Accessorize Your iPhone With Otterbox's Modular Case

Remember Project Ara? Google's modular smartphone has yet to make it to market, but OtterBox is bringing a similar idea to iPhone users.

The company on Tuesday unveiled the uniVERSE Case System, which lets you swap out different "accessory modules" to enhance your iPhone with things like new camera lenses, an extra battery, speaker, payment processing hardware, and more.

The uniVERSE Case itself will set you back $49.95 (for iPhone 6 and 6s) or $59.95 (for the 6 Plus and 6s Plus), while the swappable modules range from $19.99 to $249.

OtterBox has partnered with a number of companies like Square, olloclip, and SanDisk to create compatible modules that easily attach to the case using a slotted rail system. The $49.99 Square module, for instance, will let you accept not only credit cards but also contactless payments on the go. Removable flash drive modules from SanDisk, priced from $59.99 to $119.99, offer 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of additional storage in a literal snap.

Other modules include a $79.99 olloclip 4-in-1 lens, which lets you switch between fisheye, wide-angle, 10x, and 15x lenses, and a $249 Seek Thermal Compact Camera, which will let you turn your smartphone into a thermal imaging device. Head over to OtterBox's website to explore other available modules.

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"Innovation in the mobile technology world continues to evolve, and smartphones are at the center of this evolution," OtterBox CEO Jim Parke said in a statement. "OtterBox is bringing together industry giants and cutting-edge innovators to create a customizable mobile ecosystem. With uniVERSE Case System, consumers don't have to compromise premium protection to use the amazing array of accessories that are changing how we use our phones."

For more on the uniVERSE Case System, check out the video below.

About Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

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