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We gave the Prong PWR case for the iPhone 5 a review last June, but the company has revised the product to address some of the concerns raised in that review and updated it for the iPhone 6/6s, so we thought we'd take a look at it again. The Prong PWR Case ($100) is a battery case for the iPhone that provides you with a little over an entire extra charge cycle, ensuring that your iPhone will last all day, almost regardless of what you're doing with it. It has a pleasingly grippy casing and the usual feature set, but has a few distinct differences from your typical iPhone battery case.

The most notable difference, of course, is in the name: the Prong includes a folding plug that can charge both its own battery and the iPhone (if attached) when there's a wall outlet available (it can also be charged via a micro USB cord if you prefer to charge it off a computer, car charger, or other device). Unlike a lot of battery cases, the Prong comes with a separate "bumper" style case for the iPhone, so you can separate away the bulky battery part once the iPhone is charged up and keep the protective bumper-style case on it all the time.

Pros and cons

After testing this for a while, we made some surprising discoveries. The first was that, despite owning a number of other chargers, we really liked the Prong battery case. You'd think that since we already had some of the popular external battery packs from companies like Lumsing and Anker that can charge both iPhones and iPads multiple times over, we'd have no use for this. Surprise! The Prong, which works only with the iPhone, is actually easier to bring around with you, and of course eliminates the need to bring cords.

One thing we liked a lot is that we could, when an outlet was available, either recharge just the case or both the iPhone and the case at the same time. This means that even though the battery in the Prong only holds enough power for a little over one full charge, we got days out of it because we could recharge the case when power was available, refreshing it so it could refresh the iPhone every time we needed it.

The second surprise was that we like the detachable "permanent" case part (which has been substantially redesigned from the iPhone 5 version). We also enjoyed having a case separate of the battery component that provided with a good grip, and protection for the sides, front (well, a lip to protect the screen if the iPhone is dropped and lands face-down) and the back (clear plastic that covers from the bottom to where the top ceramic band is, leaving the camera area uncovered. This is a "bumper case" we like using, though the sleep/wake button on the case needs a bit more effort than the original button.

The battery case has also been redesigned; the previous version had "rails" you carefully threaded the case into, this new one does not. In our view, the new case is a big improvement in every sense, and the iPhone with case just slides into the battery jacket perfectly. Basically, everything about the current PWR case is "smoother" than the previous version, and we think the feel and grip of the case has no peer in terms of design.

With the battery backing on, grip is even less of an issue. The battery pack is coated in a smooth yet grippy polycarbonate material that feel great, but does pick up fingerprints pretty easily. The company said that a damp cloth is all that's needed to clean it (or, and we quote, "wipe it on your pants leg"), and sure enough that did the job.

Our main criticism of the Prong PWR case, actually, is that it adds additional half-inch of "chin" to the iPhone, as well as a larger backside of course. That "chin" means that the case must provide a front-facing speaker so you can hear it at all, and makes it difficult to get headphones to work with it (the company provides an adapter with the case), but only when the battery part is on; the bumper case part has no such issues. We wouldn't mind if there was a bit more battery capacity, of course, but then the weight would really get to be an issue: for all but the power-hungriest, we think the 2,600mAh battery gives users enough power for prolonged use.

For people with big pockets or handbags/messenger bags/backpacks, having the battery backing on will not be a huge deal: yes the iPhone is a bit heavier, but you may not really notice it if you already had pockets full of stuff. We prefer to keep just the bumper case part on most of the time, only using the full battery case when we are trying to quickly recharge, then taking it off again. Your mileage may vary.

I've got the power

There are indicator lights on the inside of the battery sled portion, and on the outside back, that feature four soft lights to let you know how full or empty the charge on it is. You can have the battery on the iPhone and not be using it; press the power button for the Prong on the bottom side of the phone in the case, and it will give you a status report. The "cover buttons" are larger than the actual buttons on the iPhone, resulting in a missed press every now and again, but they are much easier to find in the dark now.

In our testing, it took just over two hours to charge the battery sled from dead empty to full (the case comes pre-charged in the retail package, which is a nice touch). Also nice was the fact that the company logo isn't splashed in neon colors all over it; the logo appears on the inside portion of the case, which it is generally hidden by the iPhone being there. The folding electrical prongs held up to frequent use, and the bumper case (after a quick cleaning with a damp cloth) looks great.

A quick note about the packaging: while not important to the overall usefulness of the product, we wanted to say how useful and attractive the product's packaging is. This is no impossible-to-open plastic vacuum-molded torture exercise: everything about the box reinforces the pride the company obviously has in its flagship product, and the package is both easy to open and shows off everything it includes. Good package design communicates to the user that they have bought a premium-quality product, and this is no exception.

Tis better to charge a single iPhone than to curse the darkness

If you were considering an iPhone battery case, the Prong is a very solid choice. Like all battery packs, your iPhone gets much larger (though also better protected) when you have the battery on it, but unlike most others, you can remove the battery part when you don't need it, and it isn't unduly heavy. We recently stayed in a home where the only electrical plug in the bedroom was far away from the bed: so we put the iPhone in the Prong case on the nightstand, so that it was 100 percent throughout the night, and stuck the battery sled to charge on the inconvenient wall socket while we were out and about. We really like the standalone bumper case, and we like not having to be tied to the availability of outlets so much. Plus, it's one less cable.

That said, the Prong (again, like most others) only provides another 100 percent charge or so, compared to a large external battery that can charge the iPhone several times over, but needs to be carried around in bag when not in use. Whether the Prong is the right unit for you depends on how often you find yourself craving a plug. For some, a larger separate battery pack might be a better idea, but we think the Prong is perfect for those who need a bit more, not a lot more, power in a day than the iPhone itself provides.

It's big advantage also benefits those users: most of us have at least some time near an outlet, and so you can recharge the Prong case (and, if needed, the phone as well) so that you get yet more life out of it along the way. It's generally harder to recharge most other battery cases without carrying around a bunch of cords, and the whole point of the Prong is to avoid needing those cords. If you want lots of power without having to keep track of a separate device and cords, we think the Prong is a good fit.

The Prong PWR battery case is probably ideal for:
Users who are sometimes away from plugs for a while, people who hate to see their iPhones ever drop below 20 percent power, travelers that don't want to bring extra Lightning cords.

Who doesn't need the Prong PWR battery case:
If you never need to worry about the charge on your iPhone, or you always have a cord and a wall outlet nearby, the $100 price tag may seem steep to you.

-- Charles Martin, MacNN Editor