Duracell PowerMat and PowerCase Wireless Charging Pad for iPhone 5/5s Review

I never used to make it a full day on one iPhone 5S charge. It’s a nasty problem that a lot of us have, and fortunately, it looks like there’s now a solution. Our Duracell PowerMat review is all done, and it looks like there’s a great new iPhone 5/5S battery pack on the market with an awfully convenient additional feature—wireless charging.

The new Duracell PowerMat and PowerCase not only doubles your iPhone’s battery, it makes it super easy to charge, too! The PowerCase looks like your run-of-the-mill battery case and adds an impressive 2,000 mAh to the iPhone. The trick up its sleeve is it supports wireless charging with the Duracell PowerMat.

You’re not fooling anyone with PowerCase; it’s clear that it’s a battery case. It exhibits all of the standard symptoms: fattened backside, elongated body, and recessed ports. If you want an extra built-in battery, you just have to accept it. Yes, it’s heavier and bulkier, but it’s a manageable weight and it’s still comfortable in-hand. PowerCase is covered in a soft-touch matte rubbery finish. It provides a great grip and doesn’t wear quickly, but it will show greasy fingerprints. The extra bulk puts PowerCase on the protective side. The iPhone’s face is slightly recessed from the case, which helps, too.

Other than the appearance of the PowerCase, it actually has a somewhat unique design. Most notably, the iPhone slides right in and out of the case via the inner casing. The inner case snaps onto the iPhone. The inner casing doesn’t provide protection or standalone usability, but it makes it extremely easy to slide the iPhone out of the PowerCase for quick access to any of the ports (headphone or dock connector). On the back of the PowerCase is four power LEDs and a button. There’s also an iconic copper cover that reveals a Micro USB port for charging the iPhone and PowerCase.

The Duracell PowerMat wireless charging mat is just smaller than the PowerCase and provides wireless charging for the case and phone using magnetic inductive charging. When I dropped my iPhone with PowerCase onto my Duracell PowerMat review model, it automatically aligned and began to charge. My Duracell PowerMat review model came with a proprietary power cable and there were grips underneath so it didn’t slip or slide. There are LEDs to indicate charging. It doesn’t feel quite as fast, but the PowerMat charges iPhone at 1 amp, which is about as fast as the wall charger. It charges up your phone to 100 percent before it starts charging the case. The PowerMat is more about convenience; I find my phone charged throughout the day because it’s so natural to plop my phone down on my Duracell PowerMat review model for quick wireless charging instead of my desk.

The built-in battery is 2,000 mAh, which is more than double the iPhone’s battery. In practice, it will get you from zero to 100 percent. It took a little over two hours to get a full charge using my Duracell PowerMat review model, which is the same as plugging it into the wall. If you’re trying to make it as long as you can, I find the best approach is charging when the battery is low and stopping when it’s just above medium. There’s a button on the back of the PowerCase to start charging. It’s possible it’s just my review model, but there’s no way to stop the PowerCase from charging without pulling your phone out for a minute.

If the iPhone 5/5S battery has been a pain point and you don’t mind a little extra bulk for a lot more battery, the Duracell PowerMat and PowerCase is a really convenient solution. Even though the PowerMat still has a cable, the effortless method of just laying your phone down for wireless charging has been really useful. Of course, you can still charge your phone with a cable (and you may need to because you only get one Duracell PowerMat). For better or worse, the Lightning cable charging port gets converted to a Micro USB charging port. Micro USB cables are cheaper and generally easier to find, but still, it’s one more cable you need laying around now. Currently, the Duracell PowerMat and PowerCase combo is only available from Apple for $119.95. It’s pricey, but you can definitely get your money’s worth.

The Good: Doubles your iPhone’s battery, convenient wireless charging, charges your iPhone fast, protective

The Bad: Lock on Micro USB cover wears out quickly, expensive, difficult to access ports and buttons, bulky, shows greasy fingerprints