When I was making my choice between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, my major concerns were battery life and portability. In the end, portability won out. When I visit my in-laws, the battery drains quickly due to spotty cell reception, so I always carry a portable battery on trips. I love the idea of battery cases, and when seeing the iBattz Invictus battery case I thought it was a great idea to have removable batteries in a case, since you never know when you may need a refill. Let’s see how well it worked.
Inside the box you’ll find a removable battery (already installed), the case, user guide, Micro-USB charging cable, and a headphone extender.
Unfortunately, I did not have an extra battery to change out the batteries, but it was not too difficult to open the case and take out the battery. As you can see above, the back of the case comes off and you can then replace the battery without removing the entire case from the phone. Only the gold backing needed to be removed to access the battery.
Now, I’ve used my fair share of battery cases. Normally, for me, they are for extending the daily use in a battery, but since this case has a replaceable battery, I used it as if it was the only life I had until it completely died. At 3200 mAh, the battery could charge my phone up from nearly depleted to full, and it did so relatively quickly. It also had enough juice leftover to top off around 20% if needed. It actually worked out pretty well.
I liked the gold and black color of the case. Many cases I have looked at are pretty bland, but the dual coloring was nice. The blue of the battery indicator clashed a bit with the gold, but thankfully the light only comes on for a little bit. Continuing with the indicator light, when fully charged it is lit as it is above, and it goes down as the battery is used. I noticed full, half full, and nearly empty as the different levels.
The volume buttons were covered and they worked just fine with the case on. It was also pretty easy to access the vibrate switch.
On the other side, the wake/sleep button is also covered and worked just fine. I prefer covered buttons as they seem more protective.
There’s nothing fancy on the top of the case, but at the bottom you’ll find the Micro-USB charging port, a button to start and stop charging the phone, and a big hole for the headphone jack. The included extender will most likely be needed, so don’t lose it! They also have holes for the speaker and bottom microphone.
So, the case is now on; how does it feel? In the hand, it feels nice. It is not too slippery since the black of the case is a bit rubberized. As with all battery cases though, it is heavy. One appeal of the regular iPhone 6 was the size and weight versus the Plus, and the case takes away that.
There are two lips on the top corners of the phone, and the headphone jack area can be assumed to be a third lip. There is no fourth lip, however, so the bottom right side of the phone may be less protected than the rest.
I managed to unwillingly test the case one day in the garage when I dropped my phone perfectly face-down on the cement. My glass screen protector cracked from the bottom right to the middle left, but the case and the phone itself was unharmed. Was it due to the lack of lip? I’m not sure, but finding a way to add that lip in there would make things a bit more symmetrical either way. I will note, however, that the other charging cases I have reviewed had no lip for screen protection, so this case already has more than the rest that surely would have shattered the protector rather than just cracked it.
So, overall thoughts? The case is solid and can withstand drops as I unwillingly tested, and the removable battery is a great way to add such a function to the iPhone. However, as with all battery cases, it adds weight and bulk to the phone. That being said, I would not hesitate to use this case on trips, but for daily use, I’ll stick to keeping my phone on the charger every night.
Source: This sample was provided by iBattz, please visit their website for more information.
Product Information
Price: | $99.95 |
Manufacturer: | iBattz |
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I owned iBattz battery cases for 2 of my previous iPhones and was extremely satisfied with them. The one for my iPhone 5 had the removable battery option (a second battery was included) and my experience with it was similar to the experience the reviewer had with the Mojo Refuel Invictus case.
I had been so pleased with my previous iBattz cases that after purchasing the iPhone 6 I waited several months beyond the published date iBattz gave for the release of an iPhone 6 case. When the case was released I was shocked when the Mojo Refuel Invictus price was approximately $30 more than what I had paid for the iPhone 5 case. That price increase sent me in search of a case at a price similar to the $69.99 I had paid for my iPhone 5 iBattz battery case.
I began my search with the main requirement being that any iPhone 6 battery case had to be MiFi certified. I searched and found a MiFi certified battery case from Nexcon for $39.99 (currently $36.99) on Amazon. That price was $30 cheaper then the price I had paid for the iPhone 5 case from iBattz, so I purchased it. I have owned the Nexcon case about 2 months and have found it operates similar to the iBattz case and gives me the same extended battery life. I am very please with it.
Luckily I have not experienced a drop similar to that of the reviewer with any of the cases, so I cannot tell anyone either brands protective capabilities.