Best Waterproof Phone Cases and Pouches

The best waterproof phone cases can offer peace of mind, potentially sparing you the hassle of replacing a waterlogged device. Certain models even let you swim with a phone to snap underwater photos, something you should never do without the added protection. 

To find out just how effective today’s waterproof cases are, we evaluated seven popular versions—from manufacturers like Onn, OtterBox, and Pelican—plunging them inside CR’s pressurized dunk tank, which can reproduce the pressure experienced as far down as 203 feet. That’s overkill for phone cases, of course. To duplicate real-world conditions—like, say, a brief underwater video shoot or an accidental dip in a pool—we sealed a phone inside and submerged each case for 5 minutes at a pressure equivalent to a depth of 6 feet.

We also placed three cobalt chloride test strips, which turn from blue to white when exposed to water, inside each case. Note that we didn’t evaluate the cases for extended submersion at deeper depths, so we can’t vouch for them while, say, scuba diving.