[Review] A Waterproof Phone Case that Doesn’t Render Your Phone Unusable: The Catalyst Case

For as long as I’ve been using an iPhone, I’ve been using a waterproof/drop proof case to keep it protected. That’s actually not entirely true because the first iPhone I had I dropped it on a tile floor and shattered the screen. It was at that moment that I realized I needed a case that would protect my expensive iPhone. Once I started looking at cases, I realized that, similar to the phone itself, a case would also be an investment piece (they are not cheap).  

Not only is Catalyst making a phone case that is protective for falls and water, but it is also affordable! If you’ve ever used the said case that costs upwards of $100, I’m guessing that the price isn’t your only beef. It became nearly impossible for me to make phone calls on my phone when it was in the said case. So, now I was protecting my phone from water/dust and drops but I couldn’t actually use it as a phone. It was getting very frustrating. When I was first introduced to Catalyst, one of the first things mentioned was that they truly developed the case around acoustics and sound so you could actually hear the person you were talking to on the phone. It was in that instant that I thought for sure the Catalyst was going to replace what I was currently using. Just the fact that in development they even realized this was an issue was a huge stepping-stone for me.

After using the Catalyst case on my iPhone 6 for a couple months, I can easily say that I’ve never had an issue of someone not hearing me or me not hearing someone. It’s so nice to have a case that lets me use my phone! With the Catalyst case you can easily use all of the existing buttons and screens. The toggle switch for the mute button is also awesome and so easy to use.

I love the bottom “seal” of the case. It gives you access to both the headphone jack and charging port and is really easy to peal open. As long as it is completely shut, it is waterproof. The openings for both the charging port and headphone jack are as oversized as they can be. I’ve found that anything I have that is newer fits easily into the audio port but older aux cords and such do not. My standard Apple charger fits into the charging port and it’s the only one I use so I can’t say to whether other chargers fit or not but Catalyst gives very specific sizing details on their website. Catalyst does make an audio adapter that fits perfectly into the case which in my opinion is not a big deal as I have had to use an adapter that threads on for the last 5 years or so.

One thing that I have noticed about the Catalyst case is that with pressure build up, it will be hard to use the screen (the phone is totally encased and so you are not just typing on the glass of the screen but on the protector). I live at 8,000 feet but drive regularly over 11,000-foot passes. After the drive, I sometimes notice it is really hard to type on my phone. All I have to do is open the bottom seal and it is back to normal. Definitely something to keep in mind if you travel by plane a lot!

Overall, it is easy to tell that Catalyst put a lot of thought and development into their case and I’m so happy to finally have a waterproof/drop proof/dust proof case that let’s me use my phone too. It’s really easy to take on and off and doesn’t feel overly big or bulky. Protect your phone but don’t compromise the use of the phone with the new Catalyst phone cases. Affordable, stylish, and easy to use you won’t be disappointed.