Battery life has arguably been the weakest link of the iPhone for several generations now.
At least for me, in real daily use, my iPhone all too often fails to meet the posted specs and never have I made it through the day without having to plug in to refuel.
Apple seems more focused on making the iPhone thinner than using the freed-up space to improve battery life, leaving it up to third-party case manufacturers to fix the battery life issue. Enter TYLT’s ENERGI Sliding Power Case. Adding just 1/4 inch of thickness, 1/2 an inch to the length of the iPhone, and a whopping rechargeable 2500mAh Lithium Ion battery, the ENERGI Sliding power case will give you an additional 9 hours of talk time.
TYLT’s ENERGI Sliding Power Case offers a really cool 2-piece design which gives you super-quick access to your lightning port whenever you need it. Most battery cases use microUSB ports for charging, because Apple doesn’t allow the lightning port to be passed directly through from the outside of battery case to the iPhone. Unfortunately this means if you have an audio dock, or car audio system which requires a lightning cable for charging or audio out, with many battery cases you will have to completely remove your phone from the battery case just to use your car audio or dock cable. Thanks to the ENERGI Sliding Power Case’s two piece design, all it takes is a quick slide out of the battery and you can use your lighting cable, plus your iPhone is still protected from scrapes by a thin plastic shell.
I’ve been testing the ENERGI for several weeks now and I must say it is the nicest battery case I’ve tried yet. I use a lightning cable in my car for listening to podcasts and audiobooks so the quick slide out design is awesome! The battery portion of the case adds minimal weight (3.35 oz) and its rounded edges and smooth rubbery coating feels wonderful in your hand. For the inner shell, there are three color choices to choose from: red, blue and lime yellow, plus each of these comes with a black inner shell as well. So once charged, you can leave off the battery portion of the case if you like to travel really light.
My first test of the TYLT’s ENERGI Sliding Power Case’s battery power was at PAX East and to be fair on that first day, even it had trouble keeping up, but I can’t really blame the case. There were so many WiFi networks that constant connects and disconnects would have made quick work of any battery case. The second and third days of the show I was better about turning off WiFi while on the show floor and the ENERGI had no trouble keeping me powered for 12 to 14 hours. And in daily use after the show, I can now finally make it through a full day without having to plug my phone in to charge. When I see my battery is getting low, I simply tap the button on the back of the ENERGI and it starts refueling my iPhone for me and I can get multiple refills of my iPhone 5’s 1440mAh battery from a single charge of the ENERGI.
While connected to the battery portion of the case, you can both charge and sync your phone as well as the battery itself via the included microUSB cable, and a headphone adapter is included so that you can use your favorite pair of headphones with the ENERGI. The need for the adapter is a little annoying, but pretty much par for the course with all battery cases. I just leave it connected to the end of my headphones, so I always have it with me. The only other negative I have is that the volume buttons and mute rocker switch are a little difficult to operate through the ENERGI’s shell case. The are a bit recessed making them a little more difficult, but not impossible to press. A minor quibble at best.
In Conclusion
Comfortable, dependable and convenient, TYLT’s ENERGI Sliding Power Case is one of the best premium battery cases available on the market today. If you are considering getting a battery case for your iPhone 5 or 5S, then the ENERGI Sliding Power Case should be on your short list. $100 is pretty expensive, but if you are like me and can’t make it through even half a day on your iPhone’s battery, you will find this case invaluable. Know an Android user in need of a power boost? TYLT just announced a model of this case for the Samsung Galaxy S5 as well.
