Very pleased with TheSurgeCase. Now I have a case with a battery built-in. This case is very stylish and offers no problems to my new phone. Very easy to apply.

I got this phone case for my old iPhone 12. The battery on my phone is also quite old and recently holds the charge quite badly. Therefore, this battery phone case is ideal solution to keep my phone running for longer. It is very easy to put on, just need to remember to bend over the top side of the phone cover in order to slide the phone flash. This is done so that you won't try to insert the battery case to your phone charging port under a weird angle causing damage to your charging port. Everything worked all right and my phone fit it in perfectly well, all the buttons and media outlets are perfectly aligned and working very well. This phone case really helped me to bring back to life my old iPhone 12.

This charging case is not the most elegant looking item but most people will not be using it as a day to day case but rather as a temporary case whilst travelling or camping, so this can be forgiven. It’s pretty chunky and due to the positioning of the camera lenses the weight is concentrated in the bottom two thirds of the case. It is a shame it doesn’t support wireless charging - and also blocks wireless charging of the phone itself - but not the end of the world for a case only being used on trips. I’m not a great fan of how you have to slide your phone in, there is a soft material backing inside the case but this does not extend up the sides. Even with this ‘protective’ material should any debris make its way into the case there is still a risk of scratching the phone whilst fitting. I would recommend fitting this case once before setting off and then leave it fitted until you no longer require it. In theory this case should add somewhere around 1.5 times to the battery life of the phone and so far it seems to be, however I have my doubts whether the internal battery will have sufficient longevity for frequent use as it utilises Li-polymer cells which are less power dense and degrade more rapidly than more common Li-ion. They are in theory more robust, so swings and roundabouts. Only time will tell whether this was the best choice and I will update this review if I see any premature capacity drop, so in that respect the jury is still out. At just over £29 at time of review if the battery in this case lasts long enough without too much degradation the price is fair.

For its price, it’s relatively well put together. Materials are alright, and it has enough flex to get the phone in and out, although lining up the usb connector to the phone can take a bit of fiddling. Its biggest problem is it gets hot, and I mean HOT! So much so that about half the time it can’t fully charge my iPhone 11 before the overheat protection on the phone kicks in and it stops the charging, and that’s on a countertop not in my pocket. Charging the phone on the go is kinda the point, so a bit of a dud at its primary purpose sadly.

The cover fits perfectly, and although a little heavier than an ordinary cover, it isn't that bad. It does charge the phone pretty quickly when the phone isn't in use (eg in my locker at work), but of course it is slower when you're using the phone (slower than it would be if you were using it plugged into the original charger. The sturdy case should keep it well protected, although you'd need to get a screen protector as an additional item if you don't want to risk the screen getting damaged:)