Scuba Diving Magazine's 2024 "Best Buy" Award! DIVEVOLK SeaTouch 4 Max

In the world of dive gear, few accolades carry the weight and prestige of an award from Scuba Diving Magazine. With a history spanning over 50 years, a circulation exceeding 200,000, and a massive online reach, it stands as one of the most authoritative voices in the global diving community. That's why we at DIVEVOLK are incredibly proud and honored to announce that our revolutionary SeaTouch 4 Max Full Touchscreen Underwater Smartphone Housing has earned the coveted ScubaLab "Best Buy" award for 2024!

This isn't just any award; it's often considered the "Oscars" of dive equipment, a benchmark recognized by divers worldwide. Earning this distinction is a testament to genuine innovation, performance, and value.

Why the ScubaLab "Best Buy" is the Gold Standard

The ScubaLab Best Buy award isn't handed out lightly. It's the result of one of the most rigorous, unbiased, and comprehensive testing processes in the industry, designed to identify gear that truly excels for divers in real-world conditions. The evaluation involves:

1. Exhaustive Lab Performance Testing: Often involving third-party facilities, gear is subjected to batteries of objective tests measuring critical performance metrics against hard data points.
2. Intensive Real-World Field Testing: This is where the gear truly proves itself. ScubaLab deploys teams of certified test divers (the Chinese PR draft mentions figures suggesting hundreds of divers across global dive locations over extended periods for general award cycles) who put the equipment through its paces in actual ocean environments, often in blind tests to ensure unbiased feedback on ergonomics, performance, and durability.
3. In-Depth User Experience Evaluation: Testers provide detailed feedback on everything from initial setup and ease of operation to functional performance and integration with other gear.

Winning a ScubaLab Best Buy means a product hasn't just met technical specifications, but has genuinely impressed experienced divers in terms of performance, usability, innovation, and overall value.

SeaTouch 4 Max Stands Out: What Impressed ScubaLab Testers

In a head-to-head evaluation against five other underwater smartphone housings, the SeaTouch 4 Max emerged as the clear choice for the Best Buy designation. Here’s what resonated with the expert ScubaLab test divers:

1. Revolutionary Full Touchscreen Control (to 60m/196ft!)

This remains the core DIVEVOLK innovation and was a major highlight for testers. The SeaTouch 4 Max utilizes a unique, patented soft, flexible membrane system that allows full, unrestricted control of the smartphone's native touchscreen interface down to an impressive 196 feet (60 meters).

• Use ANY App: Divers aren't locked into a specific housing app. They can use the phone's powerful native camera app, accessing all its features (zoom, burst, Live Photo, RAW capture, cinematic mode) just like on land. Prefer a third-party pro camera app? No problem.
• Intuitive Operation: As ScubaLab noted, the housing scored "excellent for intuitive operation" precisely because you use your phone exactly as you normally would. No complex button combinations to learn.
• No Bluetooth, No Housing Battery: Direct touchscreen control means no unreliable Bluetooth connections and no internal housing battery to charge or fail – simplifying the entire process and eliminating common points of failure and battery drain.

 

2. Effortless Setup & Unmatched Convenience

Testers appreciated the simplicity: "Simply place the phone into the inner plastic tray, slide the tray into the housing, and secure the two thumbscrews." Beyond setup, a unique advantage emerged: the ability to capture, review, edit, and even share media directly from the phone without ever removing it from the housing between dives or even during surface intervals. This seamless workflow is simply not possible with most other housings.

3. Broad Compatibility & Ergonomic Design

The SeaTouch 4 Max is designed to accommodate a wide range of the latest iPhones (adapters included for models like 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 series in the test batch) and popular flagship Android devices. While adapters ensure a snug fit for listed models, securing less common phones is straightforward with available custom adapters.

ScubaLab divers praised the design: "very slim except for its right-hand grip, and super lightweight. It is comfortable and natural to hold in the hand." This ergonomic design, combined with its compact size, makes it exceptionally travel-friendly.

4. Versatile Functionality: More Than Just a Camera Case

Test divers quickly realized the SeaTouch 4 Max unlocks the entire smartphone underwater, not just the camera. They highlighted numerous possibilities:

• Referencing dive site maps or notes.
• Collecting scientific data or recording observations.
• Watching movies or listening to music during long decompression stops.
• Using communication apps (like satellite messengers) for calls and texts at the surface without exposing the phone.

As ScubaLab put it, "the possibilities are endless."

The Expert's Take: Performance Where It Counts

The fact that the SeaTouch 4 Max was a "favorite of several test divers" speaks volumes. Professional dive gear should enhance the underwater experience, allowing divers to focus on exploration and creativity, rather than becoming a cumbersome burden. The intuitive, familiar touchscreen interface achieves precisely that.

While the housing forms the core, achieving a full professional imaging setup involves adding essential accessories like a tray and handles for stability, powerful video lights like the SL120 for illumination, and optical enhancements such as color-correcting filters or wide-angle/macro wet lensesmounted via the versatile 67mm adapter system. The SeaTouch 4 Max provides the reliable, easy-to-use foundation for building your perfect underwater smartphone rig.

Experience the Award-Winning Difference

We are immensely grateful to Scuba Diving Magazine and the ScubaLab team for this prestigious recognition. The 2024 Best Buy award validates DIVEVOLK's commitment to pushing the boundaries of underwater technology and making high-quality underwater imaging accessible through the power of your smartphone.

It confirms what our users already know: the SeaTouch 4 Max offers a unique combination of unparalleled control, simplicity, versatility, and value.

Ready to experience the award-winning difference for yourself?

Explore the DIVEVOLK SeaTouch 4 Max (Internal Link 6)

Read the full review on Scuba Diving Magazine's website: Divevolk SeaTouch: ScubaLab Best Buy  Learn more about ScubaLab's rigorous testing: Scuba Diving Magazine - Gear.