Why UV phone sanitising cases are 2020’s hottest tech accessory

This summer’s hottest tech accessory isn’t actually a pair of fancy earbuds or a dazzling phone case. It’s a UV phone sanitising case.

Given the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re all spending more time washing our hands and thinking about cleanliness. The next Apple Watch update even includes a feature that times your hand-washing sessions so they are the appropriate 20-seconds long.

But we might not realise that germs live on our smartphones, coronavirus or otherwise. A study carried out by Public Health England a few years ago found faecal matter, which can cause gastrointestinal infections, on the surface of smartphones.

The problem is, it's tricky to clean phones effectively without damaging them. That’s where a UV sanitising case comes in.

UV radiation is classified into three types based on the wavelength and it's the UVC, the shortest wavelength, that can act as a disinfectant. A study at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit found that a specific UVC wavelength, 254 nanometers, was successfully used to inactivate H1N1 influenza as well as the severe acute respiratory virus caused by coronavirus. The UVC wavelength causes lesions in DNA and RNA so a virus can’t replicate.

Cool phone case maker Casetify says it has been working on the UV Sanitiser for a while but sped up the process given the public demand. “We’ve been protecting phones from drops and dings since 2011, so it made a lot of sense to take this protection to the next level,” says CEO and co-founder Wes Ng.

Tech accessory brand Ampere sells a UV sanitising phone case which uses four UVC LEDs in this 250-280 nanometers range to kill any viruses on your phone. Expand the case so it’s fully open and then connect it to a USB charger. Slot the phone in, press the button and it will flash green to show it is sanitising the phone. This process takes about a minute.

“The average person looks at their phone 96 times per day and only washes their hands 8.6 times per day,” explains Chase Larson of Ampere. “In between each time you pick up your phone you are constantly touching doorknobs, tables, chairs and any number of other items. That accumulation eventually leads to a phone that has more germs and bacteria than the average public restroom.”

Ampere’s Cell case is easy to use and definitely feels reassuring that my phone is actually being cleaned. A future version of the case will include a new bottom tray with a power bank so you can sanitise and charge on the go. It’s also good that Ampere is a well-known brand when it comes to charging tech, thanks to its wireless charging pads.

On that note, it’s important to buy from a reputable brand when investing in tech like this. “If it’s suspiciously cheap, it’s probably not doing anything,” says Larson. “Effective UVC LEDs are expensive so cheap products probably aren’t doing much (at least in a short time period).”

Larson also recommends looking at the size of a charger. If it’s going to be big and clunky, it might not fit on your desk or side-table. Also, will you actually use it? These things don’t come cheap so it’s handy to get on that doubles up as a charger to actually encourage you to remember to sanitise it.

The big question, aside from how they work, is will this become a necessary tech gadget post-2020. When that fated vaccine rolls around, will this become another gadget relegated to a dusty box?

Larson doesn’t think so. “While we hope the world will get Covid-19 under control, we don’t expect all the habits created by Covid-19 to go out the window. If you are sick, wear a mask, use hand sanitizer and yes, disinfect your “frequently-touched items” a few times a day. We expect (hope) this will become commonplace for most people."

Ng is positive too. “This year has turned up some unique shopping trends. While phone cases will always be our hero product, our company’s new products like UV Sanitisers and cloth masks made up a good amount of sales during these uncertain times. As long as our global community resonates with the UV Sanitiser, we plan to keep it available.”

Ampere’s UV sanitising and wireless charger is one of the fastest around and claims to sanitise your device in only one minute.

The glow-in-the-dark silicone is suitably futuristic for a gadget like this, not to mention the collapsible design is good for storing it away, and there’s also a one-year warranty for peace of mind.

From £52.65, kickstarter.com

If you’re looking for a device that doesn’t just sanitise your phone but other accessories, including headphones and watches, then AT’s version should work well enough.

It promises to kill up to 99.99 per cent of bacteria and it’s not too big so you can take it with you to sanitise your gadgets on the go or even when travelling.

£79.95, selfridges.com

Casetify now has two UV Sanitisers available: a normal version which also acts as a wireless charger, and a Lite which is a portable version.

Choose from three colours, black, pink and white, and disinfect your phone and gadgets in six minutes thanks to the inclusion of four UV lamps.

£65, casetify.com

There’s a bit of work involved with the HoMedics version as you have to put your phone in and turn it on and then 30 seconds later, you have to flip your phone over.

Like Ampere’s version, it’s collapsible so it’s it easy to store when you’re not using it. As well, you get 70 cleans out of the HoMedics version before you need to recharge it.

£79.99, johnlewis.com