MyCharge Freedom 2000 iPhone 5 battery case review
The Freedom 2000 by MyCharge is a rechargeable external battery and iPhone case with a capacity of 2000mAh that is capable of doubling your iPhone’s runtime. The case is sleek, plugs into the Lightning port when charging is needed, and stays out of the way when it’s not. The case and the iPhone 5 can be charged independently of each other, so you can walk out of the house with both fully charged in the time it takes to charge either one.
The case slips on and off easily – a little too easily for comfort – although several attempts at throwing it into a couch didn’t manage to dislodge the thing. The charging connector pops on and off easily, although not too easily, and the whole thing is very pocketable.
The MyCharge Freedom 2000 in action
The MyCharge Freedom 2000 never ran out of juice in my tests, and at least to me it appeared to double the battery life. It never allowed the iPhone 5 to be dislodged in any test thrown at it, although I was not going to attempt chucking it onto concrete since I don’t have that kind of money to throw into a test.
The Freedom 2000 does not get in the way of the camera lens, but does add a bit of bulk to the phone. There’s also no real evident screen protection, and the case causes the buttons on the side to not be as out there as they normally are – if you operate by feel, it may get in your way.
The grip on it is OK, but not perfect. It’s a little better than a naked iPhone 5 in my opinion, but your mileage will vary depending on your paws.
The MyCharge Freedom 2000 charges off of a microUSB connection, so if you’re around your Android friends, chances are they’ve got a way for you to charge your case.
Charge times for a dead case are in the two-hour range, as the battery will only pull or push one amp.
Wrap-up
I’m generally a fan of case/battery combos, but with some of MyCharge’s other products available in the same price range, I think I might rather get a different case that protects better and get three times the battery life with a mobile charger for the same price. However, this isn’t really a useful compact option if you’re out on the town, so this is pretty decent for those wanting a one-piece solution.
The MyCharge Freedom 2000 is available for $79.99 at Amazon.
