Phones and Pools Don't Mix—Unless You Use One of the Waterproof Phone Cases We Dunk-Tested
We submerged 7 phone cases and pouches, priced from $5 to $100, in CR's pressurized water tank
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Like most of us, I lug my phone everywhere. And in the dog days of summer, that includes some less-than-phone-friendly places, like my local public pool and a sandy, salty stretch of Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, N.Y.
These days, many smartphones can survive a dunking as long as you take some emergency steps, like quickly turning them off until they dry out. (Tip: Your phone’s IP rating will tell you how water-resistant your phone is designed to be.) But it’s still risky to expose an unprotected device to liquids. This is particularly true if you’re wading into salty ocean water or chlorinated pool water, which can leave behind residue that may corrode the metal in your phone.
If your phone is older and weathered, that’s a concern, too. “Drops and damage can cause small cracks, which allow water in,” says Rich Fisco, who oversees CR’s electronics testing.
Photo: Courtney Lindwall/Consumer Reports Photo: Courtney Lindwall/Consumer Reports
In the end, the products we reviewed generally aced their most important job: They kept the phone inside dry. And that frees you up to focus on other factors when deciding which one to buy.
If you want something that looks and feels like an everyday phone case, consider a form-fitting option that lets you access the controls and touchscreen as usual. If you plan to use the case only when you’re going near the water, a plastic pouch can be cheaper, and it makes it easy to access your phone. It doesn’t have to be model-specific, either, so one pouch can accommodate family members with different phones.
I weighed a few other factors as well, like whether the case offers additional drop protection or wireless charging compatibility. Just how important those features are is up to you.
One final note: No matter which case or pouch you buy, we recommend first giving it a test run in your sink or tub with just a paper towel inside. That way, you’ll find out if it works before you risk sacrificing a pricey device.
