Lifeproof Samsung Galaxy S4 fre Waterproof Case Review

Here is my review of the Lifeproof Samsung Galaxy S4 fre black colored Motorola Fre Droid Turbo 2 Black case I purchased for a total of $79.99 (and $10.64 quarterly?) – Note, since I purchased this case, I’ve had to replace it three times now! The company has never given me any hassle on the return and I appreciate that, but it’s still disturbing that there have been so many defects.

$80 is not cheap but everything I read said this was a fantastic waterproof case that is well worth the money. Besides protection from water, the scratch protector, drop, dirt and snow protection were extra bonuses.

Since using the case, I’ve dropped it a number of times, had it fall in the snow, splashed with water and the S4 fre protected my phone as promised.

There is a small charging port protected by a snap style cover on a hinge and in Jan 2014, it broke. The cover still worked, but was no longer a tight fit and could be a pathway for water. Having paid $80 for a protective case I used for only for 3 months, I was disappointed, after all, that protective cover is opened and closed daily so you would expect it to be built to last.

I contacted Lifeproof and explained the following:

The snap at the bottom middle of the case is broken (it is the part that you snap shut to secure the case). The little plastic c shaped nodule that snaps around the metal rod is broken. If you have any questions or need me to send you a picture, please don’t hesitate to call.

Thanks and have a great day!

Within a few days, I received the following message from company support staff:

Update for Case #0123456789 – “Warranty/Returns – Galaxy S4 – Other”
Thank you for contacting LifeProof Customer Support! I would like to personally apologize for the delay in responding to your e-mail. We are currently experiencing high e-mail volumes.

Thank you for providing me with that information! Your request for a warranty replacement has been submitted. You will receive an e-mail with your sales order information shortly. Once your order ships, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with a tracking number.

Please return the original damaged product(s) once you receive the replacement(s). You will receive an e-mail titled “Return Instructions”, which will provide you with the details for the return. Make sure to check your Spam and Junk folders in case that e-mail was filtered there. Please include a printed copy of the return instructions e-mail with your return as well.

Also, please disregard any invoices or prices that you may see, as all warranty replacements are provided free of charge.

Please contact us with any other questions or concerns! Thanks for choosing LifeProof! Have a wonderful day!

and the following day I received:

Dear James,

Your request for Advance Replacement Exchange Authorization was processed and approved. Subject to product availability, LifeProof agrees to ship Advance Replacement exchange product upon RMA approval.

Reason: Cases Not Closing Properly

Replacement product will be shipped to the order’s original shipping address by USPS. Please notify us if an alternate address is preferred.

Please carefully package the products and address your package as follows:
SD LifeProof/OtterBox
Attn: US-92043687 -AR
11870 Community Road
Suite #220
Poway, CA 92064

Please note that we will not accept any product(s) that have been damaged as a result of abuse, misuse, natural or personal disaster, or any unauthorized disassemble, repair or modification.

Once you have obtained the replacement product(s), you must send the original to the address above. We strongly recommend the use of a shipping company that can demonstrate proof of delivery. LifeProof does not accept responsibility for any lost shipments unless proof of delivery to LifeProof is provided.

Product(s) shipped to LifeProof must be properly packaged to prevent damage in transit. Please feel free to contact us with any questions by sending an email to support@lifeproof.com or calling 1-888-533-0735.

Sincerely,

LifeProof LifeSupport

Ten days later, I received my replacement. The only negative was that I have to pay to ship the broken part back to the company which ran me $10.64, so for me, the total cost of ownership so far is $90.63 (wow, almost half the price of my phone!)

The downside to this product beside the charging port cover is the port size and sound.

I have a charging cable with a built in light so you can see where your port is; however, the port on the case is smaller than the cable, so you have to use a standard flat charging cable for it to work.

The other issue is with sound through the case, not sound through the earplugs. The sound when talking to someone seems a bit distorted, but over time, you get use to it.

I heard that a local doctor created quite a ruckus by pulling the phone out of his shorts while in a hot-tub at the local gym to answer a call. Although I have confidence in the waterproof feature, I’m not brave enough to test it on my new phone ;)

Overall, the case does what it promises and looks great! I’m very happy with the return service but worried that in three more months, I’ll be paying another $10.64 to ship the case back to Lifeproof for the same port cover problem. I’ll update this page if that happens.

Update 3/2014: The rubber plug (click on image to see close up) that is permanently attached to the phone which covers the ear bud connection hole broke from wear which makes it no longer waterproof.

To fix this, it will run me another $10.64 for shipping making the new total cost of ownership $101.27 ($90.63 + $10.64). I know I mentioned $10.64 quarterly, but perhaps I need to make that monthly ;) – A screw in plug rather than a push type would solve this problem.

Update 5/22/2014: The tiny plastic piece broke off that seals the case after charging. In the picture below, you can see the charging port closed and gap left by the piece shown to the right of the case.

In the image below, you can see where the plastic section of the Lifeproof Samsung Galaxy S4 FRE case missing and shown to the right of the case.

So, not two months after my last review, here we are again having to pay yet another $10.64 in shipping for a new total cost of ownership of $111.91 ($101.27 + $10.64) – That is a lot of money for a waterproof case and at this rate, it doesn’t look like I’ve reached the top yet.

Update 7/17/2014: I went to Lifeproof’s website and visited the warranty page. The website had me take pictures and then upload them to their website. There was also a comment field where I expressed my dissatisfaction about having to pay the quarterly shipping fees.

To my surprise, they sent a prepaid envelope for the defective phone case. That little plastic flap over the charging port is not well built and I fear that I’ll be asking for another replacement, but I’m happy to have my new case.

The warranty is 1 year, so I’m hoping that’s 1 year from the time they send me the latest case. Time will tell, and I’ll keep you updated.

If you know of another waterproof case for my Galaxy S4, please, let me know and I’ll give it a try and post the results.

Charging Port Cover on my Lifeproof Case Broken Again – 05-13-15

Once again, the port door broke but this time it was the arm that connects the door that broke.

This time, as I submitted my information, I was presented with the following:

Almost done…

Based on your description, one of the below articles may address your issue.
Or, submit your request at the bottom of the page.

Will the charge port door wear out over time?

The LifeProof charge port door will last 10,000 cycles. That is about 10 years if you open and close the charge port door three times a day!

I’ve had this case less than a year and open and close the port cover / door about once every other day to charge – hardly 10,000 cycles!

I’m glad that Lifeproof is living up to their warranty but it’s becoming very frustrating having to repeatedly submit my case for warranty – this will be the third time! This is the message I received from Lifeproof after I submitted pictures of the defective product and serial numbers:

Update on 3rd Repair – 5/22/2015

I received my new Lifeproof Waterproof FRE Case and the process was fairly easy. The case appears to have a modification that the other did not. I’m not sure what it’s for, it doesn’t seem to go through to the other side of the case (as you might for better sound) so perhaps it is an extra barrier to prevent damage?

Anyone have an idea of what that new case modification is for?