So as a bit of background, I've been using lifeproof cases on my iPhones since their first case for the iPhone 4. I had been trying to patiently wait for lifeproof to come out with their iphone 6 and 6 plus cases, but given how long it's been taking and with no ETA given I finally decided to look at other options. Right now it seems like the only other option for a 6 plus is the redpepper case.
I purchased one for $19 from amazon and it just arrived yesterday. Here are my initial thoughts (mostly as compared to lifeproof cases) in no particular order.
TouchID - This is one thing redpepper did really well. I have had no touch ID failures at all since I put this case on yesterday. I used a lifeproof Nuud case for my 5S and I also used the lifeproof Fre case for the 6 for a little while and there were definitely some TouchID issues with those cases. With the lifeproof cases touchID was maybe 70-80% accurate. I'd get one or two failures every 5 attempts. Definitely a win for the redpepper case.
TouchScreen - First I will say that I'm definitely a fan of the Nuud style cases with no screen protector. That's not an option right now and frankly, the redpepper screen protector is another plus for this case. With the lifeproof fre cases with screen protectors I've always noticed that the screen protector is slightly hazy and can affect the image quality... especially in bright light. I'm not seeing that with the redpepper case. The screen protector is crystal clear and the screen looks great behind it. I'm also not seeing any newton rings or rainbow effect with this case and that's always been an issue for me with the lifeproof cases. Another win for the redpepper case.
Size and weight. The iPhone 6 plus is already a big and heavy phone and adding a bulky case just makes it worse. I'm not happy with the extra size and weight of the redpepper case, but there's only so much you can do to keep a case small and also make it protective and waterproof. I couldn't find an accurate set of dimensions for the redpepper case before I ordered it. Most of the listings on amazon didn't include dimensions and the ones that did were clearly wrong as they listed sizes smaller than the iPhone 6+ that was supposed to fit inside it. Now that I have it here, though, I measured it myself and compared it to the dimensions of the upcoming lifeproof iphone 6 plus nuud case that are listed on lifeproof's website. The lifeproof case and the redpepper case are both 3.5 inches wide and 6.7 inches tall, but that's where the similarities end. The redpepper case is .61 inches thick and the lifeproof is only .48. The lifeproof is also a bit lighter at only 1.89oz where the redpepper case is 2.9oz. This time the win goes to lifeproof.
Sound quality - There are always some tradeoffs in sound quality with a waterproof case, but my comparison here is more between the lifeproof cases that I have used and the redpepper case. For phone calls, the earpiece and microphone quality both seem to be similar. There's probably a little quality reduction from a naked phone, but nothing that bothers me on a call and people on the other side of the call didn't have any complaints about how I sounded. Speakerphone quality is also similar between the lifeproof cases and the redpepper case. However speaker quality for music and games is pretty bad on the redpepper case. Music and such just sounds a bit muffled. The lifeproof case isn't perfect as compared to a naked phone, but it's much better than redpepper here. Another win for lifeproof.
Camera/Flash - I have no complaints about the glass that covers the camera lens on either case. Lifeproof advertises that they use coated optical quality glass and I have no idea what redpepper uses, but it's definitely glass of some sort and I don't seem to see any reduction in picture quality with either case. However, the hole for the flash on the redpepper case is very small.. little bigger than the flash itself and it's a bit too restricting and it can affect the quality of flash pictures... the case blocks the flash from reaching the edges of the pictures and this results in uneven lighting on flash pictures. Obviously I don't know how big the flash hole will be on the lifeproof 6 plus nuud, but I think it's pretty safe to assume that there won't be a problem given their track record on their other cases. The flash hole on the iPhone 6 fre is definitely large enough. A big win for lifeproof here if you use the flash a lot.
Buttons and switches - The power and volume buttons on the lifeproof cases I've used as well as the redpepper case all seem to respond well and have good tactile feedback. I think I prefer the mute switch toggle that lifeproof uses rather than the rotating switch that redpepper uses, but that's probably mostly because that's what I'm used to. The redpepper rotating mute switch works without problems and is reasonably easy to use. I think this is a tie.
Port openings. The redpepper case uses rubber plugs for the headphone and charging ports whereas the lifeproof cases use a screen in plug for the headphone jack and a door for the charging port. The headphone hole on both cases is pretty small and the original apple headphones will fit without a problem, but anything else is likely to be too big. They both come with adapters that screw in and allow you to connect headphones that won't fit through the hole. The opening for the lightning port is pretty small on the redpepper case, but appears to be a little larger than the opening on the lifeproof iphone 6 fre case. As with the lifeproof cases, I think many third party lightning cables may be too big to fit. I think I prefer the door for the charge port over the rubber plug, but the rubber plug isn't too difficult to use.
I think that just about covers it. I'd be happier if the redpepper case was a bit thinner and lighter and I definitely wish the flash opening was larger, but overall it's really not a bad case... especially for the $19 that I paid. I'll probably replace it with the lifeproof case when it finally comes out, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the redpepper case given it's price and the fact that it's the only option for a waterproof case for the 6 plus right now.
If you have any questions about the redpepper case, feel free to let me know.
I purchased one for $19 from amazon and it just arrived yesterday. Here are my initial thoughts (mostly as compared to lifeproof cases) in no particular order.
TouchID - This is one thing redpepper did really well. I have had no touch ID failures at all since I put this case on yesterday. I used a lifeproof Nuud case for my 5S and I also used the lifeproof Fre case for the 6 for a little while and there were definitely some TouchID issues with those cases. With the lifeproof cases touchID was maybe 70-80% accurate. I'd get one or two failures every 5 attempts. Definitely a win for the redpepper case.
TouchScreen - First I will say that I'm definitely a fan of the Nuud style cases with no screen protector. That's not an option right now and frankly, the redpepper screen protector is another plus for this case. With the lifeproof fre cases with screen protectors I've always noticed that the screen protector is slightly hazy and can affect the image quality... especially in bright light. I'm not seeing that with the redpepper case. The screen protector is crystal clear and the screen looks great behind it. I'm also not seeing any newton rings or rainbow effect with this case and that's always been an issue for me with the lifeproof cases. Another win for the redpepper case.
Size and weight. The iPhone 6 plus is already a big and heavy phone and adding a bulky case just makes it worse. I'm not happy with the extra size and weight of the redpepper case, but there's only so much you can do to keep a case small and also make it protective and waterproof. I couldn't find an accurate set of dimensions for the redpepper case before I ordered it. Most of the listings on amazon didn't include dimensions and the ones that did were clearly wrong as they listed sizes smaller than the iPhone 6+ that was supposed to fit inside it. Now that I have it here, though, I measured it myself and compared it to the dimensions of the upcoming lifeproof iphone 6 plus nuud case that are listed on lifeproof's website. The lifeproof case and the redpepper case are both 3.5 inches wide and 6.7 inches tall, but that's where the similarities end. The redpepper case is .61 inches thick and the lifeproof is only .48. The lifeproof is also a bit lighter at only 1.89oz where the redpepper case is 2.9oz. This time the win goes to lifeproof.
Sound quality - There are always some tradeoffs in sound quality with a waterproof case, but my comparison here is more between the lifeproof cases that I have used and the redpepper case. For phone calls, the earpiece and microphone quality both seem to be similar. There's probably a little quality reduction from a naked phone, but nothing that bothers me on a call and people on the other side of the call didn't have any complaints about how I sounded. Speakerphone quality is also similar between the lifeproof cases and the redpepper case. However speaker quality for music and games is pretty bad on the redpepper case. Music and such just sounds a bit muffled. The lifeproof case isn't perfect as compared to a naked phone, but it's much better than redpepper here. Another win for lifeproof.
Camera/Flash - I have no complaints about the glass that covers the camera lens on either case. Lifeproof advertises that they use coated optical quality glass and I have no idea what redpepper uses, but it's definitely glass of some sort and I don't seem to see any reduction in picture quality with either case. However, the hole for the flash on the redpepper case is very small.. little bigger than the flash itself and it's a bit too restricting and it can affect the quality of flash pictures... the case blocks the flash from reaching the edges of the pictures and this results in uneven lighting on flash pictures. Obviously I don't know how big the flash hole will be on the lifeproof 6 plus nuud, but I think it's pretty safe to assume that there won't be a problem given their track record on their other cases. The flash hole on the iPhone 6 fre is definitely large enough. A big win for lifeproof here if you use the flash a lot.
Buttons and switches - The power and volume buttons on the lifeproof cases I've used as well as the redpepper case all seem to respond well and have good tactile feedback. I think I prefer the mute switch toggle that lifeproof uses rather than the rotating switch that redpepper uses, but that's probably mostly because that's what I'm used to. The redpepper rotating mute switch works without problems and is reasonably easy to use. I think this is a tie.
Port openings. The redpepper case uses rubber plugs for the headphone and charging ports whereas the lifeproof cases use a screen in plug for the headphone jack and a door for the charging port. The headphone hole on both cases is pretty small and the original apple headphones will fit without a problem, but anything else is likely to be too big. They both come with adapters that screw in and allow you to connect headphones that won't fit through the hole. The opening for the lightning port is pretty small on the redpepper case, but appears to be a little larger than the opening on the lifeproof iphone 6 fre case. As with the lifeproof cases, I think many third party lightning cables may be too big to fit. I think I prefer the door for the charge port over the rubber plug, but the rubber plug isn't too difficult to use.
I think that just about covers it. I'd be happier if the redpepper case was a bit thinner and lighter and I definitely wish the flash opening was larger, but overall it's really not a bad case... especially for the $19 that I paid. I'll probably replace it with the lifeproof case when it finally comes out, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the redpepper case given it's price and the fact that it's the only option for a waterproof case for the 6 plus right now.
If you have any questions about the redpepper case, feel free to let me know.
