Any Given Sunday Ost' title='Any Given Sunday Ost' />Battery Packs vs. Battery Cases. No matter how you slice it, keeping some extra battery power on your person can do wonders to affect how you move through the world. If youd like to take some concentrated electricity around for emergencies, youve got two options The Contenders. Battery case No doubt youve seen a battery case before. Cd Key Do Worms 4 Mayhem more. Its essentially a smartphone case with a built in battery and connector designed to stay on your phone 2. Many charge via Micro USB port and have visual indicators that let you know how much battery power is left inside. SoKB96b3Vfo/0.jpg' alt='Any Given Sunday Ost' title='Any Given Sunday Ost' />External battery pack Battery packs are external batteries that can charge more than your smartphone. Equipped with one or more USB ports, you can charge any mobile device as long as youve got the proper cable. External battery packs tend to carry more juice than their battery case counterparts, and are great for charging not only your phone but whatever wireless headphones or other small electronics youre toting. Both charge your devices, and both require charging themselves. But where one trades functionality for convenience, the other ditches the one size fits all approach in favor of a bespoke battery for your smartphone. External Battery Packs Functional, Friendly, and Multi Faceted. Editors note With the nowrenamed BlackBerry back in the news for all the wrong reasons, from large layoffs to an investment deal that has a new CEO. The dim glow of an ecigarette activating has become the butt of quite a few jokes about the concept of cool. While theyre not hip, the tech behind them is. I carry around a battery pack with really short cables simply because I carry more than my smartphone. My Bluetooth headphones and my digital camera are always in my bag, but arent always removed when the batteries die. Thats where the external battery pack comes into play. A near infinite variety exist, from packs that will fit in your wallet to huge blocks that can charge your devices multiple times over before needing to see an outlet. Mine fits in the palm of my hand and can charge my phone at least twice. Battery packs usually charge via Micro USB cable, and feature one to two USB A ports. Depending on your needs, you should choose a battery pack with a proper amperage rating for charging larger electronics. Amp battery packs are great for charging i. Pads and tablets, and for charging smartphones more quickly than a slower 1 Amp charger. External battery packs can also turn you into a savior if youre around friends with dead phones. Ive charged devices for friends and family in less than ideal situations simply because I had my battery pack in my backpack. The functionality of an external battery pack comes at a cost. In short, you have to remember to charge it and bring the right cables. Unlike a battery case for your phone, which you most likely charge every evening next to your bed, an external battery pack just sits in your bag, patiently waiting for you to remember it exists. Usually that happens when its on its last legs, right before it becomes a hunk of useless lithium ion cells. Theres no worse feeling than pulling out your battery pack during a desperate situation only to find it dead as a doornail. Battery Cases Function Over Form. To ensure you have power no matter what you put in your bag, you should look into battery cases. Battery cases are more likely to stay charged because you need to plug in your battery case to charge your phone. When you plug it in every night, both your battery case and smartphone will charge and leave you with two fully charged devices. That convenience alone is worth considering buying a case over an external battery pack. It used to be that when I went out late in the city, Id play a rousing game of How long can IRead more Read. There is a downside since its always attached to your phone, youll be carrying a significantly larger device. Battery cases arent the sleekest accessories around. Even Apples own battery case for its i. Phones looks weird, and adds a rectangular, uneven hump to your i. Phones rear. The bigger the case, the harder it is to get in and out of pockets. Human Repeat Insult Patch Test Wiki'>Human Repeat Insult Patch Test Wiki. When I experimented for a few months with a battery case I found myself occasionally pulling the case itself off my device because of my small pockets. Companies like Mophie are trying to split the difference with smartphone cases that can charge wirelessly when magnetically attached to external battery packs. But that means youll still need to carry an external battery. The Verdict Travel Light, Carry a Battery Case. So what should you carry around It depends on how many devices you have. If youre just carrying your phone around and want to be able to check your social feeds and communicate with friends no matter how long youre out, you should consider a battery case. Not only will it double your smartphones run time, itll protect your device from falls in case you drop it. Honestly, I think I might start carrying one of these again. If you carry multiple devices, like a phone, camera, and pair of wireless headphones, an external battery pack might be more functional. Youll have to carry some cables around but if youre already putting your electronics in your backpack or purse, why not throw in the battery pack, just in case. Youll only have to remember to charge it.