Alpatronix iPhone 8 Plus/7 Plus/6 Plus Battery Case, Slim Portable Protective Extended Charger Cover Compatible with iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6 Plus (5.5 inch) BX170plus - (Black)

I was asked to write a review of the Alpatronix battery case for the iPhone 7 plus. I did not receive the device for free - I purchased it on Amazon for $49.95 in December of 2016. Here is my review.This case provides an additional 4000mAH of battery capacity to the existing 2900 mAH battery in an iPhone 7 plus. The day-to-day cost of this extra capacity is an increase in weight and thickness. The iPhone 7 plus dimensions are 158mm x 78mm x 7.3mm (6.2" x 3.1" x 0.29") and the weight is 188g (6.7 oz). The case adds 16mm (0.63) in length, 7mm (0.28") in width, and 9mm in thickness. It also adds 137g (4.9oz) in weight. So the phone is more than twice as thick with the case attached, and a lot heavier. I don't keep my phone in a tight pocket so this was not a problem for me, but it might be for you. One warning - if you are looking at the photo of the case in the ad on Amazon, he understand that it looks like it has been Photoshopped to reduce the apparent thickness. If you zoom the page so the picture is life size, the thickness shown is only about 2/3 life-size.I was not concerned by the size of the case, but the weight did take a little getting used to. At 137g (4.9 oz) the case increases the overall weight of the iPhone by 70%. If you don't use an earpiece and spend a lot of time holding the phone to your ear, it is noticeable but it was not a deal breaker for me. There are lighter cases on the market but they have significantly less battery capacity. I found the tradeoff to be worthwhile.The case consists of a hard plastic base, and a snap-on soft rubber rim that retains the phone. The back of the case is rubberized for a good grip. There is a built-in lightning connector that provides power to the phone. It is easy to put the phone in the case, and also to remove it. Using the case part time, for instance only when you are traveling, is a viable option. There is a charge jack on the outside of the case that is used to charge the internal battery and also the iPhone. Both will charge at the same time. The charge jack is a micro-USB jack, not a lightning connector. This means you will need to use a micro USB cable which is not really an issue one way or the other. But it also means you cannot use a headphone on the iPhone 7 / 7plus via the Lightning connector adapter when you use this case. This is the same as the other cases I looked at, so Alpatronix is not unique in this regard. I use Bluetooth headphones with my iPhone so this was a 'don't care' for me, but it may be a deal breaker for you. If Alpatronix doesn't want to support the lightning connector due to cost or licensing constraints they should consider building an accessory headphone jack into the case, next to the power connector.To use this case, you charge it's battery and when you want it to supply power to the iPhone you long-press a button on the back of the case to turn the power on. The case then charges your iPhone just like any other charger. The instructions say that for maximum battery life you should turn off the case power once your iPhone is charged. There are four white LEDs on the back of the case to indicate remaining battery capacity. Even if the case power is off, a short-press on the power button will turn on the charge indicator LEDs. When the case battery is charging they stay on all the time.I purchased this case because I was having trouble getting through the day with my regular iPhone battery. My wife sometimes borrows it for her phone when she travels, as power can be difficult to find in some of the places she goes and we are considering getting another one. Overall, it works great and does pretty much everything you would expect from an accessory battery. It will charge the iPhone 7 plus from about 25% to full charge about twice on a single charge. This means I can actively use my phone all day without running out of battery.Overall, the device is of good quality, the packaging and instructions are OK, and it works very well. The only downside is size and weight. But until someone discovers a longer lasting and/or lighter battery for smartphones, this is as good as it gets. If you need additional battery capacity for your phone, I suggest that you give this one a try.

I'm using an iPhone for the first time with the release of the jet black iPhone 7 plus. My battery life hadn't been poor at the time I decided to purchase this, but Apple does not currently offer it's battery case for the plus model for the 7 that I could see, and I didn't like the Mophie solution of carrying a juice pack separately.I ordered this charging case and received it within a couple of days. The item came packaged in a nice box with a sleeve over it with the graphic for the case on the front. I appreciate nice packaging with frustration-free access to the item as it reduces the space the packaging takes in my trash and I keep a little bit of my sanity. In the box, I got the case, a USB charging cable, a screen protector, and some cards (a manual, rebate card, seller card, etc).Putting the case on is fairly simple. It comes with the back which contains the battery which plugs into the lightning connector on the iPhone. A bumper with spaces popped out for the side controls on the phone locks the phone to the back. A camera cutout which runs almost the entire width of the back is slightly tapered from the top until it blends in with the rest of back of the case. The one thing I dislike about this case is that it relies on a micro USB cable. This stops you from using the headphones or the AUX adapter that came with your iPhone if you choose to listen to music. This did save me some money on extra lightning cables as I switched from an Android and had a small stock room filled with micro USB cables lol.In order to access the lightning port, you need to take off the entire case. This is not necessarily as easy as installing the case, and I bent a few fingernails trying to catch the little nub to lift the bumper off the case. There are some charging cases out there that do have the lightning connector, but I didn't find any that had a certified chip in them and I didn't want to risk damaging the phone. This is only a minor annoyance if you don't have bluetooth capability in your vehicle or home speakers. I could see this being an issue if you're the type to run and listen to music, however.The functionality of the case itself is fine. The case charges my phone and requires the power button to be pressed and held to activate it. There are LEDs on the back to indicate the remaining charge for your case. I typically charge the case every few days now, but this could change if I use the iPhone more as I grow accustomed to it.This is a great option if you're looking for something on the market now that comes in one package versus the Otterbox and Mophie offerings. It's also a pretty great price if you consider Apple charges $99 for the iPhone 7 case (assuming an iPhone 7 plus will cost more).I do recommend buying a tempered glass protector to replace the film one provided. They're available from $5-7 on Amazon depending on your needs. The case does come up around the screen of the phone a bit but I would trust it to prevent a crack in the event of a drop on a hard surface.

Called customer service number and was asked to send photos of my case, after describing it was charging, but once connected to my iPhone would not charge the phone. I thanked the rep and sent the photos of the device, and after a short period, received a return email stating the device was not covered, but with the following explanation - We are very sorry but due to the wear and tear we are unable to proceed with a warranty claim as our warehouse would deny this warranty claim. I have no idea how they made this evaluation without even seeing the phone. Very disappointed, changing brands.Blissfully