The Best iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus + iPhone 6s Plus Battery Cases

It’s a great time to buy an iPhone 6 battery case. Last year, there were zero Apple-certified options, but today, there are a handful of good to great choices at various price points. They may look similar to each other in the picture above, but the sea of black shells masks some important differences in iPhone protection, battery recharging capabilities, and pricing. We now have two top picks for the iPhone 6, as well as two completely different top picks for the iPhone 6 Plus. Note that the iPhone 6 versions typically work with the newer iPhone 6s, and the iPhone 6 Plus versions work with the iPhone 6s Plus; both of the “s” models have slightly smaller batteries than their predecessors.

Which battery case should you buy? The most recent update to this piece on October 6, 2015 added another new option! Read on for all the details…

Anker Ultra Slim Battery Case for iPhone 6

Impressively thin despite packing a 2850mAh battery – enough for a 112% iPhone 6 recharge – Anker’s Ultra Slim Battery Case for iPhone 6 gives up a little power and a little button protection versus the formerly top-rated offGRID Express (below) to achieve a lower price point. Physically very similar in appearance to others in this collection, it benefits a lot from softer curves, and is smaller in every dimension than the offGRID Express. Anker notably sells direct through Amazon, changing the price with various promotions. (It’s currently only $40.)

Incipio offGRID Express

Cleanly designed with great button protection and hand/pocket-friendly curves, offGRID Express was originally our top pick. Incipio’s battery cases get better every year, and this version combines the best features of its iPhone 5 offGRID with design elements drawn from Mophie’s more expensive Juice Packs. offGRID Express also delivers one of the best recharges we’ve yet seen for the iPhone 6: 121% additional power using an efficient 3,000mAh battery. It also includes a headphone port adapter. Note that users have been complaining about broken power switches on a bad batch of offGRID Express units, making our one-time favorite harder to recommend.

uNu DX-6

Similar to offGRID Express in size and shape, DX-6 also includes a 3,000mAh battery (here with a 116% recharge), and has the same $80 MSRP. While it lacks offGRID Express’s nice button protection, instead using somewhat rough-edged button holes, it includes screen film and uses a slider-style design that some people may prefer. A headphone port adapter is included, as well.

Lenmar Maven

Think of Maven as a more polished and more expensive version of uNu’s $80 DX-6. Similar recharging performance (here 112% versus 116%) and limitations on button protection are offset by a softer-edged case design, more gently-tapered button holes, and four color options. The designs are otherwise extremely similar, with 3000mAh batteries inside and pop-off top caps for iPhone 6 insertion and removal.

iBattz Refuel Invictus

Very similar in look and feel to a thinner, longer iPhone 3G/3GS, Refuel Invictus is the first iPhone 6 battery case with swappable battery packs. A single 3,200mAh battery (with 127% recharging power) is included in the package, letting you more than completely refuel a dead iPhone; a spare battery with a standalone USB recharger can be had for $25-$30. Refuel Invictus delivers the most power we’ve yet seen for the iPhone 6, but doesn’t outperform offGRID Express by enough (6%) on its own to justify a $20 premium, and the plastic feels a bit light. Consider it if you plan to swap batteries and are willing to pay a somewhat steep price for them.

OtterBox Resurgence Power Case

The brawniest of the iPhone 6 battery cases is Resurgence, which still manages to be virtually identical in size to the other cases in this roundup despite using dense plastics and a fiberglass filling. Drop-safe but not water- or dirt-resistant like OtterBox’s signature cases, Resurgence provides a nice balance of rugged protection and usability. Full button and switch coverage is built in, as is a unique four-bar remaining power indicator circling the rear power button. A 2,600mAh battery is on the small side compared with the others here, but can bring a dead iPhone back to 98% or 100% power.

Tylt Energi Sliding Power Case

Tied with Refuel Invictus in offering the largest iPhone 6 battery in this roundup (3,200mAh), the Energi Sliding Power Case came very close to matching offGRID Express’s 121% recharge with a 120% test result. But they’re otherwise very different cases: the more expensive Energi includes a slim soft plastic case that can be used with the iPhone 6 at all times, letting you slide the battery on and off as needed. The ergonomics are a little awkward when the parts are together, but the two-piece design has its virtues. Tylt will offer a free headphone port adapter to customers who request it.

BuQu Tech PowerArmour

Different from its rivals due to a very open-edged design, PowerArmour is akin to the basic hard plastic shells some companies sell as iPhone cases, but with a 2,800mAh battery grafted on to the back. We were able to get a 109% recharge from PowerArmour, which is respectable for the price, and if you have a 2.1-Amp wall adapter or USB port, you can refuel it quickly at 2-Amp speeds. That said, you lose a lot of protection compared with offGRID Express. A unique sliding Lightning connector is the most distinctive feature of this case, which ships with a headphone port adapter.

PowerSkin Spare

If BuQu’s PowerArmour was sexier but less powerful and protective, you’d have PowerSkin’s Spare, which sells for the same price while offering a lower-capacity battery, no headphone port adapter, and less protection on the top and sides. The key weakness is its 2200mAh cell, which falls below PowerSkin’s promised 100% recharge, delivering only 83% fuel to an empty iPhone 6. Offered in three iPhone-matching metallic colors, Spare looks nice and would be a much more compelling option at a lower price point.

Incipio offGRID Shine

Combine the co-molded design of Incipio’s DualPro Shine case with a battery pack and you get offGRID Shine, a premium version of our top pick offGRID Express. While it’s one of the very best options around when judged solely as a case, offGRID Shine somehow underperformed its less expensive older brother in the recharging department, despite having a similar 3,000mAh battery inside. It achieved only a 108% recharge versus Express’s 121%, a non-trivial difference. However, Shine is compatible with Incipio’s upcoming offGRID Dock, a $40 recharging station that lets your iPhone 6 stand upright on a desk.

Mophie Juice Pack Air, Plus, and Ultra

Mophie has three different Juice Packs for the iPhone 6: Juice Pack Air ($100, 100% promised recharge), Juice Pack Plus ($120, 120% promised recharge) and Juice Pack Ultra ($150, 150% promised recharge), with 2,750mAh, 3,300mAh, and 3,950mAh batteries, respectively. We tested the Juice Pack Plus (shown in matte black above), which actually delivered a 137% recharge, and feels really nice in the hand, particularly in its glossy white and semi-glossy gold variants. It has great button protection and is compatible with an optional $50 Juice Pack Dock for recharging. The single biggest issue is Mophie’s pricing, which is higher than all of the competing options we’ve tested, but the power capacities of the Plus and Ultra models are hard to beat.

Mobee Magic Case 2800

The single advantage of Mobee’s Magic Case 2800 will be theoretical for most users: in addition to packing a 2,800mAh battery with a micro-USB recharging cable, this case hides an inductive charger in its rear, compatible with Mobee’s separately-sold Magic Charger and Magic Feet charging surfaces for Macs. Hidden might be a strong word, though, as Magic Case is conspicuously thicker and heavier than its rivals, but lacks button protection and has a very small headphone port passthrough on the bottom. We were able to get a 115% recharge for the iPhone 6 from Magic Case, which is above average given the battery capacity, but hard to get excited about given the non-discounted $80 street price.

Prong PWR Case for iPhone 6

Long-delayed after an early 2015 announcement, Prong’s PWR Case for iPhone 6 combines a 2,600mAh battery sled with a detachable iPhone 6 case and one very novel feature — fold-out wall blades. The blades pop out of PWR’s back, enabling the case to refuel wherever you can find a standard wall outlet. (A micro-USB cable is included as a backup.) Expect one full 0-100% recharge for the iPhone 6 from the integrated battery, and consider this case if you don’t want to carry around a standalone iPhone USB Power Adapter everywhere you go.

iPhone 6 Plus Battery Cases

MOTA Battery Case for iPhone 6 Plus

Most manufacturers have shied away from making iPhone 6 Plus battery cases, noting that this is Apple’s first iPhone with enough built-in power to actually last for a full day of active use. But MOTA has managed to pack a 4,000mAh cell into an enclosure that surprisingly doesn’t make the already-large iPhone 6 Plus more difficult to hold, while delivering 86% additional power — enough for 20 hours of additional calling time. The case comes with two differently-colored bumpers and a headphone port adapter; the black one has a $56 street price, with brightly colored versions starting at $40. While not Apple-certified, the case worked perfectly in our testing.

PowerSkin PoP’n 3

Not technically a battery case but now available as one of very few options for iPhone 6 Plus users, PoP’n 3 is a 4000mAh Lightning battery pack that uses suction cups to attach to your bare or encased iPhone. The 4000mAh cell delivered a 102% recharge here — more efficient than MOTA’s cell above — but notably (and oddly) does not have enough power to begin charging a completely discharged 6 Plus. It works fine when the iPhone has even a 2% charge, though, and its flexible Lightning connector is compatible with numerous popular cases.

Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 6 Plus

Mophie’s Juice Pack for iPhone 6 Plus ($100) has a 2,600mAh battery inside, promising a 60% recharge and actually delivering 70%, starting with a completely discharged iPhone 6 Plus. While this is a small battery for the big iPhone, the case feels really nice in the hand, particularly in its glossy variants; matte black, glossy white, and semi-glossy gold versions are available. Our review unit had some connectivity issues with its Lightning connector, as discussed in our full review. A dock (shown above) is sold separately for $50.

Tylt Energi Sliding Power Case for iPhone 6 Plus

Larger and more powerful than the iPhone 6 version, Energi for the iPhone 6 Plus is the best overall performer we’ve seen for the bigger iPhone: it delivered a 90% recharge in just under 1.5 hours, thanks to its 3,500mAh battery and atypically fast 2.1-Amp charging. It’s also novel because it’s modular, starting with a slim soft plastic case that can be used with the iPhone 6 Plus at all times; the battery sled can be moved on and off as needed. Officially licensed by Apple, Energi is currently our top pick for the iPhone 6 Plus on quality, though MOTA’s unlicensed Battery Case offers nearly as much spare power at a lower price.

Conclusions

There are enough iPhone 6 battery cases at this point to give you a reasonable choice of features, capacities, and prices to meet your needs — Apple-certified, high-quality options start at $67 (street price) and offer various case styles with different levels of protection. Our top pick for iPhone 6, Incipio’s offGrid Express, has the best overall combination of performance, protection, and pricing we’ve seen, while Anker’s Ultra-Slim Battery Case makes small compromises on power and protection to achieve an even lower price point.

The iPhone 6 Plus has fewer options, but there are two clear winners if you’re looking for a complete battery case. Tylt’s Energi Sliding Power Case delivers the largest recharge and most unique design, while MOTA’s Battery Case offers the biggest bang for the buck, cutting corners (including Apple licensing) in the process. We’d recommend Energi unless price is the most important factor to you.