Large, rugged extreme iPhone case is perfect for weekend warriors
I thought I’d seen every type of phone case.
I was wrong.
I’ve been testing the SLXtreme 8+ case from SnowLizard for my iPhone 8+ and it has a lot going on.
The SLXtreme 8+ ($129.99, www. snowlizard.com) describes itself as “The World’s Most Extreme Case,” and I believe it.
I’ve had rugged cases (think Otterbox), and I’ve owned cases with a built-in battery (like Mophie), but the SLXTreme 8+ offers both of those things — and more.
The SLXtreme 8+ is big. In fact, it is the biggest phone case I’ve ever used.
SnowLizard designed the SLXtreme 8+ for occasional use. It is way too big to be practical for everyday use. In fact, the SLXtreme 8+ is really too big to fit in any of my pants pockets (I usually carry my iPhone 8+ in my back jeans pocket).
Why is it so big? Let’s look inside.
If you’ve ever seen a rugged phone case, you know they have a fairly large surround of hard plastic and rubber and a thin clear plastic cover built in to keep the screen protected. The SLXtreme 8+ is as rugged as it gets. It has a waterproof rating of IP68, which means it can be submerged in 6 feet of water for 30 minutes.
The SLXtreme 8+ is also certified to the MIL-STD 810G specification for drop protection from heights up to 6 feet.
So there is hard plastic surrounding the phone and clear plastic over the screen, home button/touch ID sensor and camera.
I was really surprised to find that the touch ID sensor worked behind the plastic cover. The plastic over the screen didn’t hinder touch response that I could discern. And the clear cover over the camera lens didn’t hamper image sharpness too much. There is a rubber cover for the USB charging port.
The SLXtreme 8+ also has a unique twist knob to move the ringer silence switch that worked well.
More power
The SLXtreme 8+ has a 5,000 mAh battery, which is big enough to charge the iPhone 8+ almost twice.
If you look at the back of the SLXtreme 8+, you’ll notice that the back surface is mostly covered with solar panels to trickle-charge the internal battery.
Those solar panels are cool, but I think they’re more for show. They don’t charge the battery very fast.
SnowLizard says you’ll get 10 minutes of talk time for every hour of solar charging. You’ll never be able to keep the solar panels in the sun long enough each day to meaningfully charge the battery. I do see where it could be handy if you’re out in the wilderness and run out of power. I’d sure be glad to have it in an emergency.
The quicker way to charge the SLXtreme 8+ is with a microUSB cable.
If you charge the SLXtreme 8+ with the phone inside, you’ll be charging the phone first, then the battery in the case.
Putting the phone in the case is easy. The bottom of the SLXtreme 8+ snaps off when you open two plastic latches on the sides. Connect the iPhone into the Lightning plug on the bottom piece, then slide it up into the body of the case and snap the two side latches to close it up tight. It takes just a few seconds. Getting the phone out is just as quick — usually (see below).
One warning
Be aware that if you use the SLXtreme 8+, you’ll want to remove
any screen protector on your iPhone. I made the mistake of leaving my glass screen protector on when I first loaded my phone in the SLXtreme 8+, and that was a big mistake.
The space for the iPhone inside the case is tight — by design — so you can get responsive touch on the screen.
The thickness of even that razor-thin glass screen protector meant I had to push hard to get the phone into the case, which went fine until it was time to take it out of the case.
The extra thickness of the glass meant the phone was wedged in tight.
I worked for over an hour to get the iPhone out of the SLXtreme 8+, all because of that thin glass screen protector.
I finally did get it out by shaking it (almost violently). I was really afraid I would have to break the SLXtreme 8+ to get my phone out.
So learn from my experience. Make sure your phone is completely naked before it goes in the SLXtreme 8+.
To be fair, SnowLizard’s instructions clearly tell you to remove any protective screen film before use. That’s what I get for not reading the instructions before using the case.
Case specs
The SLXtreme 8+ measures 7.25 by 3.63 by 0.88 inches and it weighs 7.5 ounces.
It will work with the iPhone 7+ and iPhone 8+. The 5,000 mAh battery adds about 16 hours of additional talk time.
The SLXtreme 8+ is the perfect case for skiing or white water rafting or any other extreme situation. When you need extreme protection and extra power, the SLXtreme 8+ will perform well.
Pros: Supreme protection, extra power.
Cons: Quite large. Bottom line: Not for everyday use, but when you need it, you need it.