I’m used to making concessions when it comes to using cases with built in battery packs, but the Third Rail bucks this trend. It’s a full body case that helps protect from scratches and minor drops, but it also has a detachable battery that recharges my iPhone by 45%. Simply put, it’s the best powered case I’ve ever used.
The Others
The downside to most powered cases is that you have to carry the extra weight of the battery around with you where ever you go, since they’re literally embedded in the case. Doubling the battery life of my iPhone is an attractive prospect, but the extra weight and thickness that accompany other powered cases (like the Mophie Juice Pack Air), can be bothersome, especially if you want to preserve the shape and size of the iPhone 4S.
The Third Rail takes a slightly different approach. It’s a slider style case with a scratch resistant soft-touch finish it feels great in the hand, and is really just a few millimeters thicker than products like the Case-mate Barely There case. In other words, the Third Rail case without the battery attached feels just like a vanilla soft touch case, but for the slightly different distribution of weight, and a tighter earphone jack enclosure. The latter makes it more challenging to attach the iPhone to stereos, but not incredibly so, since you can easily pop the top of the case right off.
The Third Rail case can also be very similar to a Mophie Juice Pack Air, since both cases add a small chin to the bottom of the iPhone. This tiny extension makes a big difference in the overall balance of the iPhone by shifting the Home button farther up when you hold the device in your hand. This chin also makes it much harder to accidentally block the speakers while playing games.
I find the 4S much more comfortable to use inside of the Third Rail case, since I don’t have to reach as far down the screen to unlock or press the home button.
Detachable Battery
When the time comes for a recharge, attaching the battery is as easy as placing it on the rear of the case and sliding down until I hear a click. The power switch along the bottom of the case controls the flow of power from the external battery to Apple’s super phone. Both the battery and the case can be charged with an included micro USB cable, and the Third Rail intelligently prioritizes charging the iPhone over the detachable battery while connected to an external power source.
I also really appreciate how the Third Rail can act as an external battery for other devices, thanks to the included micro-USB to USB adapter.
Stack Them Tall
It’s worth mentioning that the Third Rail batteries are actually designed to be stackable, so that you can actually pile several of them, one on top of the other, to create a super Franken-battery. The problem is that each Third Rail battery costs $60, so I highly doubt that anybody will invest in more than one or two. However, should you choose to buy several of these stackable power packs, there is a possibility that you could use them with a Third Rail case designed for the next iPhone (provided the company is still around).
Conclusion
I had actually been intending to purchase the Juice Pack Air for my iPhone 4S, but I’m glad that I held out and decided to try the Third Rail instead. Powered cases are already hybrids – iPhone cases that happen to have batteries built right into them – but the Third Rail has introduced a hybrid of a hybrid… a product that is case first, and battery pack second. It’s a perfect fit for users like myself who want a sleek, hi-tech case for the everyday, but a little bit of extra power on particularly busy days.
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