Want to protect your phone from the occasional drops and unavoidable scratches that come from everyday handling? Get a phone case. Problem is, many cases make it difficult to use your phone with accessories, so you end up having to remove them to reinforce your mobile device with extra capabilities. The Otterbox Universe wants to change that.
A modular phone case, it comes with removable sections, in place of which you can snap on compatible accessory modules. That way, you can use a bunch of accessories with your iPhone without having to take off its protective housing and leaving it vulnerable.
Instead of building their own modules, Otterbox partnered with popular accessory makers to create compatible devices for Universe. PolarPro, for instance, made two tripods, a battery pack, a wireless speaker, a fisheye lens, an armband, and a wallet that can all snap into the case, while Square made a special version of their contactless card reader. Same with SanDisk (flash drives), Nite Ize (vent mount kit), Manatee Works (barcode scanner), Seek (thermal camera), Olloclip (lenses), Goal Zero (additional battery), and Influx (WiFi booster).
Basically, they’ve been able to rope in an essential roster of accessories that really make the system viable, with more potentially coming down the line if this thing takes off. All the accessories, by the way, have been tested for durability by Otterbox, so everything should hold up just as well as the primary case module. It’s available exclusively for iPhone 6 and newer.
Slated to come out May 29th, the Otterbox Universe is priced at $49.95.