Categories: Apple iPhone

iPhone Battery Cases

Let’s talk battery life. You certainly know that If you are careful, you can make your iPhone’s battery last all day; however, sometimes when you’re traveling, or away from places to recharge your device, you’ll need an alternate way of recharging your phone. Fortunately, there are indeed many battery cases for the iPhone that can do just that!

All battery cases work the same way: You charge the case up by plugging it into a wall adapter or USB port and you activate it when you want to start charging up the iPhone’s built-in battery. Once your phone is inside a battery case, you can charge both by plugging them into a charging port. Your phone will charge first, and only afterward does the case recharge. All battery cases plug into your iPhone’s Lightning connector.

The best iPhone battery cases should be easy to toggle on and off as well as show how much battery life remains in the case. Some provide more charge than others for your phone.

Today, keeping your iPhone in a battery case may provide an extra benefit, since almost all such cases rely on the commonly used Micro-USB cables for charging. Because of this fact, you can charge other devices such as speakers or keyboards that can share the same type of charging cable.

Regardless of which battery case you choose, your iPhone will require more juice to charge the final twenty percent of the way. A good strategy to maximize the amount of charge you keep in the case, is to turn on your battery case when the phone battery level drops to around 20 percent. remaining Turn the case off again when your iPhone hits 80 percent to prevent draining the case of its charge as well.

Here is our opinion on some of the different models of cases that are available:

Mophie makes excellent battery cases, and sells three models for the iPhone 5: the Juice Pack Helium, the Juice Pack Air, and the Juice Pack Plus. You should note that Mophie made these names confusing: The Helium for the iPhone 5 looks a lot like the Air for the iPhone 4/4S, the Air for the iPhone 5 resembles the Plus for the 4/4S, and the Plus looks like the Plus of 4/4S. The Mophie cases have thick bases that will require you use an adapter cable in order to access the headphone jack. Fortunately, each two-piece case is easy to put on and remove.
The Helium offers the smallest power charge (1500 mAh) and has button cut-outs. Both the Air (1700 mAh) and the Plus (2100 mAh) both offer button overlays. The Plus adds substantial power, so unless you really value the slightly smaller size, go with the Plus.
MyCharge Freedom 2000, packs in 2000 mAh of power (which should more than double your iPhone 5’s battery life). The case takes a decidedly different approach from the Mophies however. For starters, it’s a single piece case that you “press fit” your iPhone into. Note than the little rubbery flap that guards the Micro-USB port on the base feels awfully vulnerable to an accidental tear. You’ll also find a Lightning-connector charging tether, which you pull out from the case’s body and manually plug into your iPhone 5.
Lenmar Meridian is a two-piece case, similar in design to the collection from Mophie. The case offers 2300 mAh of power which is a lot, and fits into a svelte package. The Meridian leaves the headphone jack very deeply recessed, just as Morphie. Note that while the Mophie cases ship with a small headphone adapter, the Meridian doesn’t. You’ll be able to squeeze your white iPhone headphones into the plug if your aim is straight and true, but anything thicker will require an adapter that you’ll need to purchase. If you’re after the most milliampere hours possible, the Meridian is definitely worth your consideration.
iBattz cases make the batteries in its cases removable, which is a clever design since it means you can carry more than one backup battery if you’re so inclined. The main drawback to most charging cases is how bulky they are; however, the Mojo Hi5 Power Bank Case has found a way around that. The designers made it so that you can keep your iPhone 5 in the slim case until you actually need the extra battery power. When you need the charge, simply plug the removable battery into place. The package includes a pair of slim plastic hard-shell cases as well as a single 2500-mAh battery. that you can snap onto your case-clad iPhone as desired.
Belkin Grip Power Battery Case packs in a 2000-mAh battery and is available in several different colors. The main battery portion plugs into your iPhone 5 and has a thin frame that snaps down around the front. We think the backing plastic on the case feels a little cheap, but it still looks pretty nice regardless.
PowerSkin’s Pop’N for the iPhone 5 can work as a case or as a battery add-on to your existing case (assuming your existing case will stick to the suction cups that cover the surface of the Pop’N.) It offers a 2000-mAh battery and it shows off some interesting design choices. Because it adheres to the back of your iPhone, it doesn’t occlude the sides or the front buttons and also leaves the jack at the bottom exposed for easy access.
Unu DX Protective Series is worth a look at as well. It uses a 2300-mAh battery and has a two-piece, cap-and-base design that functions a lot like the Mophies. The DX comes with the required headphone extension cord as well. The case uses button cutouts, including one around the Ring/Silent switch.
The Odoyo Power+Shell provides 2,200 mAh of power and it comes in three colors—two shades of white as well as a matte black. According to the company, the Odoyo beat out all the others in terms of sheer power, clocking in at a gigantic 2,348 mAh. That’s six percent more than its stated 2,200 mAh! wn to the power indicator LED.

There are other battery cases on the market, but the ones we have left out either lack power, are too expensive for what you get, or not durable enough to survive basic use.

Finally, if you are still experiencing battery problems with your iPhone 5, you may be able to get a free replacement battery from Apple. Be sure to find out before selling your device!