uNu Ecopak iPhone 5 Battery Case hands-on

Power users using the iPhone 5 don’t hold back when it comes to consumption, right? Well, if you happen to think of yourself as one, the constant fear of depleting your smartphone’s battery is always lurking around the corner. Thankfully, there’s a solution out there that comes in to save the day for you, while still doubling as a useful case for the beloved handset. Enter the uNu Ecopak Battery Case for the iPhone 5, which packs on a hefty 2,500 mAh battery for all your recharging needs.

Unlike some of the other battery case alternatives out there that we’ve seen, like the many from PowerSkin and Mophie, uNu’s Ecopak Battery Case is different in the form that its battery pack is a separate entity from the case. Specifically, the 2,500 mAh battery latches onto the back of the snap cases that uNu provides, which are available in 8 colorful options. On the bottom edge of the battery, we find a microUSB port to charge its internal battery, four tiny blue LED lights that display the battery’s current charge capacity, and a standard USB port. Towards one corner, there’s a slightly raised circular button that lights up the LEDs accordingly to tell us how much of a charge is left.

Unfortunately, it’s not the most convenient charging system, mainly because you’ll need to rely on your own Lightning cable to attach to your iPhone 5 to the battery – so yeah, it’s a mess with wire management. On top of that, we’re not too thrilled tolerating the dangling wires while attempting to charge the phone. Regardless of that, it’s mentioned to double the battery life of the iPhone 5. Like we said, though, the battery is detachable to make it easier to carry the iPhone 5 around while it’s in our pockets. With it attached, it turns the sleek handset to a massive monstrosity that simultaneously adds some serious weight as well. However, it’s nice that the full sized USB port allows us to charge other devices other than the iPhone 5.

As for the snap cases themselves, they’re nothing too spectacular in terms of design. Conventional to say the least, they’re all constructed out of plastic – albeit, some have a nice soft touch finish to them. Pricing is a bit up there for the Ecopak battery case at $79.95, which includes the battery and snap on case – while additional snap cases can be bought for $29.95.