Review: MyCharge Freedom 2000 iPhone Case

If you're going to slap a case on something as slim and refined as your iPhone 5, at least make sure you're getting a good tradeoff for what you're losing in portability and visual elegance.

Charging cases make the compromise worthwhile, especially one with a battery as large as MyCharge's new Freedom 2000. The shock-resistant iPhone 5 case has a built-in 2,000 mAh battery – enough for more than 9 hours of extra talk time and 44 hours of audio playback. The beefy, rugged case does render moot the advantages of the iPhone 5's slimness and lightweight design – the 3-ounce case nearly doubles the weight and bulk of the 4-ounce iPhone – but such a substantial life extension is a big win for serious mobile users.

The pluses of the Freedom 2000 don't end with the power boost it provides. Many of the charging iPhone cases I've tested are a struggle to put on the phone, and even harder to take off. This one slips on snugly with little effort (there is one annoying part, which I get into later). And thankfully, the case is just as easy to remove. Also, it's quite strong. The interior is all high-density foam with rubber sidewalls, and the exterior shell is made of a hard plastic. With my phone inside the Freedom 2000, I dropped it repeatedly from about four feet onto a hardwood floor with no damage and no worries. Protective raised corners further prevent the phone's glass display from cracking or shattering in a fall. Furthermore, the case is actually kind of attractive, as far as these things go.

One major issue I have had with other iPhone charging cases is the phone often has to be tethered to the integrated charging pin to fit in the case properly. MyCharge uses instead an integrated Lightning cable that tucks away neatly into a exterior slot. It only needs to be connected to the phone when charging is actually needed, allowing for more unshackled freedom. (Oh, now I get why they call it the Freedom. Good one.) This also makes syncing much easier, since you never need to remove the case.

The Freedom 2000 also outputs at 5V DC and 1.0A, enabling it to post some truly speedy recharge times for a case. I was able to bring my iPhone battery from 30 percent all the way up to full in less than 40 minutes. I still had about 50 percent reserve power left in the case when the phone recharging was completed.

The Lithium-ion polymer battery is itself charged via an included mini-USB cable. And, thanks to a pass-through charging system, the case can be reloaded at the same time as the phone. A power button on the case back doubles as a battery life indicator with a multi-color LED (green, amber, red).

Although I can sing the praises of the Freedom 2000 case, it has one serious gotcha which ultimately scars its usefulness. Getting the inset rubber-like dummy button to fit over the phone's sleep/wake button is such a tight squeeze, it practically requires a mallet and chisel. Once the phone was inside, I found it nearly impossible to power the phone on or off with one press – and forget ever taking a screen shot again.

Given that the Freedom 2000's main purpose is fulfilled brilliantly, the difficulty of working the speed/wake button may be a sacrifice you can live with, especially since removing the case is fairly easy. But it might be a hot-button issue if you take a lot of screen grabs, or if you use the phone to tell the time and you're constantly tapping that button to turn the screen on.

WIRED Zippy recharging. Relies on a retractable, untethered power cable instead of a hard connector. Shock-resistant protection of the phone body and glass. Easy enough to remove the case. No problems with headphone jacks.

TIRED Adds bulk and three extra ounces to the previously slim and light phone. Hard-to-use button overlay at the top makes working the sleep/wake button. Putting the case onto the phone takes a little practice.