Thin and Smooth. That doesn’t sound a normal iPhone battery case…
ThinCharge Battery Case Review – Not be the highest rated case, but we’re defaulting to the ThinCharge for all our on-the-go iPhone power needs
There are several features that make the ThinCharge case unique. This is the only iPhone battery case that we’ve seen that uses a Lightning port to charge the battery. Most cases we’ve seen use a Micro-USB cable which is a type of cable we’re not too fond of.
ChargeTech claims that their case is the thinnest battery case for the iPhone, and while we can’t confirm that claim, we can tell you that it is way thinner than the Otterbox Resurgence, the Moshi iGlaze Ion Battery case and several of the iPhone 5s/SE battery cases that we’ve reviewed.
For our ThinCharge review, we’ve given this battery case a score of 4 Eh’s out of 5. It scores a tad lower than the Otterbox Resurgence and Moshi iGlaze iON, but we’d personally take the ThinCharge over the other two, any day of the week. The only reason that it scores lower than the other two cases is the lack of official drop-protection the ThinCharge case has for you iPhone.
If you need more information, check out these handy comparison tables between the Otterbox, Moshi and ChargeTech cases. If you’re wondering what we think are the best iPhone accessories are for the iPhone 6(s+), check out the “Best of the Best” post. We’ve got several Top 10 lists as well!
Design – The bottom of the case is so smooth!
The design of the Thin Charge took us by surprise because we’re so use to the generic design of battery cases. Usually there are LED”s on the back and a button to push. Not on the ThinCharge. The bottom of the case is completely smooth and button less.
The bottom of the case is so smooth!
ChargeTech decided to put all the battery checking/start stopping functionality into the volume buttons which makes the case cleaner regarding looks, but it took us a couple of tries to remember how to use the case. Good thing there’s a cheat-cheat on the inside of the case.
Our only issue with this setup is that you’re messing with your volume settings every time you’re dealing with the battery case. It almost doesn’t feel right because if your iPhone is put to sleep, you’re increasing your volume for no reason.
We’re not terribly fond of the cap and Lightning port cap
Installing the iPhone is a little different as well as you slide the device from the top and cap it off. The lightning cable port is on the top of the iPhone and has a little flap to protect it. We’re not too fond of this entire setup as we’re always worried that the cap is going to fall off. However, if the cap does come off, your iPhone doesn’t slide out of the case. The flap for the Lightning port is a bit of a hassle (our Instagram video is proof of that!)
The case has a soft rubber coat to it so depending on the colour that you get, greasy fingers might be an issue. The soft rubber coating significantly improves the handling of the iPhone which is one of the reasons why we love this case.
[divider][/divider]
Protection – Not drop-rated but will keep bumps and scratches at bay
When it comes to protection, the ThinCharge case isn’t officially drop-rated but they do mention it has reinforced corners which we’ll interpret it as “Good enough for an accidental drop”.
The case fit’s tightly around the iPhone so dust and debris shouldn’t be an issue. Edge to edge screen protectors should work well with this case.
[divider][/divider]
Functionality – More power for more Pokemon Go?
One of the few cases that has a Lightning port instead of Micr-USB
The spare battery clocks in at 2600 maH which essentially provides enough power to fully charge your iPhone 6s once from dead. Charging the iPhone is done by pressing the top volume button for 3 seconds. To check the remaining charge of the battery, you need to hold the top volume button down for 1 second. The LED in the lower volume button will flash, and battery level will be dependent on the # of flashes. Basically, the fewer the flashes, the more power your case has.
Getting to the iPhone isn’t an issue as the headphone cutout is large enough for bigger headphone jacks and the buttons are quite nice to use. Syncing through the Lightning port isn’t a problem as well.
So why do we prefer the Thin Charge case over others? The slightly smaller size is a factor, but it’s the straight edges on the case. We liked the feel of the iPhone SE/5’s and the straight edge’s seems to fit into our hand easier than the 6’s. It may sound silly but given how much we use our iPhone’s, how they feel in our hands make a big difference to us.
[divider][/divider]
Have questions about our ThinCharge Battery Case Review? Please ask them below, or on our Google+ page or our Facebook page or our About Us page. To stay up to date on everything we’re doing, check out our Twitter and Instagram feeds!
Russell
April 9, 2018 at 12:13 pm
So, how do you feel after a year plus (about the Thin Charge case)
Aaron Ho
April 10, 2018 at 3:36 pm
I haven’t used it in a while though I don’t think my opinion of it has changed.