OtterBox Universe Review: Modular Case and Accessories Transform Your iPhone

No need to remove your case to connect gadgets from OlloClip, SanDisk, PolarPro and more

Nathan Olivarez-Giles

The Wall Street Journal

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Biography Nathan Olivarez-Giles
@nateog
nateog
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May 27, 2016 10:10 a.m. ET

Smartphone cases and accessories usually don’t work well together. OtterBox has teamed up with an army of accessory makers to solve that problem with the Universe system for Apple’s iPhone.

The 13 add-ons, which began selling this week, include a PolarPro extra battery, SanDisk USB drive and OlloClip camera lenses, plus dashboard mounts, barcode scanners, credit-card readers and selfie sticks. OtterBox says more are coming by the end of the year.

They are built as modules that slide into or clip onto OtterBox’s Universe cases. The digital accessories connect to the iPhone either via its Lightning port or wirelessly through Bluetooth.

The slim, plastic case’s modularity isn’t obvious at first. An accent plate on the back of the case slides out to expose a rail slot that secures some accessories in place. There is also a notch in the frame around the camera to accommodate add-ons that snap onto the top of the phone.

ENLARGE

OlloClip makes clip-on lenses for the OtterBox Universe system. Photo: Emily Prapuolenis/The Wall Street Journal

I tried the case with six accessories. My favorite was the PolarPro BeatPulsar Bluetooth speaker, which sounded far better than the iPhone’s built-in speakers. Since the accessory connects wirelessly to any device and has a battery, it was useful while hugging the Universe case and when unattached.

I also enjoyed the OlloClip 4-In-1 Lens Kit, the first OlloClip camera lenses I could use with a case still on my phone. The clip-on design can be used on either the front or rear facing cameras, and it includes fisheye, wide angle, macro 10X and macro 15X lenses.

While I didn’t find an accessory I didn’t like, carrying around all the extra gadgets isn’t practical. I’d probably keep the extra battery, speaker and lenses in my work bag, but that means having to make sure my bag is always nearby.

I drop tested my iPhone 6s in the Universe case a half dozen times and my handset came out unscathed. These third-party add-ons, though, don’t necessarily live up to the same well-known OtterBox ruggedness. Speaker grills could bend and lenses could get scratched.

ENLARGE

Not all the Universe accessories are small. The PolarPro Bluetooth speaker is quite big. Photo: Emily Prapuolenis/The Wall Street Journal

For now, the Universe is only for current iPhones—the 6 and 6s, and the 6 Plus and 6s Plus. OtterBox said it will potentially support other phones in the future, including a new iPhone that’s expected this fall.

OtterBox designed the accessories to work with any future Universe cases. If you buy into the Universe system, your gadgets shouldn’t become obsolete any time soon. That said, if you fall in love with a different case, your accessories likely won’t fit or work well, if at all.

The Universe system can get costly. The case itself is priced competitively: $50 for the iPhone 6 and 6s model, and $60 for the larger Plus models. Module pricing, though, ranges from $20 for a PolarPro wallet extension to $300 for a Seek thermal camera.

Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at [email protected]

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14 comments

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David Pheatt subscriber

As a smartphone very occasional user, (after car phones/cell phones for work, since '82, I give all this instant 'communication a rest), so not a maven...but, I haven't found an 'grippy edge' protective case yet. All the cases make my phone feel like an oversized deck of slippery new playing cards.

Cell phones have come a long way, but I still pack/carry my Canon 40D with lenses, for serious looking and shooting.

We have become 'gadgeted' to a fare thee well, and while some of the personal tech sites, (WSJ/NYTimes, et al), have interesting snippets, it often feels like the $100 tee shirt crowd is writing this stuff. Back to my GeezerVille. ;)

James Strite subscriber

@David Pheatt Have a Speck case that I got at the Verizon store when I upgraded my iPhone last fall. Seems solid and does not slip.

Gerald Poppy subscriber

The best case for an iphone is a mophie. The extra battery makes having and using an iphone practical for a full work day plus it plugs into a micro usb charger instead of an apple charger. I am waiting for otterbox to come out with something along those lines.

Alba Parra accountSuspended

"No need to remove your case to connect gadgets from OlloClip, SanDisk, PolarPro and more"

Just wow! This is what passes as high-tech in the Apple Fanboy Bubble.

Christian Wyser-Pratte subscriber

Great! We give up SLR cameras with multiple lenses to avoiding lugging all that stuff around, switch to photos on the IPhone and then get add-on/snap-on lenses to give us photo versatility. Why didn't I think of that!

@Christian Wyser-Pratte

Replacing an SLR camera with an Iphone is like replacing a Ferrari with a smart car. Sure it takes you to the same place but you won't be getting much out of it.

Joel Rudikoff subscriber

I would like to see an accessory which would allow the phone (in my case, a 5S) to be attached to a tripod. Are there any such gadgets?

David Ecale user

@Joel Rudikoff There are! I've been using one with a Motorola MOTO X in an Otterbox for the past two years! Check this little gadget out:

http://smile.amazon.com/RetiCAM®-Smartphone-Tripod-Mount-Universal/dp/B00FS5L9D4

Note: With the Otterbox, you may need the extended option with extra long screws/guide pins. ... My MOTO X & Otterbox just fits in the original sized unit!

Enjoy!

Charles Soberman subscriber

I have a drawerful of accessories purchased for various phones, iPads, iPods, GPS units, hard drives, etc.

Cords, speakers, connectors, chargers, cases, batteries, stands, mounts and more. Difficult to sell and difficult to throw away.

What most of us need is less stuff for our electronics, not more. I don't think I am the exception.

CHRISTOPHER CARAPOLA subscriber

Sure, great idea. Now I would have to limit the accessories I buy to work with the specific case. I am sure we can all count on these special accessories to be less expensive versions of those not designed for the case . . . NOT

This is an idea that just strikes me as being on an express train to failure. If Apple can't find some way to make a phone that doesn't need war-zone-worthy armor to survive being dropped, then at least someone should design a case that works with off the shelf accessories.

BTW - if 13 accessories constitute Otterbox having "teamed up with an army of accessory makers ", I assume their definition of an Army isn't very formidable.

George Simpson subscriber

If you like carrying a brick in your pocket get an Otterbox. I know because I have one that I use ONLY when I will be in situations that might cause the phone to get bumped around a lot.

A better solution- Make a phone that does not need extra protection. And while they are at it, put a bigger battery in it too.

Don Knight subscriber

@George Simpson Otterbox doesn't make phones.

If you mean Apple, what benefit is there to them to make a phone that satisfies? They need you to buy one next year, if not in 6 months.

@Don Knight @George Simpson I have NEVER owned any Apple product and probably won't. I don't like paying double or triple for anything.

Rick Amerson subscriber

@George Simpson I owned an Otterbox for my S3-- worst case ever! As you say, it was a brick. But, worse than that, the $50 item disintegrated over the course of two years until it was so useless that my phone screen cracked. Why pay $50 for a case that does not work? The rubber stretches and won't fit, and the plastic breaks. I glued it back together ten times with superglue and it would break somewhere else. Just junk! I bought a $7 ULAK case at Walmart that has lasted for years with no problem and is far superior to the Otterbox, and it's pretty slim too. The phone fell out of my pocket from 10 feet up and did not break with this case. I will NEVER buy another Otterbox.

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