Catalyst is well known for its beautiful and sleek protective cases for all of your electronic devices. For years now I’ve used their cases as my go to every day carry option for any new devices that I get. I’ve used them on my iPhone for years, my iPad, Apple Watch, and even use plenty of their accessories for AirPods, Apple Pencil, and a few other accessories. This is the first time however that I have tried them for my new AirPods Pro. I chose to purchase both the slim case and the waterproof special edition case to test out which one I preferred. Here are my thoughts…
The slim case offers an excellent 2 piece design made from premium materials that seem to stand up well over the test of time. They fit snugly and have yet to have it fall off the case. There are precision cut outs for the charging port at the bottom of the case, LED indicator, the hinge at the back, and it even allows for good access to the pairing button on the back of the case due to the quality of materials used. The material is rather smooth and soft but leaves me confident that my airpods are protected from scratches and small drops. The case features a military grade impact protection up to the 810G standard. They also slide in/out of my pocket without picking up dust of lint along the way. I have used similar cases in the past for other AirPods but none of them quite as good as these. They hold up well over time and have superior protection and seal. The case does not interfere with operation of the AirPods case at all. The only things left to be desired out of this case are more waterproof protection and a spot for a lanyard or carabiner to clip onto the case.
This is where the waterproof (ip67) case special edition comes in. The waterproof case provides that extra protection and peace of mind for when he inevitable drop or splash happens. The case offers a slightly different design than the 2 piece. It is a 1 piece design that folds down from the top sort of like a banana. Though a little bit more cumbersome to use, it provides a waterproof seal over the lid of the AirPods Pro case. The included carabiner clip for a lanyard is extremely nice and makes it very easy to secure the AirPods Pro to your backpack or bag and not worry about having them fall off. Two handed operation of the case is initially the best way to go until you have a feel for taking the AirPods out with one hand. Believe me, I dropped my AirPods a couple of times trying to do it with one hand, but now I have the hang of it. I feel extremely comfortable clipping them to my pocket or to my messenger bag and I never have to worry about them falling off.
Overall, choosing between these 2 cases really comes down to a couple of things. If you tend to be clumsy or like to clip your AirPods Pro to your bag for quick access, then the waterproof protection would probably be better for you. You can feel free to take your AirPods Pro on a workout and not worry about them getting sweat on them or maybe a little bit of rain. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you baby your AirPods and never drop them or don’t use them away from your desk and simply want to prolong their life and keep them pristine, then the slim case would be for you. Both cases work perfectly with the wireless charging features of the AirPods and allow easy access to the charging port and AirPods themselves. Either way, Catalyst has done excellent job designing and producing two extremely useful cases for the AirPods Pro. They work hard to ensure that they have a case option for everyone on the market!
