OtterBox Resurgence: Power and protection in one iPhone case
In the world of protective iPhone cases, OtterBox has pretty much had the bulk of the market mindshare. When the company acquired LifeProof, that only solidified its position as a leader in cases that keep your devices safe from drops and water. But the company wasn't a player in the iPhone battery case market, seemingly conceding it to Mophie and other companies. That's all about to change, as the company has introduced the Resurgence Power Case (US$99.95) for iPhone 5 and 5s. Check out this review of the latest from OtterBox, then enter for a chance to win a Resurgence case.
Specifications
Battery Capacity: 2,000 mAh
Cables: USB to micro-USB for charging, pass-through audio adapter
Colors: Black, Glacier (white/silver), Teal Shimmer (teal/white), Satin Rose (rose/black)
Dimensions (approx.): 5.63 x 2.56 x .63 inches (143 x 65 x 16 mm)
Weight: 3.15 ounces (89.3 grams)
Rating: MIL STD 810G-516.6 Drop Protection
Design Highlights
The first thing I noticed after installing the Resurgence onto my iPhone 5s was the relatively deep bezel around the screen. That's there for a reason -- your screen is less likely to crack when dropped face down as the bezel will keep it off of flat surfaces. All of the buttons on the iPhone are accessible through pass-throughs, with the exception of the mute/orientation lock switch which is wide open to the world. There's a big opening on the back of the case for the rear-facing camera and flash, and it's surrounded with black plastic to reduce the chance for lens flare.
For your headphones, there's a pass-through port that you can use with an included extension audio adapter. There are two small ports on the case just below the home button to let sound in and out, and a micro-USB port on the bottom for recharging the battery in the case.
The case is designed, like many OtterBox cases, to absorb shock in the case of a drop or impact. It's Mil STD rated for Drop Protection, which should save your phone in a variety of conditions. However, it's not water resistant or waterproof, so don't fall into a creek or pond!
The only other button on the device is located on the lower right front. Press this button quickly and a four-quadrant LED lights up, with each quadrant representing a 25 percent charge. A single quadrant indicates a 25 percent charge, while all four quadrants lighting up would indicate that the battery is fully charged.
Functionality Highlights
I found the Resurgence case to be extremely easy to install and remove. The case is made of two parts, and there's a clasp on the top that just needs to be pulled out a bit to loosen the tight fit between the front and back of the case. Once the front is off, you slide the Lightning port of the iPhone gently onto the protruding adapter in the bottom of the case, then snap the front of the case back on. The Resurgence has a very solid feel to it.
There's only one negative to the design -- if you're a tech blogger and need to swap out cases a lot, the Resurgence just isn't as easy to remove the iPhone from as something like the Mophie Juice Pack. There, you just slide the bottom of the case off and you're ready to roll. However, if you don't change cases every few days for writing reviews, you can just install once and forget about it.
To charge the case and your phone, you simply need to plug it into an available USB port or AC adapter. The phone always gets charged up first, followed by the battery in the case. Once you're away from an outlet and in need of a charge, a long push on the front button begins the process of charging your iPhone from the 2,000 mAh battery pack. I found the charging to go quite fast -- faster than my Mophie Juice Pack -- and the pack didn't get hot like my Mophie will. The charger stops when your iPhone is full, thus keeping a reserve of power if you really need it later.
The speaker openings appear to be very small, but they did a very good job of passing sound to the front of the phone; in fact, sound quality appeared better to my ears than it does from the channels in the Mophie case. Sound level and quality being subjective, you may not agree with my assessment.
In comparison to the Mophie cases, the Resurgence case provides more power than the Juice Pack Helium and Air, and just a wee 100 mAh less than the Juice Pack Plus. Price-wise, the Resurgence is $20 less expensive than the Juice Pack Plus; in terms of weight, the Resurgence weighs a barely noticeable .01 ounce more than Juice Pack Plus; and in terms of size, the Resurgence is slightly longer (.05 inch), less wide (.07 inch), and thinner by .06 inch.
Conclusion
Watch out, Mophie -- there's a new and trusted competitor in the battery case market. The OtterBox Resurgence Power Case provides very good protection, fast charging, and large battery capacity in a slim and very sturdy case, all at a price that's quite reasonable. OtterBox took a while to enter the iPhone power case market, but when they did, they did it right.
Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible
Giveaway
Do you like what you've read about here? You're going to have a chance to win an OtterBox Resurgence Power Case! Here are the rules for the giveaway:
Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button.
The entry must be made before September 9, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
You may enter only once.
One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive an OtterBox Resurgence Power Case valued at $99.95
