The one thing plaguing iPhone users is the constant hunt for more power. Now if you are working at a desk relatively most of your time, you would probably have a charger already permanently plugged in there and you have the flexibility to quickly charge up your phone whenever you need more juice. For those of you who are constantly on the go, that might be a problem.
Initial Thoughts
Recently I had the pleasure to test out a battery case for the iPhone 6 (it fits the latest iPhone 6s as well) and when I received the unit from the good folks over at ChargeTech, I was pleasantly surprised because they had sent over the ThinCharge battery case! The case felt exactly what a normal iPhone case would be, in terms of size. The added benefit is that it also functions as battery case. In terms of looks, it is definitely sleeker and nicer compared to Apple’s hideous looking battery case.
The case was very nice to grip and it had a non-slip coating (a soft satin finish) around it so it felt extremely comfortable to hold, firmly and feel confident that it won’t slide out of your hands. Another point to note that it covers the phone around which protects the phone from drops as well.
Features of the ThinCharge
All of your standard ports are available as well as buttons but the one thing you would notice is that hole in which where the lightning port would be located is missing. As with all standard battery cases, the case itself plugs into the lightning port in order to charge the phone. I had no issues plugging in several earphones my colleagues use into the 3.5mm jack.
The one key issue that most battery cases have during the course of my personal use was that it required a different set of charging cable to charge the case. My old case resorted to a USB type port which rendered the many lightning cables I have purchased useless. The only way I had to work around it was to take my phone out of the case and charge the case separately. Talk about it being extremely inconvenient.
With the ThinCharge case, it uses the existing lightning cable port. This is totally the right thing to do especially when it comes to being customer centric. In terms of case fitting, the phone slides in perfectly into the case. I didn’t have to force anything at all so that was a plus point. Now, it gets tricky if you use a tempered glass screen protector which covers the entire face of your phone, edge-to-edge, or you are using an invisible plastic coating to protect your iPhone, you might have issues fitting your phone into the case. This includes phones that have been bedazzled with little jewelry might have a little bit of trouble fitting into the case.
The case keeps things simple as well. To charge your phone, simply press one of the buttons (the one also used to control the volume buttons) and hold it for a couple of seconds. This will enable the case to know that you are turning it on and it will immediately charge your phone.
In terms of usability, as my line of work requires me to travel between locations for meetings and discussions, that sort of schedule had made me reliant on the battery power of my devices. The first device to run out of juice would be my phone due to the fact that I turn on Waze whilst driving, chatting constantly on the multitude of social apps available and of course, check my email and calendar. This made me constantly on the look out for an extra power socket to charge my phone.
With the ThinCharge case, what I did was removed my AC wall charger and an external power bank from my bag which made it significantly lighter. Helps a lot, in the long run, especially on my shoulders.
What I Like
- Sleek design and extremely slim
- Soft satin finish
- Protects the phone
- Gives my phone another full charge
- Worked flawlessly
- Uses a lightning cable to charge!
What I Don’t Like
- Not easily available in retail stores in Malaysia
- Slightly high price for the average Malaysian
- Will interfere with some tempered glass protectors
Conclusions
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the case. It is sleek, it has a nice feel and grip to it, it protects my phone and it is extremely practical because let’s face it, everyone complains that they don’t have enough power to last the entire day. You can head over to ChargeTech to pick one up for USD$85 (currently on offer at the time of writing this post). Standard price for this case is USD$130. After the current conversion rate, the price is around RM340 (offer price) which is a little steep for local standards but you definitely get more than what you pay for. Do note that the battery case has been used for more than a week so it has been tested extensively.
