A while ago, I stopped wearing an Apple Watch. It was too boring, too uninspired, and far too annoying. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a few good uses though. As I started working to get back into shape after the pandemic reduced my outdoor time, I liked having my Apple Watch for fitness tracking. It’s nice to see my VO2 Max improving over time. And, while Apple doesn’t suggest using it for medical purposes, I was also able to make sure my blood oxygen levels were fine when I got COVID recently. These got me wearing my Apple Watch on occasion, which meant using something I got for my Apple Watch a long time ago: a case.
Normally, I didn’t use a case with my Apple Watch. But normally I don’t wear an Apple Watch either. Now that it’s just for fitness (and occasional health tracking), it made sense to give it a little bit more protection. After all, my version of fitness also includes skateboarding, and I’m not too proud to admit I fall on occasion. My Apple Watch lives permanently in a case, specifically RhinoShield’s CrashGuard NX for the Apple Watch. After using it every day for a few days while I was sick with COVID, I realized I could finally do a review for it.
I had reviewed a RhinoShield case before and really didn’t like it. It added a lot of bulk, and I didn’t think the shock protection matched the mass and weight of the iPhone. It actually lead to a screen protector breaking because it didn’t fit well. While RhinoShield failed with the iPhone version of this case, the Apple Watch version is a much better fit (literally).
In This Article:
Specs
- Width: 38.65mm (Apple Watch: 34.45mm)
- Height: 43.87mm (Apple Watch: 39.83mm)
- Depth: 12.34mm (Apple Watch: 12.75mm)
- Yes, the case is thinner than the watch, due to the sensor array sticking out of the bottom of the watch, which I didn’t include in the case measurement.
- Weight: 3g (Apple Watch: 31g)
You can see this adds about 2mm to each side. It goes out past the digital crown, even. However, it is incredibly lightweight, and you likely won’t even notice the difference in weight or size on your wrist while you’re wearing it.
Protection 9/10
This, like the CrashGuard NX for the iPhone, is just a plastic case. There’s no special layer on the inside, no mixed silicone and plastic, just rigid plastic. The Apple Watch doesn’t need as much protection as your phone though. Sure, you may knock it up against walls, but you’re not going to be dropping it very often. Even if you do, it’s lightweight and small, which means it won’t hit the ground with as much force. You’re simply less likely to break your Apple Watch on a drop.
RhinoShield claims their case is drop tested for four feet. That’s not much. However, it’s enough to protect something that is likely only falling from wrist height and almost never in a free fall. I’m 5’10”, and my wrist sits between a little over three feet off the ground. Even if it somehow popped off my band and fell, it wouldn’t be higher than RhinoShield’s testing.
There could, optimally, be some internal protection. Maybe a little bit of silicone to dampen the shock of a hard hit. Unlike the phone version, there aren’t little posts on the inside to disperse some of the force away from your watch. Still, it doesn’t feel like my watch is in danger when I’m wearing it with this case. I feel like the CrashGuard NX provides good protection, despite being rather simplistic.
Looks 9/10
Obviously, this isn’t going to be as pretty as an Apple Watch. It’s plastic added on top of Apple’s design. You’re never going to get that to look as good as the Apple Watch by itself. That’s really the only design flaw I can find. I feel like they may have added just a little bit too much bulk to the watch for a perfect score in the looks category. Otherwise? They did everything they could do to make this an attractive case. It’s customizable, there are plenty of nice color options, you can match your watch and bands quite well, and you can even swap the face plate quickly if you want to tweak the design.
RhinoShield did as well as they could with a case that doesn’t make the Apple Watch look bad, and that’s more than I could say for nearly every other Apple Watch case I’ve seen.
Ergonomics 6.5/10
It’s easy enough to press the digital crown or the button under it, but other functionality is a little bit more difficult. The screen protection is very necessary, but can make it a little more awkward to swipe down from the top or up from the bottom. It’s worth noting that this isn’t so much more difficult that you’ll think about it much, it’s just a little more awkward.
However, the hard part is the digital crown. Case makers have two options here. They could either create their own cover for the crown, which would make their case look bulky and ridiculous, or they can cut out areas of their case to make it accessible. RhinoShield went for the latter, thankfully, however this means it’s a bit harder to access the crown. You can’t fully rotate it, as you could without the case. Instead, you sort of swipe along the top of the crown or spin it on the outside, like the world’s smallest clickwheel. It’s not great, but it’s certainly not a deal-breaker.
Sustainability 1/10
Yes, I actually have two cases, one in black, and one in red. That makes me feel even more guilty about this section.
RhinoShield still loves their plastic. The case is plastic, the packaging is separate and all plastic. The one plus side is that you can just buy the face plate rings if you want to change up the design later, which will at least reduce the amount of plastic for a completely separate case. If you like the look and don’t mind that it’ll get beaten up over time, you could use it for the life of your Apple Watch, even as your style changes.
Durability 6/10
Everyday bumps might be fine, but this is a hard plastic case. That means if it hits something rough, like asphalt or a skateboard’s grip tape, it’s going to get scuffed. On top of that, I noticed a bit of wear by the digital crown portion of the case, where I pry with my finger to remove the case. This may be a case that eventually gets covered in scuffs, but that’s better than ending up with them on your Apple Watch, right?
Value
It’s only $15. That’s actually a pretty good value. I wouldn’t pay any more than that, but it does feel like a fair price for something that protects your watch and looks good doing it. Even cheaper Apple Watch cases you can find on Amazon cost as much or more, and are less well-designed. It’s a good buy.
Odds and Ends
The most troubling part of this case is that it’s not water resistant. Your Apple Watch itself is likely water resistant, depending on the model, but this case will let water sit between it and your watch. This means it can trap sweat and water. Will this be a problem for the watch itself? Unlikely. But it could be a sanitary problem. Trapping water, sweat, and bacteria in there could be a haven for bacterial growth or mildew. Gross. You’ll want to take this off on occasion and wipe it down, especially if you’ve been wearing your watch during exercise or swimming.
As for a sillier problem, you may find that docks made for the Apple Watch that feature a cute design, like ones made to resemble an old Mac or an iPod, may not fit perfectly anymore. I have found that I can use all of my stands with the case on, but this may not apply to every stand. If you use something made from a less flexible material, like wood or aluminum, then it won’t fit your watch with this case on.
Overall 7/10
While wearing my Apple Watch, I quickly remembered why I decided to stop wearing an Apple Watch. Buzzing, constantly. Every message from Slack, Discord, every text message, just every notification, every few minutes. I turned off all notifications, but Apple doesn’t make this easy. You have to turn them off per app. Good god, Apple, why?
But what about the case? Well, it does make some of the Apple Watch experience a little worse. It doesn’t fit in Apple Watch docks quite as well, and it does mean you can’t rotate the digital crown as much. You mostly just swipe on it. For what you lose, you gain adequate protection—for a watch—and in a fairly stylish package—for a watch case. It’s plastic you’re wrapping around your glass and aluminum (or steal/ceramic, if you wasted your money), it’s not going to look as good as what came out of Apple’s factories. Still, it’s not ugly, which is more than I can say for most Apple Watch cases.
Pros:
- Protective without much bulk
- Feels worth the price
- Customizable
- Looks good for an Apple Watch case
Cons:
- Blocks digital crown
- Not waterproof, will trap sweat and water along your watch
- Packaging is all plastic instead of cardboard
- Could be compostable or otherwise more recyclable
I wear real watches when I’m going out, or throughout my day. This means my Apple Watch has become a fitness device first and foremost. With fitness in mind, especially potentially rough activities like sports, I don’t see a reason to ever take my Apple Watch out of the RhinoShield CrashGuard NX case. That’s really the best endorsement I could give a case. It’s basically a permanent part of my Apple Watch, and I actually like it that way.