In the battle for the best wet and rugged iPhone waterproof case, two companies are standing tall: Incipio and LifeProof. In addition to the standard warranty for their cases against manufacturer defects, they are also offering an iPhone replacement program in the event that water damage kills your iPhone while using their cases.
The Incipio Atlas and Atlas ID (for the iPhone 5s) offer warranty protection as part of the purchase price through registration from a free app for the U.S. model (which is usually priced higher than the international versions).
LifeProof offers a $10 add-on registration fee to quality you for its iPhone warranty for its LifeProof frē case, and as near as I can tell, you can only get this by ordering directly from LifeProof or from Verizon. If your iPhone suffers water damage while in the LifeProof frē case, LifeProof will repair or replace it for $50.
Of course, both of these programs require rigorous registration processes that you can only complete if your iPhone is currently functioning. For instance, LifeProof requires a screenshot of the iPhone’s About page.
In addition, you’ll have to ship your iPhone for repair or replacement, which will take time, during which you’ll be out of a phone. Plus, odds are you’re going to lose whatever data was on the iPhone that wasn’t backed up.
So, are the warranties worth the hassle of registration? Definitely. Easy? Not exactly.
My recommendation?
For casual use around water and dirt, both the Atlas and frē — including the OtterBox Preserver Series case, which does not have a warranty option at all — are trustworthy enough to mitigate the risks of packing your iPhone around on outdoor adventures. Long-term swimming or snorkeling? Seems like you want your iPhone to be a tool for everything. Probably not your best plan. If you want to swim with a camera, save your iPhone case money and invest in a dedicated waterproof point-and-shoot camera instead.
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