The constant need to make smartphones as thin and light as possible has made them fragile. So anti ‘lifeproof’ in fact that you have no choice but to put them into a case. Some manufactures are making their phones waterproof, but they still don’t survive a fall if the worst happens. Thats where X-Doria comes in, a long time producer of tough cases, with the Defence H2O it makes your phone waterproof too.

Defence H2O Overview

The X-Doria Defence H20 Waterproof Protective Cover Case that I tested is for the iPhone 6/6s. X-Doria want you to be able to take your phone everywhere by making their Defence H2O case waterproof, snow proof, dirt proof and drop proof. That’s a lot of proofs, but can the case really protect my phone from anything?

Jump in the puddles, dance in the rain, swim in the ocean! Don’t let the fear of soaking your iPhone stop you from enjoying your life. With X-Doria Defence H2O, savour every moment without the fear of drowning your device.

The case can be bought from Amazon in the UK, and also this give you a heavy discount. Taking the cost down from the £59.99 RRP to £34.26 for the black or £47.71 for the white version we tested. All of these prices may vary though and are correct at the time of review.

Design

With any drop proof case you are always expecting it to really ruin the design of your phone. Although this isn’t the smallest case in the world, it is surpassingly thinner that expected. Leaving the iPhone still easily pocketable, and adding loads of grip to the phone which is a really bonus with the iPhone 6 being so slippery. For extra reassurance there is even a lanyard in the box.

The design uses a bumper around the sides that ‘exceeds military standards’ in drop tests of over 2m onto concrete, complimented by an almost perfectly clear polycarbonate back. So the Apple logo and the iPhone tramp stamp can still be proudly on show, but more importantly it still shows your colour of handset. Meaning your choice of Space grey, Silver or either Golds are not hidden away like many other cases.

The bumper also covers all of the buttons to keep it nice and watertight, but doesn’t loose any of the reassuring ‘click’ when pressing. They do however need a little extra force to press them down, but I have had a much worse experience from much smaller cases. The bottom is covered by a rubber flap which plugs the headphone and charging port, allowing them to be used when required, but doing so obviously removes all of the ‘proofness’ highlighted above.

The Defence H2O also covers the screen with an inbuilt protector. It is surprisingly thick with a small gap between the cover and phone screen. Glare in direct sunlight is almost removed, but at the expense of viewing the screen is sometime slightly inhibited in some instances due to the thickens of the cover. Thankfully there are no issues with the touch sensitivity nor the Touch ID sensor.

Usage

I am a big believer in smartphone cases, with my iPhone spending most of its life tucked inside the official leather case. What that doesn’t give me however is any protection, well against anything really. When our smartphones are now our lives why not get some protection when you need it. The X-Doria Defence H20 Waterproof Protective Cover Case is so easy to get on an off again, if you’re even half active this is the case you will need on stand by.

In fact with the case only bumping the weight of an iPhone 6 to 176g, you may find yourself using it for all sorts of situations. When enjoying some craft time with the kids I didn’t need to worry about putting my phone out the way. Or equally when bathing the kids or even when washing up, I had zero phone worry at all. Remember those times when anyone could be dunked into the swimming pool at any time? Those times return when your phone has protection this good!

When using the X-Doria Defence H20 your phone can be immersed in water at a depth over 2m for an hour. I am not sure what you would be doing to need such a long time, but it’s reassuring to know you’re covered. I think more than this though it makes your phone life proof, free from the worry over not just water but also dust and dirt. It is a must for almost every user even just for occasional use you are out and about.

TL;DR

With the only downside being the cost, at an RRP of £59.99 it is more expensive that you might want to spend. Particularly for an occasional use case. However weigh this up against the cost of a replacement handset and its excellent value.

Is this case for everyone? No – if you live a life of office work and not much else then the Defence H2O really isn’t for you. However if like me, your life is filled with kids, sports and being anywhere near water keep one of these on stand by.