Smartphone housings

Team Backscatter · Issue 147, Nov/Dec 2025 · pp. 26–30

Products mentioned: SeaLife SportDiver Ultra, SportDiver Bluewater Filter, SportDiver Greenwater Filter, SportDiver Yellow Filter, SportDiver 6-inch Dome Port, SportDiver 52mm Wide Lens, DiveVOLK SeaTouch, DiveVOLK M67 Red Filter, Blackmagic Cinema app

This review places its focus squarely on underwater smartphone housings rather than getting into the specs of specific phone models. The housing itself has the greatest impact on performance underwater, largely because of the companion app and available accessories. The app controls key features such as wide and telephoto lens choice, camera settings, and color correction—the more feature-rich the app, usually means better overall image quality. Accessories are equally important: color filters, wide-angle and macro lenses can dramatically improve color, sharpness, and clarity. But a housing’s role isn’t just about capturing great images—it’s about ensuring the phone survives the dive. To that end, housings vary greatly in their protective features. Some of the models we tested include vacuum systems for pre-dive leak checks or integrated moisture alarms, providing the confidence needed t…