The LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case is, like previous LifeProof nüüd cases, extremely good at protecting your smartphone. Pretty, however? That’s not how I’d describe it.
See also
iPhone 6 Case Reviews: Lifeproof, STM, PADACS, Belkin, Tech21, 3SIXT, Otterbox
LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case: On the plus side
Lifeproof has been selling LifeProof nüüd cases for a couple of generations of smartphones now, and the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case is just the latest in its line of ruggedised cases; as the name suggests, it’s built for Apple’s iPhone 6. Ah, I hear you cry, but don’t Lifeproof also offer up the Lifeproof frē case already? Indeed they do — you can read my review of it here — but where the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case differs is that it doesn’t wrap the screen in a protective film, instead sitting snugly in front of it in an otherwise sealed enclosure. As with previous Lifeproof models, you’re provided with a “dummy” iPhone to test the water seals before you place it on your precious iPhone 6.
(80s earworms are free. You’re welcome.)
The LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case is TouchID compatible, which is a nice touch that not every ruggedised case manages to pull off. Installation is a bit of a chore, but that’s to be expected from a case that you’re not really meant to remove once you’ve put it on the phone. A flap at the base hides the lightning port, and like the frē, there’s a screw that covers the headphone port, with a supplied small extension cable to plug your headphones properly into the iPhone 6.
It’s nerve-wracking testing an iPhone for waterproofing, because you never want things to go wrong, but in my tests, the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case acquitted itself well. There’s a small user caveat to that, which I’ll get to shortly. Certainly, in a general rugged sense, the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case performs well.
LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case: On the minus side
The iPhone 6 is one of the most attractive smartphones you can buy. Before the Android or Windows Phone crowd jump down my throat, it’s amongst some very nice company. That being said, putting the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case onto an iPhone 6 case is the kind of thing that would give Sir Jony Ive nightmares. It’s pretty darned ugly in a 1980s-beige-box-Mac kind of way. I’m a serious retro fanatic, but not for this kind of style.
Like most ruggedised cases, there are also a few tradeoffs you have to live with. The mute switch is difficult to work properly from outside, and I often just resorted to pressing volume down instead to quieten my iPhone 6 when in use.
Likewise, while I appreciate why it’s necessary to hide the headphone socket behind a screw, it’s annoying to have to remember to take the headphone plug with you. Some headphones I tested with, such as the Philips Fidelio NC1 Noise Cancelling Headphones(https://www.alexkidman.com/reviews/philips-fidelio-nc1-noise-cancelling-headphones-review/) really didn’t like the headphone extender either, with crackly sound. Your best bet in this situation would be to ditch cables and go for a Bluetooth solution.
Then there’s that slight caveat I mentioned. The first time I placed the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case onto my iPhone 6, it didn’t quite sit properly on the phone, and I didn’t notice that at first. Placing it on a table made the gap in its two sealed pieces quite obvious. I removed the iPhone, dropped in the dummy phone and tested its waterproofing, which — and you can probably see this coming — didn’t work all that well.
That’s not entirely the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case’s fault, because there’s an element of user error at play, but it does highlight that you’ve got to be very careful placing it onto an iPhone 6. You may have to do it a couple of times to get the seal just right.
LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case: Pricing
The LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case has an Australian RRP of $129.95. If you’re an iPhone 6 Plus user, you’ll have to pay just a little more, with a recommended price of $149.95.
LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case: Fat Duck verdict
In one sense, $129.95 is a lot to pay for a phone case. In another sense, it’s only a fraction of what you’ll pay for an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 plus, especially since Apple recently jacked up outright iPhone prices in Australia.
There’s little doubting that the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case serves a very particular demographic. You’ve got to want to seriously protect your iPhone 6 smartphone, and expect to have it in situations that are little more hazardous than normal a little more often than most people would. You’ve got to be happy subsuming the iPhone 6’s sleek design inside a case that makes it look like a Mac SE, and to either invest in some Bluetooth headphones or put up with that slightly annoying case screw.
If that’s you, the LifeProof nüüd iPhone 6 Case is an excellent buy. For a lot of other users, it’s probably overkill.