Provides: iDevice external battery, stand and dock
Developer: Dexim
Price: $54.90
Availability: Now
In a sea of boxy, single purpose batteries, one company dares to think different. Dexim has put some real thought into what an iDevice battery can and perhaps should do for you. Their P-Flip battery’s feature list only starts with providing extra juice for your iPhone.
This battery is different from your standard hunk of electrically charged chemicals. Sure, if comes in a bunch of colors, but more importantly, instead of just being a nondescript box of energy, Dexim has quite obviously designed it with the iPhone in mind. It has a dock connector with some molded plastic that hugs the the bottom of your iPhone. Below this is a hinge that provides for a number of features. If there’s no iPhone using the battery, you can fold the battery onto itself for more compact storage. If an iPhone is connected, you can flip it back and use it as a stand. This will position your iPhone optimally for viewing on a table top in portrait mode (though landscape might be more useful). You can tip it on its side, and it works, but then your iPhone is resting on its own corner. Uh oh! Alternatively, you can bend the hinge just a touch and pretend you’re from an alternate universe where Apple came out with an iPhone in the 90s called the iPhone flip…
The back of the battery has three LEDs to display the charge level of the 2,000mAh battery. You can display the current charge level by hitting the button close by. Unfortunately, there isn’t an off switch anywhere. It’s unlikely you’d have your iPhone connected to this and not want to use the external battery, but I’m told the iPhone uses more power when connected to a power source, so it wouldn’t hurt to have an extra switch. Still, you can always disconnect your iPhone from the battery. K, I’m done being picky.
What I really like about this battery is that it’s more than just a battery. In addition to already being a stand, you can also use the battery’s recharging USB port to sync your iPhone. That’s right, the USB connection is used for more than just power. How come no one else does this? I don’t know, but I hope it catches on, as I really like how you can use the P-Flip to sync, charge and view your iPhone in style. It really is more useful than just a battery, which is what batteries need to be these days since you have hundreds of choices, it seems. Heck, the only thing this battery is missing is a laser pointer.
I’m just kidding, I don’t want that…unless it’s a green laser pointer, then it’s awesome, not tacky.
The Dexim P-Flip is among the best choices among iPhone batteries available now. The guys at Dexim are great and they really have a great product here. While nearly all other batteries on the market are just that—batteries—Dexim has put some useful thought into this product. The Dexim P-Flip is more than just a battery; it’s that, a stand and a syncing cradle. What else do you want?
I use a Mophie battery and I love it. While it doesn't function as a stand, it does function as a case and protect my phone. It does have an on/off switch AND you can update your phone via the usb charging cord by plugging your iPhone into your computer while the battery is attached. I'm sure that battery/stand above is great – but the best???? I think there's lots of bests. I'm not at all involved with Mophie – except as a customer – but I just wanted you and your readers to know there are lots of options.
Yeah, that's why I wrote among the best. Each person will have different reasons for liking or not liking a battery, so there really can't be a single winner. The thing that bothered me about the Mophie Air (which may or may not be the specific Mophie battery case you're using) is that it's a full case so I can't use most accessories with it, and it's very difficult to remove. The case adds to the bulk of the device considerably, where as this sticks out of your pocket a bit. Neither of them are perfect, but both are very nice for different reasons.