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This spacesuit case keeps your iPhone cool in the baking sun

Phoozy's Chromium-infused "capsule" prevents smartphones from both overheating in hot weather and freezing in cold weather -- and it floats.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
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David Carnoy
2 min read
Sarah Tew/CNET

Perhaps you've accidently left your iPhone in the sun and returned to find it inoperable with the "Your iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it" message plastered on its screen. Or the opposite: It shut down because it was frozen. Whatever the case, iPhones -- and smartphones in general -- don't do well in extreme conditions. Which is where the Phoozy ($30) comes in. 

A simple sleeve or "capsule" for smartphones that's made out of spacesuit-inspired materials designed to protect astronauts, the Phoozy is the brainchild of Kevin Conway, a NASCAR driver and Super Trofeo World Champion who got tired of "having my phone overheat and shut down when I was outside on a hot summer day or freeze when I was snowboarding."

The Phoozy has a Chromium Thermal Barrier Shell and SpaceTech Penetration Layer, as well as a bit of velcro to keep it closed at the top. The secret to that Chromium Thermal Barrier is that it reflects 90 percent of the sun's energy.  

The Phoozy isn't waterproof exactly but it is buoyant, and if your phone falls in the water while wearing a Phoozy, it won't sink (we did test it). Measuring 4 by 7 inches, it fits phones as large as the iPhone 7 Plus , Galaxy S8 Plus and Google Pixel XL

In an ideal world I'd like to see it priced a little closer to $20, but it would certainly come in handy at the beach this summer. The thermal proofing is also supposed preserve battery life when things get too hot or too cold (batteries don't do well in extreme temps).

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The $30 Phoozy case accepts most phones. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

Here are the Phoozy's key specs:

  • Heat protection to 200F
  • Coldproof rated to -20F
  • Buoyant (float protection) 
  • Price: $30