The Features
One of the cheapest iPhone battery cases you can get without compromising reliability and performance, the Anker Ulta-Slim Battery case is a great iPhone battery case for its price range. It features a built-in 2,850 mAh battery; slightly less than the 3,000 mAH battery battery in offGrid Express’s and Juice Pack Plus’s 3,300 mAh charger, but still enough to get a completely drained iPhone back up to 100 percent.
The case also comes with a micro-USB charging cord and headphone extender. Both accessories are pretty common for iPhone battery cases since only Apple’s own Smart Battery Case uses the proprietary Lightning port to charge itself. As for the extender, battery cases pack on extra heft around the phone so you will need to use an extender for your headphones to reach the 3.5mm jack.
How The Anker Battery Case Performed
From a completely drained battery, the Ultra-Slim Battery Case took 2 hours and 8 minutes to fully charge an iPhone 6, which was about the same time the Mophie case took, while Incipios case clocked in at 2 hours and 30 minutes.
That is not the say this device was without its issues. The case has three cutouts along the edges so you can access the phone’s physical control buttons and volume controls. But due to the slight thickness of the case, it is difficult to reach these keys with your finger. In addition, the charging indicator on the back of the case remains lit while the handset is charging. This is not a dealbreaker, but it is certainly annoying if your in a dark room – like a movie theater or bedroom at night. Finally, the power button is on the back of the case. This can cause it to accidentally turn on and off when laying it on a flat surface.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, the Anker Battery Case is a great value play. While the design flaws make the Mophie Juice Pack Plus a better option if you plan to use this battery case on a daily basis, if you only need it periodically, the price matched with performance makes the Anker Ultra-Slim Battery Case a great buy.