ExoGear Exolife Battery case for iPhone 4 review

The iPhone 4 has been blessed with more battery power than the predecessor 3GS. In some cases there is still a need for an extra boost. Getting caught up in some Modern Combat 2 multiplayer, out in the woods geocaching or whenever you are out and about without a charge socket. The ExoLife from ExoGear is a rechargeable battery case for the iPhone 4, and it might save you from running out of juice.

The ExoLife is a two-piece hardcase consisting of a thick back piece with the battery, and a bumper around the case. Sliding the iPhone into the case is easy, and then you simply snap the bumper on. Once in place it extends the surface of the iPhone 4 about a centimetre at the bottom. It also adds a considerable amount of weight. The slender phone turns into what feels like a PDA.
To charge the phone and case a micro-USB connector is used. The socket is found on the lower right side of the case, and is covered by a small piece of rubber. This becomes looser the more you use it, and I fear it will fall off completely within a couple of months of heavy usage. Still it only means that the micro-USB socket is unprotected, and that is no big deal in the long run as the iPhone charge socket is protected instead. You can also sync the iPhone to iTunes using the micro-USB.

Something I found using the ExoLife is that it actually enhances some aspects of the iPhone. First of all the sound from the speakers come out of holes in the front of the case. This means that when playing games you don’t cover up the sound. I found this to be extremely good for both playing games, and watching movies. The sound isn’t dispersed in the wrong direction. Instead it goes forward towards the viewer.

The added bulk also add extra grip by giving more surface to grip. Playing games on the iPhone suddenly feels more akin of a PSP. As I don’t have to worry about battery life using this case it is easy to forget that fact, and I get surprised as my gaming device starts ringing with an incoming call.

The most important part of a battery case is the extra power it gives the user. I let my iPhone 4 go down to 10%, and then I used it sparsely in airplane mode but WiFi on. In two hours it managed to charge the phone to about 65%. I would say that is quite good results. A really smart thing is that once the iPhone is fully charged the ExoLife shuts off. This means that you have to manually tell the case to start charging by pressing the power button for five seconds. To me this is brilliant, as I want to know that I have extra power when I need it.

For protection the case offers good thick back protection, quite flimsy side bumper protection and no front protection at all. To me this is strange as the case would have added a lot of valuable protection had it been only had two millimetres higher bumpers.

The case offers full functionality in all buttons, and camera. The cut-out for the headphone socket is quite narrow, and not all headphones can be used. Looking at headsets for iPhone most of the work though, and those headphones not fitting have trouble fitting other cases as well. It would have benefited from some kind of antislip coating or rubber on the back as it is rather slippery. I have placed it on uneven surfaces without remembering, and watched the phone sliding past me seconds later.

The ExoLife is a surprisingly agile rechargeable battery case that works well both for the primary usage of providing power as well as being a protective case. The weight, and bulk added is not cumbersome, and the positive far outweigh those negatives. To me the fact that gaming, and video viewing became more enjoyable boosts the final rating considerably. It looks sleek, and you can get the bumpers in a variety of colours.