UNU ships an iPhone 6 case that can double your battery life
Battery cases for the new larger iPhones have been slow in coming, but UNU is now selling a beefy case for the iPhone 6, the DX-6, with great battery life and at a competitive price of US$79.00. The case claims to double your battery life, offering more than 300 hours of standby time, more than 60 hours of music playback, and 18 hours of talk time. Of course those numbers are far greater than an iPhone 6 running on its internal batteries.
Mophie has also announced a similar case with a $99.00 price point and a slightly less powerful battery, but it hasn't hit the street quite yet, and UNU hopes to grab a significant share of the market for these battery cases.
Specifications
Dimensions: 6 x 2.8 x 0.6 inches
Weight: 3.36 ounces
High grade Li-polymer rechargeable battery
Minimum rated talk time: 15 hours
Battery: Li-Polymer 3.7V/3000 mAh
Design
The UNU case is sturdy, with fully covered corners, a raised lip for screen protection, and a solid frame that should protect your iPhone. The phone easily sips in and out of the case. The bottom shell has the Apple Lightning connector, but the case itself charges from an included Micro USB cable.
Using the UNU battery case
Everything worked as expected. The case was partially charged when unpacked, so an hour or so later I was ready to go. A green LED on the back lets you know the case is fully charged. As your day progresses, you use the iPhone internal battery, and when the battery is nearly depleted you press a button on the back of the DX-6 for 2 seconds. That engages the case battery, and you are all set with the case charging your iPhone 6 quickly back up to 100 percent. It's no different than plugging it into a wall outlet, except you are not tethered. Headphones are often a problem with these cases because the iPhone headphone jack is recessed with the case over the top. UNU provides an extender, but it's something else to carry and hopefully not lose. All other iPhone controls are easily accessible through cut-outs.
This is a 4th-generation case for UNU; they've been at it for five years, and they obviously know how to make a good battery case. I do think buying a case like this for an iPhone 6 involves a series of tradeoffs. The iPhone is going to get even bigger (thicker and longer) and it's going get heavier. For use around town where users have plenty of charging opportunities, or in a car with an auto power adapter, the size and weight may outweigh the usefulness. On the other hand, for people who travel and don't have handy sources of AC power this case is a godsend.
You can do your regular sync duties with the included cord that also charges the batteries of both your iPhone and the battery case. LED indicators tell you about the status of the battery charge.
The case is shipping now in black; white and red are coming very shortly. The UNU DX-6 is available at the usual online outlets like Amazon for a bit less money than the list price.
The DX-6 is well built, has a powerful battery, and offers solid protection for your iPhone 6 at a reasonable price.
