The 2,200mAh PowerSkin Spare for iPhone 6 exchanges the silicone that was used in the iPhone 5/5s model for a plastic build, but keeps its one-piece design. While the plastic offers a better, sturdier fit for your iPhone 6, it's not as effective in absorbing shocks. Additionally, the Spare continues PowerSkin's unfortunate legacy of mediocre battery performance, even for its relatively low $79.99 price tag. The 3,300mAh Mophie Juice Pack Plus still rules supreme as our Editors' Choice, offering a much better balance of shock-protection and battery life.
Design and Features
Measuring just 5.8 by 2.9 by 0.6 inches (HWD), the Spare is one of the trimmest battery cases we've reviewed for the iPhone 6 . And weighing in at 3 ounces, it's the lightest. The back of the case is coated in a matte plastic, while the sides and front are glossy, which looks a little too chintzy for my taste. Two plastic white lines on the back of the case imitate the iPhone 6's similarly placed antenna bands. You get the choice between gold, gray, and silver.
Unlike the other battery cases we've tested, the Spare is comprised of only one section. This design doesn't conceal as much of your iPhone 6 as others, which may be an attractive feature to some. Instead of using a bumper frame, like the ChargeTech Apple iPhone 6 Battery Case ( at Amazon) and OtterBox Resurgence ($99.95 at OtterBox) , the Spare's raised corners keep your iPhone 6 secure in the case. PowerSkin doesn't include any official shock-protection standards, like the Resurgence's military-rated protection, so it was a tense moment when we dropped the case from a height of about four feet. The iPhone remained secure inside, but the Spare may not provide much protection from repeated drops.
Similar Products
Mophie Juice Pack Plus (for iPhone 6)
Boostcase for iPhone 6
Tylt Energi Sliding Power Case for iPhone 6
OtterBox Resurgence Power Case for iPhone 6
i-Blason iPhone 6 UnityPower Rechargeable External Battery Case
ChargeTech Apple iPhone 6 Battery Case
Incipio offGrid Express for iPhone 6
uNu Superpak
myCharge Talk & Charge+
On the bottom edge is a micro USB port for charging the Spare and your iPhone 6 simultaneously, and it acts as pass-through for syncing. There's also a recessed opening above the headphone port, but PowerSkin does not include a headphone adapter, which is unfortunate, since any headphone connectors wider than Apple's EarPods won't fit through. Around the back are four LEDs arranged in series to indicate battery charge status, as well as a button you press to activate them. Pressing the button for a couple of seconds turns the case's power on or off.
Performance and Conclusions
In our battery rundown test, the 2,200mAh Spare gave our juice-less iPhone 6 2 hours, 40 minutes of LTE video streaming time until iOS's 20-percent battery notification appeared. Screen brightness on our test iPhone 6 was set to max, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth were turned off. That's the lowest result we've seen compared with similar capacity battery cases, like the 2,600mAh Resurgence, which returned a 3 hour, 43 minute result. The 3,300mAh Juice Pack Plus, meanwhile, added 4 hours, 53 minutes of battery life in the same test.
Without any official shock-protection standard and the poorest performance battery life we've seen, we can't recommend the Spare. There are $80 battery cases with better performance, like the Incipio offGrid Express ($19.99 at Amazon) , which can actually be found for closer to $50 online. However, inexpensive cases often don't provide the best protection against shocks. If you're willing to spend a bit more, check out the Resurgence, as it provides military-standard shock protection as well as better battery life. If you can go a little higher, the $119.95 Juice Pack Plus by Mophie is our top choice for its excellent blend of protection and battery performance.
The Tylt Energi Sliding Power Case ( at Amazon) and Boostcase ($12.99 at Amazon) are also good choices. Both provide excellent battery life and decent protection, and their versatile sliding designs let you pack away their heavy, bulky battery sections when you don't need them. If you often carry around a bag, we'd also recommend checking out external batteries like the uNu Superpak , as they pack the most juice for your buck.
The PowerSkin Spare for iPhone 6 is lightweight, but poor battery performance makes it difficult to recommend over cases.
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