Need a vacation iPhone case? Get the Catalyst Waterproof Case
[toggle title=”Watch the Catalyst Waterproof Case Review”][/toggle] Looking for an affordable waterproof iPhone case? Looking to be a little different than all the other people using Otterbox and LifeProof cases? The Catalyst Waterproof iPhone case might be the case for you.
It’s slim and lightweight, offers great access to your iPhone and provides exceptional waterproofing up to depths of 16.4 ft. However, in terms of drop protection, there is a higher than average chance that the case will come apart during a 6ft drop. So if you’re looking to get this case, you may want to take into account that risk.
With all things considered, we gave the Catalyst Waterproof case a score of 4.06 Eh’s out of 5. This is an excellent case despite the increased risk of the case coming apart. Catalyst was awesome enough to give us a new case to review and the winner of the case is @Edgar123456700! Congrats
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Design – Its quite slim for a waterproof/shockproof iPhone case
Features of the Catalyst Waterproof 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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Have questions about the Catalyst Waterproof Case for the iPhone 5 and 5S? Please ask them on our Google+ page or on our Facebook page.
Giorge
August 2, 2014 at 2:16 pm
Where is the winner of the case??! Who is?
Aaron Ho
August 3, 2014 at 2:35 am
Edgar Gonzalez won the case. We announced it on Facebook and Twitter.
Larry
August 6, 2014 at 10:30 pm
What’s a good waterproof case for the iPhone 5c if they have made any?
Aaron Ho
August 7, 2014 at 4:06 am
I don’t review any 5C cases but I’m assuming that the 5C cases would be similar to the 5S cases. I personally prefer the Nuud on the 5S over the Fre.
Larry
August 6, 2014 at 10:32 pm
Haven’t really seen any lol
Phaul
September 30, 2014 at 5:17 pm
Hi there, i wanted to buy this case but i just want to ask if the case fit this kind of cable?
http://www.just-mobile.com/iphone/alucable-flat.html#.VCrswPmSzHQ
Thanks in advance 😉
Aaron Ho
September 30, 2014 at 11:43 pm
I think it should.
Phaul
October 5, 2014 at 6:11 pm
Thanks for the reply.. More power to your youtube channel and website.. 🙂
Jacob
February 22, 2015 at 12:23 pm
Can you do a review for this case in the IPhone 6
Aaron Ho
February 23, 2015 at 3:11 pm
I will once I get my pre-ordered case. It got lost on its way from the factory to my house.
Jacob
February 23, 2015 at 5:15 pm
Alright thank you
Mike
January 23, 2015 at 6:06 pm
The Catalyst waterproof case for the iPhone 6 is now available. When do you expect to have a review on that case?
I think your YouTube channel is GREAT!!
Thank you,
Mike
Richard
February 20, 2015 at 7:57 am
Do you recall if this case has any issues with speaking volume being muffled. I have this case on my wife’s phone and it is often hard to hear her and her voice gets muffled out when she uses the phone. So voice volume is affected.
Kyle
August 11, 2015 at 4:18 am
Same Here 😛
Please Help!
Kyle
August 11, 2015 at 4:19 am
Same 😛
Please Help!
Alena
March 30, 2016 at 8:36 pm
Hey! I got this case because of your review, but it was utterly terrible. Nobody could hear me, and the little rubber thingy broke off within the first week. It took me over a month to get through their returns department. I would strongly not recommend this case to anybody. I need it to work as a phone before I start throwing it into the ocean. Also, the touch ID doesn’t work at all. Not impressed with any aspect of the case, or with their customer service dept. I’ve given up on the waterproof case idea– going to try something else.
Aaron Ho
April 1, 2016 at 2:45 am
Sorry it didn’t work out for you.
Matthew
January 9, 2017 at 5:33 pm
I have an iphone se and I am thinking about getting this case. I looked on their website and it says that the iphone se case is more expensive than the iphone 5s case. Is there any difference between the 2 cases?
Aaron Ho
January 11, 2017 at 4:16 pm
I’m not sure between the two SE and iPhone 5s.