Lifeproof frē
Web: www.lifeproof.com
Price: $79.95
Why you’d want it:
Lifeproof’s pitch for its cases is that they provide solid protection without being bulky little tanks the way so many other fully protective cases are. The iPhone 6 version of the frē case provides waterproofing for up to 2m for an hour as well as a full screen protector and TouchID support in a variety of colours. The waterproofing works well — you’re advised to test the case before first dunking your precious iPhone — and in my testing it survived a sudden rainstorm soaking and a genuinely accidental drop down some stairs without blemish.
Why you wouldn’t:
There are still compromises to be made in the name of protection. The frē may be smaller than other protective cases, but it’s still a bulky monster with a sealed headphone port — a screw-in external 3.5mm plug is provided — and a small lightning port that may not fit all lightning cables. Notably in my testing a Belkin fully licensed Lightning cable was too thick at the end to fit into the frē case. You’ve also got to line up the mute switch just so in order for it to work at all. If the size is a genuine concern, waiting for the updated Nuud case may be a better bet — but you can’t buy that for the iPhone 6 just yet.