Smartphone Housing vs. GoPro: Which One Should You Take Underwater?

There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of slipping beneath the surface of the water. You check your mask, take a deep breath, and suddenly you’re in another world. Schools of fish scatter in flashes of silver, coral gardens stretch out below, and if you’re lucky, a turtle might even drift by. Moments like these deserve to be captured, but the question is: what should you capture them with?

For many travelers and divers, the choice comes down to two popular tools: a smartphone housing or a GoPro. Both are small enough to toss into your bag, both are capable of impressive results, and both let you share your experience once you’re back on dry land. But they’re not the same. A GoPro is designed for action-packed video, while a housing unlocks the full potential of the phone you already own. Which one belongs in your gear bag depends on how you want to tell your underwater story.

Smartphone Housings: Turning Your Phone Into a Dive Camera

Most people already use their phone as their main camera on land. A smartphone housing extends that convenience underwater.

Modern housings are more than just waterproof shells. High-quality cases like the ProShot Touch 2.0 and the ProShot Dive Case are engineered with durable polycarbonate, reliable O-ring seals, and secure locks to keep your phone safe even at scuba depths. The Touch 2.0 is waterproof to 50 feet (15 meters), perfect for snorkeling and shallow freediving, while the Dive Case is rated to 130 feet (40 meters), making it suitable for most recreational scuba diving.

Beyond protection, housings unlock creative potential. ProShot housings are compatible with GoPro-style mounts, meaning you can attach your phone to floating grips, extender poles, dive lights, or dual-handled trays for extra stability. With these accessories, your phone essentially becomes a modular underwater rig, adaptable for both casual snorkeling and professional-looking video setups.

Perhaps the biggest advantage is familiarity. You already know how to use your phone’s camera, which means less time fumbling with new controls and more time focusing on the reef in front of you. Once you’re back on the boat or beach, you can edit, back up, and share your footage instantly without transferring files.

Pros:

• You get to use the high-quality camera you already own, with editing and sharing at your fingertips.

• Compatible with GoPro-mount accessories for lights, filters, and trays. 

• Cost-effective compared to buying a separate system.

  
  

Cons:

• Dependent on your phone’s camera specs and battery life.

• Requires careful O-ring maintenance to avoid leaks. 

• Risk of losing your phone if a seal fails. (Luckily, there’s an iPhone Protection Guarantee) 

  
  

Best suited for: Travelers, snorkelers, and divers who want the best mix of convenience and quality, or anyone who prefers carrying fewer devices.

GoPros: Compact Action Cams Built for Movement

Credit: GoPro

The GoPro has become the shorthand for action cameras. Small, rugged, and versatile, it’s designed for people who want to capture movement without thinking too much about settings.

A GoPro HERO12 Black, for example, is waterproof to 33 feet (10 meters) out of the box, and with a dive housing can go down to 196 feet (60 meters). That makes it suitable for everything from poolside fun to deep reef dives. Unlike a phone in a housing, a GoPro is a dedicated camera, so there’s no risk to your smartphone.

The GoPro does a great job with video. With stabilization technology, ultra-wide fields of view, and resolutions up to 5.3K, it produces smooth, immersive clips that make viewers feel like they’re in the water with you. It’s also relatively easy to use: press record, and it captures whatever happens in front of the lens.

The trade-off is photography. While GoPros can take stills, they definitely don’t match the detail, dynamic range, or low-light performance of most modern smartphones. They’re also limited when it comes to zoom or fine control over exposure.

Pros:

• Purpose-built for video, with industry-leading stabilization. 

• Compact, rugged, and mountable on almost anything. 

• Waterproof out of the box to snorkeling depths.
  

Cons:

• Still images can’t compete with smartphones. 

• Wide-angle lens can distort close subjects. 

• Controls can be fiddly underwater, especially with gloves.

  
  

Best suited for: Surfers, freedivers, and travelers who prioritize video over photos, or anyone who wants the simplest, most compact setup.

Comparing Image and Video Quality

This is often the deciding factor.

Smartphone housings let you use your phone’s camera system underwater, and it’s no secret that today’s smartphones are powerful. Multiple lenses, large sensors, and computational photography features give them a clear edge for still photography underwater. You can shoot RAW images, adjust exposure on the fly, and immediately edit or share. With the addition of dive lights or color-correcting filters, results are nearly on par with much more expensive camera rigs.

GoPros, on the other hand, are video specialists. Their wide-angle perspective and built-in stabilization are perfect for action shots, reef flyovers, and point-of-view footage. However, without filters or external lighting, GoPro footage tends to look blue-green at depth, and close-up shots of marine life often lack detail compared to a phone camera.

Verdict: For photos, a smartphone housing has the clear advantage. For video, especially if you want a “set and forget” experience, a GoPro could be a good option.

Ease of Use and Learning Curve

Using a GoPro couldn’t be simpler. Turn it on, hit record, and it captures the action. For casual users or those focused on video, this can be a huge plus.

Smartphone housings require a bit more setup. You need to check and clean the O-ring, insert your phone, and ensure everything is sealed before entering the water. Once inside the case, you’ll use either touch controls above the water (with the ProShot Touch 2.0) or a dive app interface below the water (with the ProShot Dive Case or Touch 2.0) to operate the camera. It’s still intuitive, but it requires slightly more preparation and comfort with settings than a GoPro. That said, once you get the hang of it, you can have the whole thing set up in less than a minute.

Accessories and Flexibility

Both systems have extensive accessory ecosystems, but the focus differs.

GoPro accessories are all about mounting, including things like chest harnesses, helmet straps, surfboard clips, and more. They’re designed for action sports and fast-moving environments.

Smartphone housings borrow that same compatibility (thanks to GoPro mounts) but add photography-centric options. Camera trays, dual handles, powerful dive lights, and red or magenta filters all help you create sharper, more colorful images at depth. In practice, this makes a housing setup more versatile, scaling from casual use to semi-professional results.

Durability and Risk

GoPros are built tough. If one floods or gets dropped, you’ve lost only the camera. They’re shockproof, waterproof, and designed to take abuse.

With housings, durability depends on maintenance. A properly sealed housing will keep your phone safe at depth, but there’s always a psychological factor: if something goes wrong, you’re risking your primary device. For many people, the trade-off in image quality is worth that risk. This is especially true with reliable housings like those from ProShot and the 12-month iPhone Protection Guarantee, which covers the repair or replacement of your iPhone for any water damage that occurs when the housing is under warranty.

Price and Long-Term Value

Price can be a major factor when choosing the best option for your needs. 

A GoPro HERO12 Black retails around $400–500 USD, and additional accessories (or a deep dive housing) can add another $100–200.

A ProShot housing is usually around $150–200, and it works with the phone you already own. For divers who already upgrade their phones regularly, a housing keeps pace with each new generation without the need for a separate camera system.

Over the long run, housings tend to be the more affordable option, especially for people who only dive or snorkel a few times per year. GoPros might make more sense for people who shoot high volumes of video footage frequently and want a device they don’t mind roughing up.

Which Should You Choose?

If your main goal is photography, including capturing high-quality stills, editing and sharing instantly, and having the flexibility to add trays and lights, then a smartphone housing is the stronger choice.

If your main goal is video, like fast-moving action, wide reef scenes, or point-of-view footage, then a GoPro can provide excellent results with minimal setup.

Many underwater creators actually use both: the GoPro strapped to a board or chest harness for video, and a smartphone housing on a tray for photos and close-up work.

Final Takeaway: Smartphone Housing vs. GoPro

There’s no single winner in the Smartphone Housing vs. GoPro debate. It depends on what you want to capture, how often you’ll use it, and how much gear you want to carry. For most casual divers and snorkelers, a smartphone housing offers the best balance of convenience, image quality, and cost. With options like the ProShot Touch 2.0 and ProShot Dive Case, you can cover everything from shallow snorkeling to 130-foot reef dives without buying a second camera system. But, GoPros remain a good option for action-packed video and rugged simplicity.

Either way, both options open the door to sharing the underwater world. And that’s what really counts!!