10 Things to Know about Apple’s iPhone 6/6s Battery Case

For me, a two-day battery is worth the extra bulk.

It’s a battery case. Based on all the hoo-ha in the media, you’d think Apple had released a fusion-powered (hump-backed) titanium skin for the iPhone. Nope. Just a battery case. A nice one, to be sure, but just a battery case.

It’s got a bump on the back. Yes, it does. And, what’s more: a bump on the back of the case is not end of the world. When in use — that is, when the case is on the iPhone — the weight of that bump is distributed quite nicely, and the contours of the much-maligned bump make the iPhone rest even more comfortably in the hand.

Is that bump an admission that the iPhone is too thin to have good battery life? My iPhone battery life does have some challenges — mostly because I use it constantly, especially when taking 450 photos a day when we travel. For me, the bump means I can get to the end of a high-usage day with an almost 100% battery charge remaining on my phone.

Does that bump mark the death of elegant design at Apple? Have you ever noticed that every time Apple releases anything, hopeful naysayers report that item as the death of something or another at Apple? And then Apple goes on to sell a bazillion of them. Same deal here.

It’s grippy. Yes. When in this velvety rubberized case, the iPhone is easier to grip. The case has been sculpted in such a way that it feels very secure in the hand.

I read somewhere that the case is heavy. People. Please. The case weighs 3.6 ounces.

The Apple case is more expensive than the Morphie case, which incorporates a bigger battery. I’ve used and loved cases from Morphie. I like the Apple battery case better, though, mostly because I don’t have to carry an additional micro-USB charger to charge it. (The case, like the iPhone, charges via lightning cable.) This is also the only case that integrates with the iPhone’s operating system — so, when you connect and disconnect the iPhone from the charging cable, you can see the power level of both the iPhone and the battery case displayed on the lock screen. These differences make this product superior to the Morphie case, at least for me.

But there are no external lights, dials, or meters that tell you how much juice remains! Nope. And you don’t need them, really, since the iPhone will tell you what you need to know.

Do you plan to take it off when you’re not traveling? I could, because the case is very easy to put on and remove. You flex the top and slip the iPhone in. You reverse this step to remove the case. Easy peasy. That said: I’ll keep the battery case on the iPhone all the time — and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t usually like carrying his iDevices in any kind of case. I like how the case feels, and I like the extended battery life. Despite the fact that I’m picky, I don’t find the size or weigh objectionable.

So: you paid all that money for the thinnest most elegant phone on the market, and now you’re going to keep it in a bulky case? Nope. I’m going to keep my iPhone in a sleek, easily-gripped, elegantly contoured case that both makes the iPhone easier to juggle and easier to use when on the go. Unless you’re paid to think otherwise, that’s pretty good news.

Mark McElroy

I'm a husband, mystic, writer, media producer, creative director, tinkerer, blogger, reader, gadget lover, and pizza fiend.

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Who Wrote This?

Mark McElroy

I'm a husband, mystic, writer, media producer, creative director, tinkerer, blogger, reader, gadget lover, and pizza fiend.

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