The smartphone has become a powerful tool for underwater photography, but choosing the right housing is the most critical decision you'll make. All housings promise to keep your phone dry, but how they let you interact with your phone underwater is what truly defines your creative freedom, utility, and safety.
Essentially, there are three competing design philosophies on the market: traditional Button-operated housings, modern Bluetooth-connected housings, and DIVEVOLK's patented Full Touchscreen housing. While the first two offer a limited window into your phone's capabilities, DIVEVOLK is the only one that throws the doors wide open. Let's break down the differences feature by feature.
We'll analyze the key functions a diver actually needs and see how each housing type stacks up, based on the capabilities of our flagship SeaTouch 4 Max.
Creative Control: Accessing Your Camera's Full Potential
Your smartphone camera is a technological marvel. Limiting it is a waste of potential.
-
Access to All Native Camera Functions: Your native camera app is a powerhouse. DIVEVOLK lets you use it all: seamlessly switch between ultra-wide, wide, and telephoto lenses; use Cinematic or Portrait modes; and access every setting. Button & Bluetooth housings often can't switch between all lenses fast or access special modes.
-
Free Focus Selection & Quick EV Adjustment: As we detailed in our guide to macro photography, the ability to tap the screen to focus on a specific point and adjust the Exposure Value (EV) is critical for creative control. This is only possible with a touchscreen. Other housings leave you at the mercy of your phone's auto-focus and auto-exposure.
- Manual Mode, RAW Shooting & Pro App Compatibility: To get the absolute best image quality, you need to shoot in Manual/Pro mode and capture RAW files. DIVEVOLK's touchscreen lets you operate these modes in your native camera app or use powerful third-party apps like FiLMiC Pro or Slow Shutter. This level of professional control is completely inaccessible with other housing types.
Utility & Safety: Using Your Phone as a True Dive Tool
Your phone is more than a camera, and your housing should reflect that.
-
Access to All Phone Functions: This is the most fundamental difference. With DIVEVOLK, your device is still a fully functional smartphone underwater. You can access notes, fish ID apps, dive planners, or messages upon surfacing. Other housings turn your powerful smartphone into a simple point-and-shoot camera, locking you out of every other feature.
-
Underwater Compass & GPS: DIVEVOLK allows you to access your phone's compass for navigation underwater and its GPS for location marking at the surface. This is a major safety and utility feature that others lack.
-
Emergency Calls on Surface: This is a critical safety difference. The moment you surface in an emergency, you can make a phone call or use a satellite messenger app without ever opening the case and exposing your phone to the elements. This turns your housing from a camera accessory into a life-saving tool.
Convenience & Efficiency: A Smoother Workflow
-
Underwater Media Replay: With DIVEVOLK, you can review your photos and videos immediately after shooting and decide whether you want to shoot again with different setting. Or you can even watch movie during deco if you are a technical diver.
- Instant Upload & Sharing: Because your photos and videos are already on your phone, you can edit and share them the moment you have a signal, without the tedious process of transferring files.
- Bluetooth Freedom: Button housings don't use Bluetooth, but Bluetooth housings occupy your phone's connection. With DIVEVOLK, your phone's Bluetooth and WiFi are free to connect to other devices, like a dive computer or future accessories.
The Final Verdict: A Feature Summary Table
Here’s a clear breakdown of the advantages. The difference isn't just a feature or two—it's a fundamental gap in capability and philosophy.
| Features | SeaTouch 4 Max | Button-operated Housing | Bluetooth connected Housing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access to all phone functions | ✓ | camera only | camera only |
| Access to all native camera functions | ✓ | Limited function | Limited function |
| Switch to ultra-wide angle, telephoto camera function | ✓ | ✓ Some | ✓ |
| Free to select focus anywhere by tapping the screen | ✓ | X | X |
| Quick EV adjustment | ✓ | X | X |
| Manual mode Raw file image shooting | ✓ | X | X |
| Compatible with all photography apps (ie. Filmic Pro, Slow Shutter) | ✓ | X | X |
| Underwater music, audio or video replay | ✓ | X | X |
| Underwater compass, longitude and latitude information access | ✓ | X | X |
| Text on memo or demonstrate the words to others | ✓ | X | X |
| Bluetooth or Wifi connection to other devices | ✓ | X | Housing Only |
| Emergency phone calls or video calls on surface | ✓ | X | X |
| Instant upload and sharing without removing phone from housing | ✓ | X | X |
| Applicable to various water sports | ✓ | Limited | Limited |
The Ultimate Comparison: DIVEVOLK vs. Other Housings
Conclusion: Don't Just Waterproof Your Phone—Unleash It
When choosing an underwater housing for your smartphone, the question isn't just "Will it keep my phone dry?" The real question is, "How much of my phone's power will it let me use?"
Button-operated and Bluetooth-connected housings force you to compromise, turning your advanced smartphone into a basic camera with limited functions. The DIVEVOLK SeaTouch 4 Max, with its full touchscreen access, is the only solution that honors the power of your device.
It’s the difference between simply taking a picture and having your entire digital toolkit—for creativity, communication, and safety—with you on every single dive.
Ready to stop compromising? Explore the full range of DIVEVOLK Touchscreen Housings.
