What's the best smartphone case for the beach?

Quite a few of you have asked me for my thoughts on the best smartphone case for the beach. Here are my thoughts on the subject.

See also: Tired of your smartphone charging cable breaking? Here's an indestructible replacement

The beach is a harsh place for a smartphone. All that sand, water, and salt spray, any of which can wreak your smartphone. Then there are rocks that can put an impressive scratch on your screen in no time at all.

You might love the beach, but your smartphone doesn't.

Cases such as LifeProof are great, but for beach use I see a few issues:

• If you don't keep your smartphone in the case all the time, inserting and removing it is a hassle
• If you have a case already, you'll have to remove it
• You're going to spend ages getting sand out of all the little ports on the case
• High-end cases are only available for select smartphones (usually the iPhone and high-end Samsung, LG and Motorola handsets)
• High-end cases are expensive for occasional use

In my experience, a far better alternative to a case is a drybag for your smartphone that features a clear panel so you can still use the phone. Another advantage of a drybag is that they are easy to clean when you're done, and they fit a variety of devices (so you don't have to buy a new bag when you get a new smartphone).

There are a number of good brands available, one such brand being H2NO. these drybags are made of tough PVC and IPX8 certified to 100 feet. They're also big enough for your credit card, cash, and car keys too.

And the nice thing is that you can pick up one of these drybags for about $10.

12 built-in iOS apps you should replace with third-party apps

See also:

• What Google needs to beat the iPhone
• What's inside a $4 smartphone?
• Here's how much it costs to charge a smartphone for a year
• $199 2-in-1s could pose a threat to both the Chromebook and the PC industry
• Should you unplug your smartphone charger when it's not in use?
• Yes, you can build your own smartphone