Earlier this year, I reviewed Renogy E.LUMEN, a device which combines a flashlight with an iPhone charger and a battery that can be recharged by a built-in solar panel. In a similar spirit, today I am reviewing the SnowLizard SLXtreme for iPhone 7, a protective case for the iPhone 7 which is also waterproof, and which also has a built-in battery which can be (optionally) recharged with a built-in solar panel. That’s quite a mouthful. SnowLizard recently sent me a free review unit of this device, which sells for just under $150. The “snow” in the SnowLizard name tells me that this device was designed for folks who ski. I live in New Orleans, so I don’t know much about this strange substance you call snow. But I do know about the beach, so when my family recently took a beach trip, I gave this device a spin. It worked quite well.
Protection
The case has two parts: the main body, and the bottom which removes to insert the iPhone.
Just plug the Lightning connector into the bottom of your iPhone, and then slide it in. Then snap snap down on both sides to attach the two parts of the device.
The case itself is large, although it doesn’t add much weight to the iPhone. But it does add protection. I didn’t perform drop tests myself, but SnowLizard says that it is built to withstand a drop from a height of 6.6 feet. I tried to abuse the case, and it does seem quite rugged.
The camouflage design that the company sent me also gives it the appearance of being rugged. If you want something that looks a little more tame, I see that the company also sells models that are black, yellow and orange.
Additionally, the bumps along the side and the use of rubber on the bottom makes this device easy to grip in your hand, even if your hand is wet and might normally drop an iPhone. And yet you still have access to all of your buttons. The thin protective film over the Home button provides protection and yet lets you still use Touch ID. I was amazed to see that Touch ID worked every time for me except for once — and that was because my finger was totally covered with sand so it wasn’t the SnowLizard’s fault at all.
You cannot use a wired Lightning headphone while your iPhone is in this device, but you can use Bluetooth. I used my AirPods with the SnowLizard for many hours and it worked great.
Waterproof
This device is rated IP-68 under IEC standard 60529. The first number – the 6 – is the highest on the scale of solid particle protection, so it is dust tight and provides complete protection against dust. The second number – the 8 – is the second-highest level on the liquid ingress protection scale, suitable for continuous immersion in water of 1 meter or more. SnowLizard says that it provides protection at up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) of depth. (For comparison, the Apple Watch Series 2 rates a 7 on the same scale, so the SnowLizard device is more waterproof than the newest Apple Watch.)
To test this, I kept my iPhone in this case while I was at the beach. I was surrounded by lots of sand, but knew that my iPhone was protected. Then I went in a swimming pool with my kids and took lots of cool underwater video. The case performed like a champ, and my kids thought it was fun to get filmed doing stunts underwater in the deep end of the pool.
Here is a 15 second clip to give you a sense of how that looked:
Battery and Solar Panel
I would have considered this a useful product if it was nothing more than a rugged waterproof case. In fact, when I first saw that this case had a built-in battery, I wondered about the necessity of that.
In actual use, however, I see how this is a good idea. When you are at an outdoor location like the beach, camping, etc. you may be lucky enough to get a cell signal, but it may not be very strong. As your iPhone works harder to get and send data, your battery wears out more quickly. Because the SnowLizard has a built in 4000 mAh battery, it can completely recharge an iPhone 7 once and then still has enough power to provide a partial charge after that. You turn on the battery by pressing a button on the back of the device. I thought it was great to be at the beach for many hours, and then find that instead of my iPhone being almost completely drained, it was still at 100%. If you are already dealing with a larger case to provide protection to the iPhone, it is a nice bonus to also devote some space to a battery.
While you can recharge the battery with an included USB to Micro USB cable, which frankly is what I usually did, the device also has a solar panel on the back of it. It takes a long time to recharge a 4000 mAh battery using the sun. (SnowLizard says that you can boost the battery up to 7% in an hour.) But it is nice to have the option to use the sun if you are outdoors.
Note that you cannot use the battery and recharge the battery using the solar panel at the same time. If you turn on the battery, you will charge your iPhone. If you turn off the battery and let the sun hit the solar panel, then the battery will start to recharge with one LED flashing to indicate that the battery is receiving a charge.
Conclusion
This case is bulky enough that you are unlikely to want to use it every day, unless you live a far more adventurous life than I do. I don’t see myself going to Court with this device – especially with the camouflage colors. But when you want to be active and exposed to the elements while also using your iPhone, the SnowLizard SLXtreme device is more than up to the task. You can protect your iPhone from bumps and falls, you can use your iPhone even underwater, and you can extend the battery life of your iPhone, all with this one device.
Click here to get SnowLizard SLXtreme for iPhone 7 on Amazon ($147.82)