The Good: Versatile and lightweight offering an additional 9 hours of talk time.
The Bad: Could offer a little more protection and access to the 3.5mm stereo jack is only possible via a small extension.
The Bottom Line: With it’s versatile and innovative design, the Energi Sliding Power Case is easy to slide on when needed and remove when not ensuring you’ll have a charge when you need it most.
As technology evolves, our device’s capabilities increase — and so does our reliance on them. I depend on my phone more than I’d care to admit. From the trivial checking the time or playing a game, to staying in touch with friends and family or even performing job critical tasks, I’ll almost always reach for my phone. Therefore, the “Low Battery” warning is something I dread seeing when I’m out and about.
Fortunately there are a myriad of solutions to mitigate this problem, among which the Energi Sliding Power Case by Tylt.
The Hardware
The Energi Sliding Power Case is an external battery case that features an attractive and innovative design. Rather than a full body case that can be cumbersome to attach or detach, the Energi is comprised of two separate parts: A slim hard cover (available in various colours) and the battery pack.
The hard cover — made of a rubberised plastic — snaps securely into place offering a small degree of protection for your iPhone. My only quibble with it, is the somewhat awkward design. The cover extends beyond the top edge of the phone, higher than the power button, and therefore adds unneeded friction to powering on your device (though in time you get used to it). On the other hand, the cover doesn’t go all the way down, leaving the bottom chamfer of the phone uncovered.
I’ve also noticed the rubberised finish start to wear off on the edges. Fortunately, Tylt provide 2 covers in the box (1 black and 1 coloured), so I can easily replace one when the other is worn and tattered.
You can see the bottom chamfer is uncovered.
The battery pack — also made of a hard rubberised plastic — slides into place along small grooves present on the hard cover. Thanks to its reduced weight (95g) and thin profile (9mm), the phone doesn’t feel too clunky with the battery pack attached. Despite that, I do appreciate the fact that I can simply slide it off when not needed. Although sliding the battery pack on and off is a little hard at first, it gets easier over time without ever feeling loose or insecure.
The only downside I’ve seen thus far in using the phone with the battery pack attached, is the need for a small extension to access the stereo jack. That however is a very minor annoyance and one I can live with in exchange for prolonged battery life.
A rather slim profile given the type of case.
Usage & Performance
Using the Energi Sliding Power Case couldn’t be easier. Simply snap on the hard cover, slide the battery pack into place the press the small button located in its rear to start charging your phone. Charging time will of vary depending on your phone usage, but in my testing, the case consistently charged my phone from 10% to 100% in little over 2 hours.
According to Tylt, the 2500mAh Lithium Ion battery packs enough juice to provide an additional 9 hours of talk time. For me, that translated to roughly 1.5 full charges before having to recharge the battery pack again, which takes a few hours. On the upside, you can use the case and micro-USB cable to charge your phone and sync data.
Two small grooves in the front redirect sound forward.
Verdict
With the Energi Sliding Power Case, there’s no excuse to not have a charge when you need it most.
Attractive, versatile and priced at $99.99, it can be considered a steal for anybody that has been caught off-guard by the dreaded “Low Battery” warning.
ORDER FROM TYLT