Having a portable power bank may be an effective way to ensure you've always got enough juice available for your smartphone and other devices, but it can be a bit clunky to carry around a second gadget if all you need is a few extra hours of battery life. A battery case for your smartphone is a slightly more elegant solution that's tailored to your phone and skips the cable management that comes with power banks.
A quality battery case should do a few things. For one, it should provide plenty of extra juice for your phone. Fortunately, many have a few thousand milliamp-hours worth of energy. Since they're also cases, they should protect your phone as well. And, if you want something really phone-friendly, they shouldn't interfere with your phone's features, like NFC, nor add too much bulk.
We've rounded up a variety of battery cases for the top phones on the market. Whether you've got the latest from Apple, Samsung, or Google, you should find something useful here. And, if you see a case you like but have a different smartphone model, you may be able to find multiple versions of the same case that'll work with various phones.
TL;DR – These are the Best Smartphone Battery Cases:
- Plus Cases Wireless Charging Battery Case
- MaxBear Battery Case
- Casely Power 2.0 Charging Case
- i-Blades Samsung Galaxy S21 Smart case
- Mophie Juice Pack Connect
1. Plus Cases Wireless Charging Battery Case
Best iPhone 13 Pro Battery Case
You don’t want to put the new iPhone 13 Pro’s cameras to use only to find the battery petering out before you’ve gotten all your footage. The wireless charging battery case from Plus Cases won’t let you down on the most ambitious days. The phone already has a beefy battery, but Plus Cases’ add-on gives you an extra 150% charge, so you can go on and on.
The case slips on around your iPhone 13 Pro, adding a bit of extra protection to all sides. It slots into the Lightning port on the bottom of the phone to provide power while also supporting audio and data connections. You can plug a Lightning cable into the case to charge it and your phone back up at the same time or even throw it onto a Qi wireless charger to top back up.
2. MaxBear Battery Case
Best iPhone 13 Pro Max Battery Case
The iPhone 13 Pro Max has a monster of a battery, so giving it even more juice means meeting it monster to monster. The MaxBear Battery Case is up to the task with a 8,500mAh battery pack inside. This will add an extra 180% battery life to your phone, letting you get wild with Cinematic Mode or enjoy your games on Apple Arcade that much longer. This is one for the long weekends.
The case provides all-around protection without adding too much bulk beyond the battery portion on the back. You also don’t have to remove the case to use your phone’s Lightning port for audio or data as the case can pass those connections through. Bonus: You can select the case in four different colors.
3. Casely Power 2.0 Charging Case
Best iPhone SE 2 Battery Case
The iPhone SE (2020) is a great, little phone, especially when considering it offers so much performance and the latest version of iOS for such a low price. But, one thing it doesn't have a whole lot of is battery. With just 1,821mAh of battery capacity, it can struggle to last through a whole day if you're spending much time on it. Casely has the answer with the Casely Power 2.0 Charging Case.
This case can deliver a full charge to the iPhone SE, letting you go for twice as long away from power outlets. And, when you do need to top back up, you won't need to remove the case. You can plug the case in with a Lightning cable or set it on a wireless charger. That means no fuss getting the case on and off, and less risk to your phone when it's outside of the case.
4. i-Blades Samsung Galaxy S21 Smart case
Best Samsung Galaxy S21 Case
What if you could get a battery case for your Galaxy S21 that didn't have to add a bunch of bulk to your phone when you weren't in need of the battery? While most battery cases will stick you with a permanently attached battery that requires removing the whole case to cut down on the bulk, the i-Blades Smart Case for the Galaxy S21 is a more flexible solution.
The case goes onto your Galaxy S21 more like a standard case, though it does plug into the USB-C port on the bottom of the phone. From there, i-Blades' Smartblade attachment can snap onto the back of the case, where it not only can offer an extra 3,600mAh of battery but also extra storage. The Smartblade can come with 16GB to 128GB of built-in storage, and it has its own microSD card slot for even more space. If you think you need more battery, you can carry more SmartBlades with you and swap out when one goes dry. The SmartBlades can all recharge at the same time just by stacking them, just making the solution that much more convenient.
5. Mophie Juice Pack Connect
Best Battery Case for Any Phone
Having a battery case is cool and all, but once you upgrade your phone, you'll not only have to figure out what to do with the old phone but also what to do with the old case. With the Mophie Juice Pack Connect, you'll get a battery solution that works for your current phone and quite likely your next phone as well. This isn't exactly a case, as it doesn't cover your phone, but it does attach a battery to your phone. With the Juice Pack Connect, you'll stick a small anchor point to your phone or the phone case of your choosing, and then you can slip on the 5,000mAh battery pack whenever you need it. The battery itself uses Qi wireless charging, so it supports a wide variety of smartphones, and it can even be recharged wirelessly.
What to Look for in a Battery Case
You might think picking the right battery case for your phone is just a matter of picking the one with the biggest capacity, but that's a surefire way of buying something too big to fit in your pocket and end up leaving at home all the time. Choosing the right charging case comes down to hitting the right balance between battery capacity, size, and price.
If you're looking for just a battery case to throw in your bag when you need it, you might as well get a portable charger. There's no point in buying something molded to fit your phone if you're never going to slip it inside of the charging case, which just leaves space that otherwise could have been used to fit more energy cells. With that in mind find a battery case that'll actually fit into your pocket without adding too much weight.
Another problem with choosing the highest capacity battery is that it's often its only feature. All of the highest capacity battery cases we've seen sacrifice quick charging and Qi charging capabilities for storing more energy. That latter feature is important if you like to keep the charging chase on your phone at all times and handy for wirelessly charging both your phone and battery case at the same time.
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
