Woof! The Wetsuit and Wetsuit Impact are decent waterproof cases but the question is: Do you really need them?
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Dog and Bone Wetsuit and Wetsuit Impact Review – The Impact is one of the best cases we’ve reviewed. The Wetsuit 2.0? Quite average
Today we’re going to do a review of the Dog & Bone Wetsuit and Wetsuit Impact. These are fairly unique waterproof cases as the Impact has a glass screen protector that is very flexible, and the Wetsuit has no screen protector but is still waterproof. Both offer decent access to the iPhone but sound, like all waterproof cases, suffers a bit.
We will say that the new Wetsuit looks entirely different than the old Wetsuit which is too bad because we really liked the old design. Check out the end of the video why we feel this way.
We had a bit of help help testing the Wetsuit Impact and through that testing period, the 6 Plus version of the case resulted in the super thin glass screen protector cracking which seemed confusing to us (bends like plastic but cracks like glass!).
For our Dog and Bone Wetsuit and Wetsuit Impact Review, we’ve given the Wetsuit Impact a score of 4.3 Eh’s out of 5 and the Wetsuit 2.0 a score of 3.7 Eh’s out of 5. As of right now, the Impact is the highest rated waterproof case because of the glass screen protector, but that doesn’t necessarily mean its the best for a vacation near a body of water.
If you’re wondering how these waterproof cases stack up against other cases from Lifeproof, Thule, and Catalyst, check out the five best waterproof cases that we’ve reviewed for the 6 versions of the iPhone. If you found this review useful, consider getting it from my website to show your support for what we do!
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Design – What happened to the attitude?
There isn’t much difference regarding the design between these two cases. In fact, the backs of the case are interchangeable so you could take the front of the Wetsuit and install it on the Wetsuit Impact back if you wanted to. Both versions of the Wetsuit are quite slim with the only other case that is a tad slimmer is the Lifeproof Fre.
The biggest difference regarding the design can be found on the front of the cases. The Impact version has an ultra thin piece of 9H glass that doesn’t quite feel like glass but doesn’t feel like plastic.
The Wetsuit doesn’t have a screen protector at all though you could spring for a $30 Boneguard to go with your $90 case. An o-ring between the front and back and a smaller o-ring along the screen edges is how the Wetsuit keeps water out. The design of the water protection elements is very reminiscent of the LifeProof Nuud.
Installation for both cases is quite simple as you pop the iPhone into the back and snap the front on. Taking it apart is simple as you take a key/coin and pop the cover off. Both cases are compatible with the iPhone 6 and 6s though if you have a regular 6, you need to install the supplied spacer into the case.
Both cases fit well together and and doesn’t show excessive wear and tear though we feel that Dog and Bone needs to add a bit of a rubber texture to the front of the case to minimize facedown slippage.
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Protection – 6.6 ft for water and drop!
The Dog and Bone Wetsuit and Wetsuit Impact are drop rated to 6.6ft and provide waterprotection up to 6.6 ft as well.
As we’ve said before, 6.6ft drop protection is nice but most people aren’t going to be accidentally dropping their iPhones from 6.6 ft. But that still didn’t stop us from dropping it from 6 ft and like every other waterproof case that we’ve tested, the iPhone comes out unscathed.
At the beginning of the review, we mentioned that the Wetsuit Impact might not be the best waterproof case for you even though its the highest rated case on our list. From our perspective, you might NOT need a waterproof case if:
- You have an iPhone 6s
- Are only worried about accidentaly water exposure
The iPhone 6s is quite water resistant so the accidental exposure of water isn’t going to harm the device (the 6 isn’t as water resistant). If you are looking to take your iPhone on a vacation that’s on/near water, we’d suggest you check out a “real” waterproof case like the HitCase Pro and Optrix XD6 because those cases allow you to get the most of your iPhone.
For screen protection, the Impact has a very thin 9H glass screen protector. The 9H is suppose to signify the scratch resistance but from our usage period, we found the coating on the glass scratched quite easily.
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Functionality – Great buttons but edges are an issue and so is the sound
Accessing your iPhone inside these cases is decent. The buttons, work very well and the cutouts at the bottom of the case allow you to use larger than average cables and headphones.
Despite Dog & Bones claims the sound coming from the iPhone inside both cases is muted with voice calls suffering from a bit of crackling. This isn’t surprising to us because this happens with every waterproof case that we’ve used. In the review video, there’s a clip where we install an iPhone with a bit of music playing and you can definately hear the change in volume.
For screen fucntionaity, the edges on the Wetsuit are quite high so you will notice them immediately and getting to the different swipe menus on your iPhone may take a couple more tries.
The Wetsuit impact allows you to access the screen easier though there is a bit of a gap which you will notice but it’s not large enough to really degrade the sensitivity of the touchscreen.
Both cases have an area where you can attach a wriststrap which is something that the newest Lifeproof’s don’t offer.
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Again, for our Dog and Bone Wetsuit and Wetsuit Impact Review, we gave the Wetsuit a score of 4.3 Eh’s out of 5 and the Impact a score of 4.3 Eh’s out of 5. Have questions? Please ask them on our Google+ page or our Facebook page or our About Us page.
