LifeProof nüüd for the iPhone 5 Review — Take It All Off

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The LifeProof nüüd for the iPhone 5 is the thinnest, lightest, and most refined case Lifeproof has offered. It protects your iPhone from drops, dust, snow, and dirt, yet there is nothing covering the screen. Available in black or white, this is an awesome case if you need serious protection. Get it here for $89.99

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I’ve been a big fan of Lifeproof ever since they released their first case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. The cases were thinner and lighter than any other rugged case I had tried and yet they offered as much or more protection than anything else on the market. Since then Lifeproof has released cases for the iPod touch, the iPad, the iPad mini and, of course, the iPhone 5. The LifeProof nüüd for the iPhone 5 is the second case they have offered for the iPhone 5. The first was a refined version of what we had previously seen for the iPhone 4/4S. This one takes a page from the iPad case and offers great protection while leaving the screen completely exposed. That means there is no chance of dust getting between the phone and the case, and there is no loss in sensitivity. How could there be, since you are actually touching the screen of the phone directly. Here’s a look at the case on camera.

The LifeProof nüüd for the iPhone 5 is surprisingly thing and light. At 137.5 x 67.1 x 12.9mm and weighing just .06 lbs, the case can easily be your one and only case. Gone are the days when great protection meant having to put up with a huge brick of a case. No, the LifeProof nüüd for the iPhone 5 is refined… and tough.

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With the case you also get an instruction manual (unlike the video you should read and follow the instructions), a cleaning cloth, an optional screen protector and a headphone adapter. The headphone adapter no longer comes with an extra plug and plug holder. That’s because the plug is not permanently attached to the case. It is a great design choice that was long overdue.

Features:

The thinnest, lightest, most functional all-protective iPhone 5 case ever made

Screenless technology lets you touch your iPhone 5’s actual touchscreen

Fully submersible to 6.6 feet

Survives drops from up to 6.6 feet

Totally sealed from dirt, dust, snow and ice

Complete access to touchscreen, plus all buttons, ports and controls

Maximum sound output and clarity

Anti-reflective optical-glass camera lens

Includes optional scratch protectors

The case is tested prior to shipping but you will want to do your own water test before using it. To do that you simply take the case as shipped- it has a phone “blank” in it, submerge for 30 minutes and then make sure there is no moisture inside.

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As Lifeproof is proud to note,”the iPhone 5 takes smartphone technology to new levels. And, nüüd for iPhone 5 takes smartphone protection and usability to new levels with the most advanced case design ever imagined.”

This case employs LifeProof’s nüüd screenless technology, something we first saw when they released their case for the 9.7″ iPad. That case shocked me, since I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that the case had nothing over the screen but was still waterproof. Lifeproof brilliantly found a way to use the screen’s bezel to create a seal with the case and… it worked. The same approach is taken here and the result is a waterproof case that doesn’t reduce any of the iPhone screen’s sensitivity. It is brilliant, even as it creates a bit of cognitive dissonance.

— the first of its kind in a smartphone case — nüüd protects iPhone 5 from plunges and fumbles while keeping the screen open for direct touch. That’s right, you can touch your iPhone 5’s touchscreen — because touchscreen are meant to be touched!

Lifeproof makes clear that the nüüd for iPhone 5 still offers the protection of being waterproof, dirt proof, snow proof and drop proof. That’s why the rest of the case will be quite familiar to anyone who has previously used one of the company’s products. The only truly notable change is the attached headphone plug and as I previously mentioned, it is a long overdue design change.

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This is by far my favorite Lifeproof case yet. The Home button works just fine and even the audio seens to be quite good despite being inside a waterproof case. It delivers all the protection I want from a Lifeproof case, but it doesn’t cover the screen. For me that is a winning combination. My only issue with the case is that it is backed by a 1-year warranty, but it does not offer the ability to purchase phone insurance the way you can with the Lifeproof fr? for iPhone 5. That would not have been a consideration for me, except for an experience Perry and Stacey had during their honeymoon in Hawaii . Stacey’s iPhone was in a Lifeproof case, and she was filming while in the ocean. The case began to leak and the phone lost functionality. Because she did not have Lifeproof’s insurance (it wasn’t available when she bought her case), she was told the phone was not covered. Fortunately Apple was kind enough to fix the device. As a result, unless I have phone insurance from Lifeproof I’ll use their cases for protection, but won’t use them as if they were intended for underwater video or photos the way I had previously. That’s not a knock on the case; it’s simply a statement that there’s waterproof and there’s waterproof and insured. When I’m using a pricey phone, I’m only willing to do the latter. You can learn more and order yours here.

MSRP: $89.99

What I Like: Thin and light but super-protective; No loss in button or screen functionality; The most refined Lifeproof case for the iPhone yet

What Needs Improvement: No available insurance as with the Lifeproof fre

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.