If you have an Smartphone and use it a lot for things like Twitter, posting to Facebook, email, taking pictures or videos you know how fast that battery drains down. if you are just using it for calls and texting the battery will last a lot longer but apps seem to really drain the battery.
I have an iPhone 4 and decided to look for a solution. when I am away from my computer I am always on Twitter or Facebook, taking pictures and sending and receiving emails. I am often at a conference or event that doesn’t give me access to charge my battery. if I was even able to charge my battery then I wouldn’t be able to use my phone becuase I would have to set it somewhere while it charged.
I found the Energizer iPhone “Energi to Go” Charger Case(Model AP1201) through my friend Robyn, and because she had such success with it I decided to give it a try. one thing right off that is nice about the Energizer Energi Charger Case is the price. it cost me $29.99 through Amazon.com and shipping was free (the price could vary). a comparable model from Mophie can cost you almost $100. There are other brands like Boost, iCase, and Exolife and they all work about the same. The only one I tested out was the Energizer Model AP1201 Silicone case (see video review below). The case is also available in a hard plastic and costs about the same price.
I tested out the Energizer charger case for 2 weeks and this is my opinion of it.
A charger case is super easy to use. I got the silicone cover version and it was flexible. it easily forms it over the phone once you slip the phone down into the connector. I thought it was going to get dirty because fuzz and dust was sticking to it but over time I found that was not the case. maybe the oils from my fingers gave it a coating over the silicone, I don’t know, but I have not had any problem keeping it clean.
You can charge both the iPhone and charger case at the same time without removing the case by plugging in the supplied cable to the case and then into the computer. when the case is fully charged you will see 4 blue lights on the back. While it is charging those lights will blink until they get solid once fully charged. You won’t see the lights until it is charging or you press the side button because they are embedded into the case.
When you remove the cable your phone will work off of it’s internal battery and when the charger case senses that the battery is draining it will charge it up. You can click the button on the side to see how much is left of the charger case’s charge or hold the button to give you phone a quick charge.
You will see a battery charging icon at the top right when the charger case is charging your phone.
When you press the button and hold it the light will turn red indicating that it giving your phone a quick charge. if you press the button and no lights appear then the charger case batter is dead and needs to be recharged.
The difference in a charger case and an actual battery extender is the fact that the phone gets put inside of the case and the battery is part of the case instead of a unit that you hook to the bottom.
You can get a battery extender to your Smartphone but those hook to the bottom of the phone and look bulky and not too convenient (see below). this is why I purchased a charger case becuase it works just like any protective case you put over your phone but charges the battery at the same time.
Now to the results. did the Energizer Charger Case work and give me extra usage for my iPhone 4? that would be a yes! I got up to 8 hours more with my iPhone because of this battery. now I can go anywhere and not worry that my iPhone Smartphone is going to die on me. just make sure you go out of the house with it fully charged first though.
Editor’s Rating:
Disclosure: this was a personal purchase and these are my opinions.