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Kensington PowerGuard Battery Case (for iPhone 4)

Kensington PowerGuard Battery Case (for iPhone 4)

Given the addictiveness and usefulness of the Apple iPhone 4 (4.5 stars, $199) it’s frustrating that sometimes its battery doesn’t last a full day. Cases like the Kensington PowerGuard Battery Case ($59.99 direct) aim to extend the battery backup by strapping a second battery to the iPhone. The PowerGuard handled those functions well, considering its relatively low price, but we found more expensive cases from Exogear and Mophie to be a bit more rewarding.

The PowerGuard comes in two pieces, a bumper and a back case, with a dock connector that connects to the iPhone. At 5.1 by 2.4 by 0.79 inches and 2.5 ounces, it doubles the iPhone 4’s depth and adds another 50 percent to its weight. If you’re looking for a thinner case, try the ExoGear Exolife ($89.99, 4 stars), which weighs 2.1 ounces and is just 0.6 inches deep.

The PowerGuard is black and rubbery, which makes it easy to grip—a welcome feature for the slick iPhone 4. There’s a space on the back for the camera lens. All of the iPhone’s buttons are left accessible except the volume controls, which are translated into flimsy plastic buttons on top of the case. On the back, there’s a switch for turning power on and off, and a light for checking the battery’s status.

There’s also a small slit in the back of the case that allows you to insert a credit card and create a stand, in either orientation—this is one of my favorite features of the case. Kensington includes a card with the PowerGuard, but you can use it with anything in your wallet. At the bottom, there’s a mini USB port for charging the PowerGuard and syncing the iPhone when the case is connected.

Performance

Kensington claims that the PowerGuard will add four hours of extra talk time, five hours of video playback, or 22 hours of music to the iPhone’s battery life; all these numbers mean you’d get 50 percent more battery life by using this case. To test these numbers, I did the most battery-intensive thing I could think of. First with the iPhone itself, and then with the PowerGuard on—I turned on the Wi-Fi (but didn’t connect to a Wi-Fi network), and then used 3G to stream Netflix movies for as long as possible.

The iPhone alone lasted for 4 hours and 13 minutes on constant Netflix playback. With the PowerGuard on, The Godfather trilogy streamed for 6 hours and 59 minutes before both devices were completely dead—that means I got an extra 2 hours and 46 minutes of power from the PowerGuard. That’s a clear 66 percent increase in battery life. It didn’t perform as well as the Editors’ Choice Mophie Juice Pack Air ($79.99, 4 stars), though, which added 4 hours and 10 minutes of Netflix streaming to the iPhone 4’s battery life.

At $59.99, the Kensington PowerGuard is the cheapest of the three iPhone 4 battery cases I tested in this round, and it will add juice to your iPhone inexpensively. For $20 more, though, you can get more power in a similar body from the Mophie Juice Pack Air, or you can drop $30 more and get the light and thin Exogear. If you’re more budget-minded, then the PowerGuard is a fine choice.

[Thanks: http://www.pcmag.com]

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