Incipio offGRID PRO

Today we'll be taking a closer look at Incipio's newest product, the offGRID PRO. The primary difference between the offGRID PRO and the offGRID is the addition of removable battery packs. The offGRID PRO comes equipped with 2 battery packs which are 1600mAh each. 

The offGRID PRO is engineered to be a very slim take on a battery case at only 14mm thick. It definitely feels slim in your hand and is surprisingly lightweight. Due to its slim form factor, you won't get any lay on the table design (lip over the front glass). I would be afraid of screen damage in the event the phone is dropped with the screen side down.

The case is a 2 piece design, made of polycarbonate, with a back portion which holds the battery and a snap on bumper piece which secures your phone into the 2 halves. The 2 pieces are extremely secure when attached via at least 4 snap together points. Due to its tight fit, it can be challenging to separate the 2 halves when you need to remove the case but I'd prefer this over something that easily snapped apart possibly even separating in the event of a drop.

The cutout for the headphone jack is separate from the pinhole for the secondary mic. This headphone jack cutout is extremely narrow and will certainly cause issues for larger headphone plugs. Due to this, Incipio was thinking ahead and included a headphone extender to prevent problems. Kudos to Incipio for this as this is the first case i've seen with this piece included. The sleep/awake button along with the volume buttons are covered by similar material in which the case is constructed. All buttons provide great tactile feedback when pressed. The bottom of the case features the charging plug as well as a cutout for the speaker. The speaker cutout is not centered on the speaker which I thought was odd. The left side features covered volume buttons as mentioned above along with a cutout for the silent switch which will accommodate all versions of the iPhone 4 and 4S. The front lower portion of the case is where you'll find the pinhole for the microphone along with status LED lights and the power button. The back of the case is imprinted with the Incipio logo and a slick design for the camera and flash. The two are separated and are within a moderately sized cutout. This is the first battery pack case that i've used that doesn't show any signs of camera flashback (white out look in photos). I am actually quite astonished that they were able to accomplish this.

Along with the extra battery, you get a secondary battery charger which charges via the included cable. The offGRID PRO is available in gunmetal, black and white for $99.99.

UPDATE 7/13:  I have been using this case as of late and i'm experiencing an issue where I have trouble getting the status LED lights to illuminate.  In order to get them to illuminate, I have to press the button 4-8 times before they light up.  I found this to be the same issue the Larry Greenberg had during his testing.  I will follow up with Incipio to see what they've done to remedy this.
UPDATE 7/18:  Incipio sent me a new black version and it works flawlessly.  I believe they had an initial issue with them but it has since been corrected.

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XGear Fortress

Today i'm going to review a product by Xgear called the Fortress.  The Fortress is an aluminum style bumper that is 2 piece but connected by a hinge with a latching closure.  

  
The case is CNC machined out of 6061 aluminum and is very light weight.  This case differs from most aluminum bumper cases because it does not use screws to install it.  The problem with those cases is that if you need to remove it, you must have an allen wrench or you're stuck with it.  This one unlatches easily and can be quickly removed/installed.  I am a big fan of this as I don't want to carry the allen wrench with me on the go. 

The top of the case features a slim cutout for the headphone jack and secondary mic and a round button for the sleep/awake button which is a first for me.  The bottom of the case has a very large cutout for the 30 pin connector, speaker and microphone.  The left side of the case features a large cutout for the silent switch and volume buttons which will fit all versions of the iPhone 4 and 4S. 

The inside of the bumper frame has soft padding at all 4 corners and also just below the volume buttons to ensure that it does not scratch the metal band on your iPhone.  These are also to ensure a tight fit which brings up a concern of mine.  With the case installed, the fit isn't very snug.  It's not going to fall off or anything but it's also not tight.  When using the phone with the case installed, at times, I could feel the bumper moving up and down.  I feel that it could be tighter, even if some effort had to be made to squeeze it all together to latch it.  

Overall, I really like this case, but it comes with a steep price tag of $79.99.  It comes in gunmetal, blue, black, silver, pink, orange and red

Graft Concepts Leverage

Today i'm going to take a look at the Leverage case made by Graft Concepts.  The company was created in order to create accessories that complement high end Apple products.  

The Graft Concepts Leverage case was definitely created to accentuate the design of the iPhone 4/4S. The case will provide the protection you need without compromising any style. The case is a one piece design with a locking mechanism which links the case together. The bumper is made of a nice soft touch material that is fairly rigid but it gives enough where you can flex it to fit it on the phone. The locking mechanism is metallic and works flawlessly to latch the halves together and lock into place on the rubberized bumper frame. One nice thing that I really like about this case is that the sleep/awake button is incorporated into the metallic latch. The button is metallic and provides great clicking feedback when pressed. 

 The Leverage case works with all versions of the iPhone 4 and 4S since it has one large cutout for the silent switch & volume buttons. There are separate cutouts for the headphone jack and the secondary mic. The headphone jack cutout is very slim and will create problems with larger headphone plugs; nothing a small adapter couldn't fix though. Maybe Graft Concepts should include a small adapter plug in the case packaging? Like mentioned above, the sleep/awake button is metallic and covered. The upper right corner features the integrated latch which extends down the right side of the phone where it locks on the frame. The bottom of the case features 3 separate cutouts for the 30 pin connector, microphone and speaker. The cutout for the 30 pin connector is very precise and is not larger than the plug size itself which will definitely cause problems with larger aftermarket cables and docks. This cutout is recessed a little bit which will help but I still foresee issues in some cases.

 The Leverage case provides a nice lip on both the front and back with a smooth bevel on the front so you can easily slide your fingers across the screen and onto the bumper portion when swiping laterally. I can't say enough about how sweet the latch is on this case! It is created with style and looks in mind. I opted for the matte latch and it looks outstanding. I don't have a single complaint about the case except for the small issue of the slim 30 pin connector cutout. 

This case is available in both black and white with either chrome or matte latching mechanisms. It sells for $59.99 and is available here.

Kensington Powerguard Battery Case

Today I'm going to be taking a look at the Kensington Powerguard Battery Case With Card Stand.  I've taken a high interest in battery style cases and the winner by far (so far) is the Mophie Juicepack.  Will this one match or beat it?  Make sure to read on for the full review.

The Powerguard is different than most battery cases as it is a 2 piece case where you install your phone into the back and then snap on the bumper. 

The first thing I noticed when I installed this case was that this was not created to be compatible with both the iPhone 4 and 4S.  You can see my silent switch does not align in the cutout.  The bottom of the case features the port to charge it along with a space to pry the bumper off of the back part of the case to remove it.  The volume buttons are covered with a smaller cutout for the vibrate switch which would definitely be larger to accommodate all versions of the iPhone.  The top of the case features a covered sleep/awake button and a slim cutout for the headphone jack.  The back of the case features a soft touch material with a slot to insert the included card to prop the phone up for viewing.  You will also find the on/off switch for the case on the back. 

There is a rigid card included (similar to a credit card) which you can place into the slot to prop it up as I mentioned in both portrait and landscape modes.

The PowerGuard is only 1200mAh which is the lowest output battery case that i've tested.  In my test, this charged my phone about 40% and that was with it powered on, wifi connected and the screen turned off.  Kensington claims the case will add 4 hours talk time and 5 hours of video viewing.  

 

Overall, the case is neat but it's not up to par with the higher end battery cases like the Mophie and PhoneSuit.  This case feels cheap and very plastic like in your hand and doesn't have smooth edges and visual appeal like a Mophie case.  It's retail price of $59.99 is the lowest of the ones i've reviewed and is a decent deal.  It's available in black, white and silver. 

Incipio Inscribe DUAL Stylus Pen

I just wanted to write a short blog entry about the Incipio Inscribe DUAL stylus pen.  They offer a few different lines of stylus pens and the inscribe is called DUAL because it has both red and black ink inside of it.  Twist it one way and the red ink is used but twist it the other way and the black ink is used.  Opposite the pen side you will find the stylus.  The stylus side is not pointed as you'd typically expect but instead is a rounded soft touch type material that works surprisingly well.  I tested it on my iPhone and it works great.  It works even better on an iPad.  This thing is plain COOL!  It retails at $24.99 and is available in 3 colors (Silver, black and red).  

Incipio Le Deux

Today we're going to take a look at the Le Deux case by Incipio.  The Le Deux is a 2 part case; one part is the polycarbonate frame and the other part is the brushed stainless steel padded back plate.  The 2 pieces snap together very nicely to make a nice seamless fit when installed.  

The Le Deux case is a very slim case that does not add much bulk at all to the iPhone.  It has an ever so slight lay on the table design which is good for swiping across the screen to the edges but I'm not too sure it would provide much protection in the event of a drop face down.  The ports and controls are perfectly cut - let's take a further look into those now.  The cutout for the headphone port and secondary mic is not oversized but should accept most slim plugs.  The cutout for the sleep/awake button is perfectly sized and doesn't cause any trouble pressing the button.  The right side of the phone is completely covered, so in the event you have to access the SIM tray, you have to remove the case.  The cutout for the 30 pin dock connector/microphone/speaker is one large cutout with a nice oversized opening to accept most charging cables.  The cutout for the volume buttons is separate from the vibrate switch and i'm not sure why they didn't just make this one large cutout.  Either way, the volume button cutout is nicely sized around that area and the cutout for the silent switch accommodates all versions of the iPhone 4 and 4S.  Overall, every cutout seems "right" and is not overly deep where you would have to use your fingernails to press buttons.  

The polycarbonate frame feels solid and feels good in your hand.  My version has the clear frame so you can see the metal band on the actual iPhone 4S.  The brushed stainless steel back plate looks amazing with a nice subtle "Incipio" etching on the top right, across from the camera.  Let me reiterate, the back plate looks absolutely amazing!  The cutout for the camera is a pill shape and isn't overly deep which showed zero signs of flashback.  I haven't used this case over a long period of time, so I can't comment on back plate scratches/scuffs but that might be a small concern of mine for some users. 

The case comes with 2 screen shields, a cleaning cloth and a small squeegie card to help smooth out bubbles.  The Le Deux comes in 4 colors and is available on their website for $29.99.  At this price point, I recommend this case, no questions asked! 

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PhoneSuit Primo Power Core

Today i'm going to be reviewing the Primo Power Core battery pack by PhoneSuit.  I've reviewed an iPhone battery case from PhoneSuit, and i'm a fan of their products.   

The Primo Power Core is their biggest battery pack at 8200mAh and is a fantastic product not only performance wise but also appearance wise.  Due to its large battery capacity, the unit is  quite large and carries some weight.  It is 130mm x 75mm x 18mm and is 233g.  Its build quality is outstanding and is very visually appealing.  The top of the Power Core is finished in chrome while the rest of it is a glossy black plastic.  The top features 3 LED power lights that indicate how much battery life remains which brings up a complaint of mine.  While it's charging, the LED's flash but my issue is that when you have the battery pack powered on, the lights remain lit all the time.  I would have liked the lights to remain off while it's powered on with some sort of button to illuminate the lights when the user wants to check battery life similar to the Mophie battery pack I reviewed.  The Power Core features automatic amp switching technology ensuring all of your gadgets are charged at the fastest rate possible while making sure not to overpower the device plugged in.  

I've put the Primo Power Core through testing and one thing that really stands out is how fast it can recharge.  For being a 8200mAh power house, it doesn't take 8 hours to charge, rather just a few short hours.  Like I mentioned above, with 8200mAh, you will have more than enough juice to power all of your gadgets.  I keep it with me at work and I can recharge my iPhone 4S from 0-100% (even while using the phone heavily) 3 full times plus have power leftover.  I can't say enough about how impressed I am about the performance and visual appeal of the PhoneSuit Primo Power Core.  

It comes packed with an array of charging tips to ensure compatibility with your favorite gadgets.  It also comes with a nice small cloth bag to carry it in your daily gear bag.  The PhoneSuit Primo Power Core can be purchased for $99.95 and is available directly through their website.