Develop Bugs

Power Bank 2200mAh case

OK,one problem. I cant seem to keep this thing in charge mode for very long. Not sure if mine is defective, or they are all like this.
I just got the Power Bank 2200mAh battery pack/case off ebay. Here is a review of this case:
First impressions are that it is too slippery. I was hoping it was a little more grippy, but it's not.
I like the way the top slides up to allow the phone to be placed in then slid down, ensuring there is no pressure put on the phone port.
Fit and finish are pretty good in my opinion. Phone looks nice in it.
Protection is good on the bottom and sides/corners but almost no protection from falling on the face.
I don't think it is too bulky, since I think the phone is too small anyways!
I put the cover on in the morning and left it on all day at work. Battery temp runs around 85 degrees normally. the highest I saw was 111 degrees. I just dug this widget up that displays battery temp, so I have not measured actual temps of the battery before (without the case) but I can say it gets really hot. I really think that it runs the same temp with or without the case.
I ran the battery down to 10% and turned on the battery. First thing I noticed was that the case would begin charging, but shut off often. I dont know if there was a particular reason for it shutting off like a notification or something, but it is frustrating. Despite that I was able to charge the battery only up to 40% from the case. Part of the problem is that it has a button instead of a switch to actuate the case.
So far I like it for its intended purpose which is extending the operational capability of the phone at work. Is it perfect: no.

I can honestly say that ive been looking forward to your review all day haha! So bottom lie do you feel as if it was worth the purchase? I mean personally my phone last through out the entire day but I guess something that would give it a little boost time to time would be nice.

I think it will fit my needs fine, which are a little extra power without having to plug it in. Honestly I haven't figured out if I am going to keep it on, or just have it at the ready for when I need it.
I keep the phone in my breast pocket at work, so I like to have minimal weight and size for that reason, but I can slip this on when my battery is low. Or if I am not at work, I can just leave it on the whole time and switch over when needed.
So basically I think it was a good purchase, as long as I can figure out why it wont stay charging the battery. Dont understand that. It still has plenty of power, so I dont know why it is kicking off. Part of the problem is that it is button operated and the button might be getting pressed and shutting it off. I think a switch would be better.
Maybe you should keep searching for one with a switch instead of this mechanism.
OH, and the piece that is supposed to be a leg is basically useless...

Added so info to the first post. Basically I cant keep this thing in charge mode for long. Dont know whats going on.

Ill be using mine only when needed for sure but it does the jobb
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

[Reviews] Oppo N3 Review Thread

Oppo N3 Review Thread​
Hey all
This thread is to collect the available reviews for the Oppo N3 into one place. Feel free to post reviews found on the web or when the device becomes available create your own:good: If anybody feels one should be added to the OP, please PM me. I'll kick off with a few i found on the net:highfive:​
Reviews/Previews
http://www.stuff.tv/oppo/oppo-n3/review
Stuff.tv Hands-on/Preview
http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/oppo-n3/
CNET - Hands-on​
Video Reviews/Previews
Android Authority - First Look​

Good And uPDATE
So Nice i See Specification .But Cost Some High

Review Quick and Dirty
Bought it today after comparing it with Mate 7 and here is my quick and dirty review:
Plus
+ very impressed by the motorised camera
use of o click: can control manually in small increments, on screen or through the o click;
+ sound quality and volume;
+ extremely fast camera focusing and shot to shot speed;
+ finger print scanner is good once i've figured out how to use it (and this coming from a person whose corporate finger print scanner cannot read mine...)
+ despite the weight of 192 g, it feels solid instead of heavy
+ without using the VOOC charger, charging speed is snail like; with the VOOC, it is really fast
+ O click pairs quickly and works very well (as compared to the previous version)
+ ps. heard from some reviewers that the camera head is loose but mine feels satisfactory. Some also mentioned about the rattling from the loose volume button, but mine seems fine too. Heng ah.
+ despite the many complaints about the faux leather over the camera/ear piece, after using it, I think i like this choice as it makes long conversation where I place my ear tightly next to the ear piece more comfortable. In short, it looks like a misfit, but it feels good when used.
+ Oh i love the gesture functions esppppppppppppppppp the double tap to wake, 3 fingers to screenshot
Minus
- crazy location of ear phone jack (though, fortunately, I use wireless earphones, so it is irrelevant.)
- coming from Note 4, somehow this screen looks small, although both are 5.5 inches
- mass storage option is gone (previously oppo had it right?)
- auto brightness is too aggressively dim indoors
In all, i think it is an excellent phone. However, at this price point, I don't think it'll move many pieces.
As compared to Mate 7, I think where Mate 7 trumps N3 is its screen to fascia ratio since Mate 7 doesn't have a rotating camera and uses on screen keyboard. However, i found mate 7 to be a tad unwieldy and the speaker to be too 'thin'/too shrill.

Largely agree with the above.
The good:
The phone is overpriced. I pre-ordered from OppoStyle and got a free VOOC battery pack, 32GB SD Card, and an iLike case for it, so the price of £430 actually felt ok, but without those freebies I'd feel a little bit ripped off, and that offer is gone now.
The camera is fabulous, only taken one selfie with it so far which was after a 4 day long course and 140 mile drive home, no makeup and really tired, but still somehow made me look good: http://lum.uk/temp/IMG20150122211859.jpg
The shutter speed on the camera is really fast too, so great for taking cat photos. http://www.imgur.com/p5dwFqR.jpeg
Dual-SIM on a flagship phone is wonderful. Work have me using a Blackberry Curve with a data bar on it and only Blackberry services allowed, so I've never been able to shove my work SIM into an Android and still get email before. Words cannot express how much I hate that Blackberry but I can't even dial on it without either using a pen to poke the keys, or end upbreaking a nail.
Color OS is actually surprisingly nice. This is the first Android I've owned where I haven't felt the need to immediately rip out the entire OS and replace it with Cyanogen or AOKP (My previous androids were an HTC Desire Z and a Motorola Droid 4). I've still had to replace the launcher with Nova Launcher though.
VOOC charging is really clever. I read a bit about how it works, the phone basically has 3 batteries and charges them at 1.5A each, so it's not going to kill the battery too fast. I really don't mind that a standard charge is slow. I charge it overnight at 2.1A from a USB mains socket by my bed, so that'll be 0.7A per battery which is going to make it really nice to the batteries longevity.
Battery life is superb. Even during a day of heavy use, my second day of owning the phone, including much tinkering, gaming and also using a lot of data in the doctor's waiting room, it was only down to 40% by midnight.
The "Skyline" notification light is actually quite good in these days of LEDs that are far too bright, however whenever I see the name I always think of a Nissan, not a fancy LED.
An SD card slot on a high end phone released in 2015!
The downsides:
The dual-SIM layout is slightly odd. It takes a micro SIM as its primary and a nano SIM as the secondary. 4G is only available on the micro SIM, not the nano!. This strikes me as an odd decision as nano SIMs are more likely to be 4G capable, and to be the primary SIM for the phone, with the larger SIM being from a crappy company phone. Fortunately for me my girlfriend is very good with a craft knife and the Blackberry SIM is now a perfectly good nano SIM. I guess some folk would rather use up their works data allowance for everything and then stick in a personal nano SIM for calls.
The position of the power button is annoying. I keep grabbing it and locking my phone when I want to just hold the phone. I wonder if there's a way to make that button unlock only, not lock, as I can lock it by either closing the case or double tapping the home button.
Opening task manager by doing a long press on menu, rather than home, takes a little bit of getting used to.
The Oppo widgets only work on their own launcher. I had to install Google Calendar to get a working calendar widget, which then left me with two calendar entries in the app drawer.
There is still a little bit of bloat to be removed. Google Chrome should not be baked into a ROM as it's 80mb and is almost invariably out of date when the phone ships, plus I use Firefox anyway, also the above mentioned oppo calendar.
There's a hidden app with the name still in Chinese that had me nervous at first as I had no idea what it did. Turns out it's EngineeringMode.apk and is triggered by *#*#4636#*#* and has a few things to tinker with, but use with caution.
No kernel source code available, no fastboot files available. This is especially annoying given that the OTAs failed for me.
Most information about the phone, and about ColorOS is only available in Chinese.
Non-removable battery.
SD card can't be used at the same time as a second SIM. I wonder if careful shaving of both cards could get around this, but unwilling to try it as getting a card stuck in that slider would basically ruin the phone.
The SIM slider can be completely removed and if you lose it you have a £430 tiny overpriced tablet!
All in all I'm quite happy with my purchase. I'm not sure it'll do that well as the phone doesn't know what it wants to be. The dual-SIM thing is great for business people, but the selfie camera is obviously targeted at young women, yet the size is likely too big and they're competing with Samsung who actually have physical shops in the UK. They're also doing zero marketing. For me it is (almost) the perfect phone*, but I'm weird and have multiple often contradictory requirements. I love it but not sure I'd recommend it to anyone else.
* for it to be perfect it would have to have a 5-row QWERTY slider. This is my first non-QWERTY phone and I'm struggling with typing having come from a Droid 4. Guess I need to look for an external keyboard.

so far battery life seems to be as good as my note 4.
very happy with the phone so far but knowing me, soon, i will revert to note 4 cos i like the pen.
the motorised camera is quite amazing.
my main gripe is i wish the finger print scanner were as big as the huawei one.
Comparing with Note 4
Note 4 over N3
- generally faster esp with file copying
- slimmer
- feels better in the hand
- a more sensible headphone jack
- better screen
- better auto brightness
- Spen!!!!
- GPS is better
- more RAM
N3 over Note 4
- faster camera
- more wow factor with the camera module
- much better mono speaker
- better finger print scanner
- colorOS is a more user friendly OS than touchwiz
- can be dual sim (not checked whether it is dual standby though)
- lower price point plus got freebies
- gestures are great!!
- fast charging is quite phenomenal
The placement of the monospeaker is particularly smart. It is at the bottom but more importantly, because of the skylight notification portion, the speaker is not the last part of the phone. This is important because for phones with bottom-mounted speakers, when i play games and hold the bottom, my palm covers the speaker. Additionally, when the phone is placed on the table, with the skylight bulge and the table flanking the speaker, there is a lot of resonance, making the speaker pretty loud!! At the same time, on speaker phone mode, i can cup my palm over the bottom to increase the volume. In all, this is the best implementation of bottom speaker.

what do you mean by "dual standby"? I have two SIMs in there, so I'll test it for you.

i suppose to find out whether both lines can be called through or whether only one can be used (despite there being two sims in the phone).
Lum_UK said:
what do you mean by "dual standby"? I have two SIMs in there, so I'll test it for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

both sims work at the same time
inertiaholic said:
i suppose to find out whether both lines can be called through or whether only one can be used (despite there being two sims in the phone).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can receive calls or texts on both sims at the same time....the sim settings are also great...you can set it to default reply so that if someone texts or calls you on sim1 the phone will default reply on sim1....also when you go to make a call or send a text there is an option for both sims you just press the one your using

Review by Music.Photo.Life.
I'm happy to share my review of the OPPO N3 here.
http://musicphotolife.blogspot.sg/2015/04/oppo-n3-swivel-camera-smartphone-review.html
Thanks for reading!

[Review] Elecom Bluetooth Receiver/Amplifier - Bluetooth Streaming on Steroids

This is a quick review of the Elecom LBT-PHP500AV Bluetooth receiver (RF Amplifier, 200mW output). [hands-on pics below in attach and in the box folder]
First of all, wireless streaming is a must for me since I'm using the Sony Xperia Z which has the headphone jack covered with a cap (if the caps become damaged by repeated usage - waterproof phone no more) so I had 3 bluetooth receivers so far, and all of them were a huge dissapointment. I had to use an portable amplifier with the bluetooth receiver which only made things cluttered and complicated, rendering hands-free usage almost impossible.​In my experience with wireless music the top issues are:
Battery limitation (5-6 hours) which isn't enough, not even for half the day;
Low output volume (even if I'm using headphones with high dB sensitivity);
Poor transmission range (which sometimes was a problem eg. gym);
Decent to low sound quality (high quality sound over Bluetooth usually requires spending some serious bucks).
So, after a long search I found, what seems to be the perfect fit between performance and price tag and that is the ELECOM LBT-PHP500AV. I already made a (crappy) review on YouTube and a follow-up, which can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7IaXYDUbOI
The Elecom Bluetooth receiver can be order as stand-alone receiver (about 40$) or with headphones at 50-60$ (which are pretty good - they're about 30$) on eBay(http://www.ebay.com/itm/Elecom-Blue...9&pid=100005&rk=2&rkt=6&sd=261859052253&rt=nc).
Product Specs can be found here: http://www.elecom.co.jp.e.gj.hp.transer.com/news/201404/lbt-par500av/index.html and Headphones specs here: http://www2.elecom.co.jp.e.gj.hp.transer.com/avd/headphone/ehp-c3560/​
When I first saw it, I felt a cosmic attraction not because of how it looks, but because of what it does, which is: almost 4 times the battery life you're getting in a bluetooth headset, high quality audio codecs, transmission range and of course the retro look. Everything seems too good to be true, but now, it became my daily driver and for 50 dollars, it is too good. ​
Without taking this love story any further, I'm going to switch to pros and cons of the elecom bt receiver.
PROS:
Huge battery (they advertise 18 hours of playback) - I've been using it for 3 days without the need to charge it - something that never happened to me. Battery size is 365mAh in contrast to the usual 80-100mAh. This thing lasts more than the phone.
[UPDATE] After using it for 3 days I wanted to fully discharge it... easier said than done - It played for 8 hours continuously on max volume and it didn't even get into low battery mode, and since it was 3am I had to go sleep and just charge it. Long story short, battery should last for about 4 days of everyday usage.
It's fairly loud - I'm no longer using the external amplifier. Cranking the volume on this thing to the max is a bit too loud. Using it with the laptop grants me almost twice the volume i get on my android.
Very nice build, and finishing touches - volume rocker is made of metal which feels really nice. The body is plastic but it feels high quality and resistant to shocks.
Excellent clip functionality - it is plastic but looks and feels pretty solid. The clip has small hooks and on the body side there is rubber that will ensure a firm grip on the fabric (as seen in the video).
Impressive sound quality - no stuttering. Also NFC connect for convenience;
It also works while charging without interruption of any kind while it's plugged or unplugged from power;
Bundle Headphones are pretty pretty good (very unexpected) - Very deep bass with crisp notes ( FQ response of 5Hz - 24 kHz with 99dB sensitivity).
Transmit range - better than my previous receivers it goes 10 extra meters (total of ~20m) before it starts dropping frames.***
CONS:
Headphones wire is way too short.... It doesn't even reach the belt level - this is due to the idea of wearing the receiver around the neck - but it's a bit too big to be clipped near the neck. I guess the cable length won't be an issue (i'm used to really long headphone cables).
No HD-Call support - for me it's not really an issue since i can safely use it as a hands-free (the microphone might pick up too much background noise while in a loud or crowded area).
No battery meter (at least not on android) - which is kinda important - you might not have to charge it 2-3 days but you'll want to know exactly how much battery you have left before leaving the house.
*** The theoretical transmit range of 100m depends on a lot of factors. It does perform better than normal bluetooth headsets but in everyday usage (in enclosed spaces) you probably won't get more than 20 meters of range. Again, it depends on the device you're transmitting from (i use my android phone) and power it reserves for bluetooth operations and the obstructions between transmitter and receiver. It's not really a down point. It's more of a notice.
I've got it from ebay at "trickstar_inc_nippon". I had a great experience with the seller - item was shipped the next day and it got from Japan to Europe in only 3 days. For someone like me who is choosy when it comes to music players, this is a great and powerful headset, on an affordable price. This is an impressive device for it's price and I can safely say it's going to be my daily driver without having to carry the external amplifier or the battery with me.​
I hope the review was helpful (if it was hit Thanks!). Here is a box.com folder with more hands-on pics https://app.box.com/s/oo8ani1ipp97lvnwxr0va17lykx47vre For any questions you can PM me.
Cheers!

@Sebi673 great review on the device. I got one a couple of months ago. Its the same model but did not come with the headphones.
I got this for the battery life.
The big cons for me are
1- I can use my own headphones
2-Battery lasts super super long... I charge it once every couple of weeks.
3- Love the turn off and on button.
The only downsides
- size is little too big than other similar ones.
- Volume control button is little tricky.

How does it last? i read many has problem with dead battery/unit? is it that bad?
Has anyone ever try to replace the battery?

macabong said:
How does it last? i read many has problem with dead battery/unit? is it that bad?
Has anyone ever try to replace the battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am still using it daily. And it's over an year old. Battery still holds as it did in the first day. I charge it once every 3-4 days.
Sent from my Xperia X using XDA Labs

Anyone know of good alternatives? I've only been able to find these for ~$120 on ebay and other sites now for the same model. Elecom has some cheaper ones which seem significantly less powered (40 mW vs 200 mw)
Apparently it's on amazon which reflects the price history:
https://camelcamelcamel.com/Bluetooth-receiver-amplifier-class1-black/product/B00JUGSUQG

ALCLAP Slim 5000mAh External Battery Charger Case

Hi guys,
Has anyone given this a shot? I am desperate for battery lately, and was contemplating on getting some extended without a bump. I came across this today!
http://a.co/cswoKD0
Any thoughts?

HiddenKnight said:
Hi guys,
Has anyone given this a shot? I am desperate for battery lately, and was contemplating on getting some extended without a bump. I came across this today!
http://a.co/cswoKD0
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are quite a few cases like the one you mentioned and it has definitely peaked my interest as well. I know some people who own the morphie battery cases and they seem to work well. Try it out and let us know! Hahaa
---------- Post added at 12:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:42 AM ----------
Lgv20user said:
There are quite a few cases like the one you mentioned and it has definitely peaked my interest as well. I know some people who own the morphie battery cases and they seem to work well. Try it out and let us know! Hahaa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the difference between this and the 6600mah batteries with rubber case? Both seem to have decent cases.

I don't like that awkward battery shapes, not the bumps of the replacement doors. I'd rather have the case to simplify it.

HiddenKnight said:
Hi guys,
Has anyone given this a shot? I am desperate for battery lately, and was contemplating on getting some extended without a bump. I came across this today!
http://a.co/cswoKD0
Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got mine yesterday. The case it pretty nice, and I like it, but the thickness bothers me personally. It isn't too bad, but I like a slim phone, so I'm using this case as a portable charger.
Here are some details:
PROS
Convenient
Can use phone freely while charging
LED on back that tells case's approximate charge level
VERY easy to take off or put on
Case is very solid. I haven't attempted to drop my phone, but the case will definitely do some protection.
Redirects the speaker to a front facing one with little loss in quality.
NFC still works, unlike many of the larger batteries with custom back plates. I tested NFC with the case on and it worked perfectly fine.
CONS
Just about doubles the weight and thickness of the phone
Case must be turned on to start charging
Once phone reaches 100% charge, the case turns off. Once it does, it seems that you can power it back on again and keep the phone at 100% for a few hours. It's just a tad bit annoying that you need to do this.
Same thing as above, except when unplugging the phone+case from a power source. You need to then power on the case.
Overall, OP, I suggest you getting one if you need the battery and can live with double weight and thickness.

spexwood said:
I just got mine yesterday. The case it pretty nice, and I like it, but the thickness bothers me personally. It isn't too bad, but I like a slim phone, so I'm using this case as a portable charger.
Here are some details:
PROS
Convenient
Can use phone freely while charging
LED on back that tells case's approximate charge level
VERY easy to take off or put on
Case is very solid. I haven't attempted to drop my phone, but the case will definitely do some protection.
Redirects the speaker to a front facing one with little loss in quality.
NFC still works, unlike many of the larger batteries with custom back plates. I tested NFC with the case on and it worked perfectly fine.
CONS
Just about doubles the weight and thickness of the phone
Case must be turned on to start charging
Once phone reaches 100% charge, the case turns off. Once it does, it seems that you can power it back on again and keep the phone at 100% for a few hours. It's just a tad bit annoying that you need to do this.
Same thing as above, except when unplugging the phone+case from a power source. You need to then power on the case.
Overall, OP, I suggest you getting one if you need the battery and can live with double weight and thickness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I genuinely appreciate you're feedback.
This seems like a well balanced unit. What is the standard charge time of the case itself?
I know the case doesn't allow data+power but just power. Does it have a passthru to charge the phone even if the case is on the phone itself?
You mention doubling the size, would this be with a case on it? Something like a normal tpu case then doubled? Or really just two phones?
The case is able to charge your phone how many tines?

HiddenKnight said:
I genuinely appreciate you're feedback.
This seems like a well balanced unit. What is the standard charge time of the case itself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cant give an exact time frame, but it's just slightly longer than charging the phone from 0-100%. The case also supports fast charge (according to the manufacturer on the Amazon page).
I know the case doesn't allow data+power but just power. Does it have a passthru to charge the phone even if the case is on the phone itself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Youre right in that the port only supports power. No pass through to charge just the phone and not the case. However, if you plug the phone+case in, the phone charges too, but I think it's technically charging from the case as the case charges from power.
You mention doubling the size, would this be with a case on it? Something like a normal tpu case then doubled? Or really just two phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two phones. MAYBE two phones if one of them had a slim TPU case on and the other didn't.
The case is able to charge your phone how many tines?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure about exact number of times as I don't use this case daily. I only use it as needed instead of swapping batteries or plugging in to a portable battery charger. The case is 5000mAh though, so it should charge the phone 1.5x (roughly). So with the case on and phone and case at 100% charge, you should have 250% battery (roughly again).
Sorry for some of the vague answers. Again, I don't use this case as a daily driver because I don't care for the thickness. I only use it if I'm going on a trip or the phone is being used a lot more than usual.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

spexwood said:
HiddenKnight said:
I genuinely appreciate you're feedback.
I cant give an exact time frame, but it's just slightly longer than charging the phone from 0-100%. The case also supports fast charge (according to the manufacturer on the Amazon page).
Youre right in that the port only supports power. No pass through to charge just the phone and not the case. However, if you plug the phone+case in, the phone charges too, but I think it's technically charging from the case as the case charges from power.
Two phones. MAYBE two phones if one of them had a slim TPU case on and the other didn't.
Not sure about exact number of times as I don't use this case daily. I only use it as needed instead of swapping batteries or plugging in to a portable battery charger. The case is 5000mAh though, so it should charge the phone 1.5x (roughly). So with the case on and phone and case at 100% charge, you should have 250% battery (roughly again).
Sorry for some of the vague answers. Again, I don't use this case as a daily driver because I don't care for the thickness. I only use it if I'm going on a trip or the phone is being used a lot more than usual.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All information, is good information. So I'm very content with this answer.
I really appreciate you time and the responses you had to write back with. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[REVIEW] ZeroLemon Pixel 3 4700mAh Battery Case

First, some context since I find that product reviews, especially mobile products generally miss the mark on framing the thoughts they're about to lay out for you.
I spend an unhealthy amount of time on my phone, not gaming, or YouTube so much but the actual phone. My job requires that I take calls that can last well over an hour, a few times a day. Additionally I travel for work, so this means I regularly start my day at 5:00 and end after 1:00. These days are especially brutal on power consumption. Emails, phone calls, podcasts, web -- I'll be down to 50% before my first flight takes off at 8AM.
A normal day in the office, I bump charge my Pixel 3 generally twice, when I travel, I'm always nervous that I won't have an outlet and/or a window of time to top up.
Naturally I travel with a few chargers and at least one battery pack (generally two). This has gotten me by, but it is undoubtedly a compromise.
The notion of a battery case that I can throw in my bag and slip on as a safety net when I'm heading out of the office, or my hotel for dinner/drinks is immensely appealing.
Enter the Zero Lemon Pixel 3 Battery Charging Case
The first thing you'll notice when you look at this case is the odd reflective matrix pattern on the back. Put bluntly, I hate it. I've spoken to their team and understand they may address it/offer an option -- and I hope they do. A flat, matte black would be such an improvement. I don't want to draw attention to my phone case. It is a utility, not a statement. Sure, this is personal preference but its a strong preference.
Moving on, the case is a single piece, made of flexible TPU material and it feels nice in the hand. Despite the obvious bulk it adds, it remains pocketable. It is thinner, lighter, and much less rigid than other battery cases I've used, all of which were two-piece.
The male USB-C port inside slips into the phone easily, and the flexible material pulls over the top of the phone without much force. Worth noting that the power and volume buttons remain clicky and easy to use.
All of that out of the way, lets talk about performance.
In short, it does exactly what I need it to do. A press of the button on the back lights up the charge indicator LEDs and starts to push power to the phone. The Pixel reports a rapid charge, though I find that to be inaccurate. With the phone down to 1% charging to 97% (which was the best I have gotten from the case) takes roughly 2.5 hours, assuming normal use continues over that period of time.
In other words, when you charge your phone you may plug it in and leave it -- the idea here is that I don't have to be without the phone while I wait for it to charge. I'm sure it would refill faster if I were to put the thing down... but that isn't the point.
The case allows power pass-through, so if you leave it on and connect a charger, it will charge both the case and phone. I will say that I woke up once with the case on, connected to a charger over night with the case battery full but my phone at 83% -- it remains unclear what happened there.
Sadly the case does not allow data transfer, but this is only a seldom and minor inconvenience.
Who should buy this? Anyone who finds themselves worried about finding the opportunity to charge your phone and would like a convenient way to refill without having to leave the phone tethered to the wall, or have a loose battery and cable hanging from, or awkwardly crammed into your pocket.
I suspect that women who carry a bag with them may have an easier time with portable battery packs and the cable required to use them but when pockets are all you have to work with, Zerolemon's solution is for you.
I will note that they supplied me with a unit to test, but at forty bucks or less, the peace of mind this thing offers is more than worth it.
In conclusion, this case will be an essential part of my travel bag... until they make one with a more professional design that is. ;]
I'll be taking it to Barcelona in a couple months for Mobile World Congress, a week that is absolute HELL on phone batteries. I plan to follow up afterward with how it impacts my experience there.
Grab it on Amazon here.