Odoyo Power+Shell EX for iPhone 5/5S review

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Anyone who uses their phone for several hours a day has to fret about their battery life at some point. My husband and I use our phones quite often, and his older phone would need some sort of power by suppertime. I recently purchased a battery case for my husband, and ever since then I have been a bit jealous. When I saw the Odoyo Power+Shell EX for the iPhone 5, I marveled at how similar it looked to my husband’s case, and had to try it out for myself.

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Inside of the box you’ll find a microUSB cable, headphone adapter, instruction manual, and the case itself.

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The case splits in two pieces for assembly. You slide your iPhone into the white base with the Lightning charger, and then place the grey bumper-like shell over the top and snap it down into place. That part was easy enough and very straightforward, but getting the case off was a different matter entirely. You are supposed to be able to pull up the grey bumper with your hands, but I could not get it off without using a flat-head screwdriver. The good news about it being hard to remove is that it will not come apart during use.

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When installed, the case adds 1/2 inch to the bottom of the phone, and 1/4 inch to the back of the phone. The case itself weighs around 2.7 ounces and boasts a 2200 mAh battery inside, which is supposed to double the battery life of the iPhone 5. I am happy to report that it does double the battery life and still has a little juice left for topping the charge off. You can also sync with the case on using the microUSB cable, which is convenient since removing the case may require a tool. There are two openings to direct the sound of the phone speakers towards you, and the sound quality was not affected at all.

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One cool idea that Odoyo had when designing this case was to use its logo as a battery indicator. The logo is green when the battery is 66%-100% capacity, blue when 33%-65% capacity, and flashes red when under 33%. When charging the phone, the battery indicator stays off unless you check it yourself, except for when it is flashing red. One gripe I had with the indicator lighting was that at 33% capacity and under, the red logo flashes constantly when in use.

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The opening for the camera is large and didn’t impede the flash at all. Each of the cutouts for the wake/sleep button, volume buttons, and mute switch are perfectly centered and allows you to access the buttons without any problems.

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To check the battery level, you just press the button on the bottom right side of the case. Holding down the button will start or stop the charging. I don’t know how many times that I started charging my phone on accident from bumping this button, since it’s located right where my pinky finger sits. I would recommend a switch rather than a button for charging, like my husband’s case.

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If you have headphones that have a straight, thin plug (like the Apple earbuds), you should be able to use them without the included adapter. However, if you have a thick or angled plug, you will have to carry the headphone adapter with you to use them with this case. The included adapter is a good quality adapter, and the sound quality was only slightly less with it plugged in. It is a much better quality than the cheapo one I have sitting around here at home.

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A nifty feature this case has over my husband’s case is a kickstand. It’s not something I would have thought I would use, but I found it to be so convenient! The kickstand only works in the horizontal mode and is very sturdy when in use.

Overall, I really enjoy using this case. It charges up my phone in less than two hours, and it has a good solid feel in my hands when talking on the phone. I feel that the case is sturdy enough to protect the phone if I dropped it, though the plastic outer bumper might crack after a few times. It would be great if Odoyo offered the outer bumper for sale separately, perhaps in different colors, to replace damaged ones, or just to add a splash of color. You can find the Odoyo Power+Shell EX case for the iPhone 5/5S online for less than a hundred dollars, which is very reasonable given the capacity and speed of charging up the phone.

 

Product Information

Price:$99.99
Manufacturer:Odoyo
Requirements:
  • - iPhone 5/5S
Pros:
  • - Lightweight, for a battery case
  • - Can charge an iPhone 5 up completely
  • - Kickstand allows for hands-free video viewing
Cons:
  • - Charging button gets pressed accidentally due to its location on the case
  • - Red blinking when on low battery can get annoying after a while

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