We’ve been seeing more and more of these lately. Joby just released their underwater smartphone housing, and now we have Diveroid with their latest update. It’s the Diveroid Universal Lite, which is an existing product but with some new updates.
As with previous products, the company is taking to Kickstarter to launch the Universal Lite’s latest iteration. It’s significantly less expensive than the Universal Pro. For many users, however, it should be just as good.
Diveroid Universal Lite – Better late than never?
As you can see from the video above, the product was first announced towards the end of 2022. However, it only now seems to have come to Kickstarter. That being said, the Universal Lite is also listed on the company’s website, which is a little odd. It appears that this is an incremental update to the company’s existing Universal Lite model.
It’s designed to fit a wide range of smartphones thanks to an adjustable guide. It features double O rings to ensure a tight seal around your device. It also has built-in “heat sink” drains, which prevent fogging as heat from the phone generates humidity against the case, cooled by the surrounding water.
Real-time auto-colour-correction
Diveroid has its own app. It essentially turns your smartphone into a dive computer, providing information on dive depth and duration. It also lets you know if you’ve hit any safety issues, like critical depth or if you’re ascending too fast when you’re done, and it’ll let you know what to do at your current depth to stay safe.
Three buttons on the face of the case interact with the screen, allowing full control of the camera. This means that you’re limited to only using their app. The buttons line up to specific places on the screen that aren’t really compatible with the generic nature of smartphone design. You’ve no access to the actual touchscreen.
You do, however, get a secure case for your phone to shoot colour-corrected 4K video and photographs underwater. And it’ll keep your smartphone safe up to a depth of 15 metres, or around 49ft.
Overall, it’s a good-looking system for those who like to snorkel and dabble in the shallow depths. Yes, you’re limited to only using Diveroid’s app but that’s better than nothing, right? If you want full control of all your apps, you might want to check out the Joby SeaPal (buy here) instead.
It is worth pointing out at this point, however, that if you check the comments of the company’s previous Kickstarter, many customers are not happy. Some claim the item was never delivered, while others cite faults in the design and manufacture. Hopefully, these issues are fixed in the latest campaign, but their lack of response to many comments is something of a concern.
Price and Availability
The Diveroid Universal Lite is currently running on Kickstarter, with pledges beginning at $139. It’s available in three colours – Aqua Sky, Sunkist Coral and Shar Skin Grey. There are 11 days to go on the campaign at the time of writing and items are expected to ship in February 2024.
Disclaimer: We only share crowdfunded projects we believe are legitimate. However, most of those projects are not in a delivery state. Make sure you look into the project and make an informed purchasing decision. While some projects may offer amazing rewards, others unfortunately may not deliver on their promises.
