Watch the FULL Dog & Bone Wetsuit Review on YouTube”][/toggle] We’ll be frank about the Dog & Bone Wetsuit waterproof iPhone case. It’s one of the uniquely and subsequently best designed iPhone cases that we’ve come across. They’ve managed to add more protection than your standard LifeProof and Otterbox case while keeping the size down.
On top of the great protection, the Wetsuit doesn’t have a screen protector which means you don’t have to deal with the glare and touch issues of a plastic screen protector. There is only one other case that has this feature and that’s the LifeProof Nuud and from our perspective, the Wetsuit is better (in terms of protecting the iPhone without a screen protector).
That’s not to say that this iPhone case doesn’t have any faults. We’re not particularity fond of the sound quality coming from the iPhone through this case, the edges along the touchscreen of your iPhone are a little tough to get to and the rubber plugs that protect the headphone jack and lightning port connector can be lost fairly easily.
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Design – We haven’t seen anything like the Wetsuit yet
In terms of weight and bulk, the Dog and Bone Wetsuit isn’t as heavy as it looks. The plastic housings are quite light and the back of the boot isn’t solid silicon. With that being said, the Wetsuit is thicker than your LifeProof Fre and Catalyst waterproof iPhone cases and slightly thinner than the Otterbox Preserver.
Installing the case is fairly simple but it does require an additional step of fitting your iPhone into the silicon boot. We’ve taken the iPhone in and out of the case at least a dozen times and despite the fact that it will look like you’ve overstretched the rubber, it eventually regains its original shape.
The design of the case is quite unique in terms of providing protection for your iPhone. The case essentially has two layers of protection so in the case of the front/back housings failing, you’ll still have the boot to protect your iPhone. The Touch ID membrane, camera cutouts and front sensors have covers that are embedded into the boot. The front/back housings provide the pressure to keep the case waterproof.[divider][/divider]
Protection – Go ahead. Let your dog play with it
This tough iPhone case will protect your iPhone from drops of 6.6 ft as well as being able to withstand water up to a depth of 6.6 ft. Based on our tests, we have no reason to believe otherwise. When comparing the waterproofing of the Wetsuit with the LifeProof Nuud, we have to lean more towards the Wetsuit because the silicon boot provides more water protection than the o-rings on the Nuud.
If a piece of dust or debris sits on the o-ring of the Nuud, water will seep into the case. On the Wetsuit, if there is debris, the boot will form a seal around the debris. Since the boot covers most of the phone, we believe it will do a better job of keeping water out.
There isn’t a built in screen protector in the Dog & Bone Wetsuit but the edges of the case will provide over a 1/4 inch in clearance so anything smaller will not reach the screen protector. Dog & Bone does include a screen protector for you to install on your iPhone and it covers the entire length of the iPhone. Dog & Bone hasn’t tested other screen protectors with the case and suggests that you only use the ones they’ve supplied.
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Functionality – The edges and sound really bring this great case down
Accessing your iPhone in the Wetsuit is pretty easy. The buttons on your iPhone can be easily reached, especially the mute switch, and the Touch ID membrane works fairly well. We’re not too fond of the sound coming from the iPhone inside the Wetsuit as it distorts it slightly. Everything sounds like there is an echo/popping noise. The plus side is that the case doesn’t mute any of the sound which is nice when you’re out and about doing awesome things.
Access the edges of the screen is a little difficult. If you’re grown accustomed to using the swipe menus on your iPhone, you might want to stay away from this case. The notifications and camera app are fairly easy to get to back accessing the control panel is going to take you several tries.
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Steven Haysley
October 20, 2014 at 12:05 am
I couldn’t find any reviews on iPhone 6 Plus cases.
Aaron Ho
October 20, 2014 at 12:25 pm
I haven’t done any yet. I will have one for the Griffin Survivor in the next few days as well as the apple silicone case.
That_Guy101
December 17, 2014 at 10:43 pm
Could you do a comparison of the Dog and Bone Wetsuit vs Otterbox Preserver for the iPhone 6 when it comes out?
Aaron Ho
December 19, 2014 at 4:55 pm
Absolutely!
R. Bing
February 4, 2015 at 4:21 am
If you had to choose between the catalyst waterproof or the dog and bone wetsuit for iPhone 5s which one would you choose. I have watched both reviews several times and i am still having a hard time. Thanks for your time.
Aaron Ho
February 10, 2015 at 11:19 pm
Sorry for the late reply. I’d go with the Catalyst Waterproof. Its not as bulky and the screen usability is quite nice.