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Trianium Atomic S Battery Case for iPhone 6/6S review: The best iPhone battery case for your money

The Atomic S is an affordable, low-maintenance battery-charging case that hits the sweet spot.

Lynn La Senior Editor / Reviews - Phones
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Lynn La
2 min read

With its built-in 3,100mAh battery and hard, matte exterior, Trianium's Atomic S Battery Case conveniently charges your iPhone 6 (or 6S) and shields it from everyday bumps and drops. Retailing for $79.95 (or about £60 and AU$105 converted), it falls right in the center of the price spectrum -- between Mophie's $120 Juice Pack Plus (or £110 and AU$170 converted) and Anker's $40 Ultra Slim Battery Case (or £30 and AU$55 converted).

8.3

Trianium Atomic S Battery Case for iPhone 6/6S

The Good

The inexpensive Trianium Atomic S Battery Case has a simple, unfussy design and charges your iPhone in a relatively short time.

The Bad

The large opening in the back of the case is no deal breaker, but it does look jarring.

The Bottom Line

Affordable and well designed, the Trianium Atomic S Battery Case is the top iPhone battery case for its price range.

However, though its price is middle-of-the-pack, its performance isn't. For instance, it took about 2 hours on average for the case to fully charge the iPhone. This is about the time you'd expect for a full charge. Mophie's Juice Pack Plus clocked in about 2 hours too, while the Incipio Offgrid Express (another $80 battery case) took notably longer at 2 hours and 35 minutes.

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In addition, when you charge the phone, the case's indicator lights located on the back eventually blink off while charging (you can still tell it's juicing your phone though by the lightning bolt battery indicator on the handset's display). This is better-designed than Anker's case, which has lights that stay on the whole time while charging, which can be a nuisance in a dim room.

The accessory comes in two parts: the main battery exterior and a bumper that covers the edges of the handset and snaps into the case. Compared with Incipio's case, which had the same design structure, I had an easier time snapping on and securing this one.

There is one odd note, though. Trianium left a gaping oval opening that reveals the iPhone's back and accentuates just how thick the case is. It's meant to give the camera some breathing room, but the look is jarring. It isn't a deal breaker at all, but it definitely looks a little funky and I'm not particularly fond of it.

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Enlarge Image
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Though many won't mind the large opening, it just rubs me the wrong way.

Josh Miller/CNET

The Atomic S charges through a Micro-USB port. Because the iPhone uses an eight-pin Lightning Port connector, you may have to carry two cords around -- it's annoying, but pretty standard as far as these charging cases go. However, if you keep your iPhone in the case and plug the case into an outlet, you can juice up both devices that way. (Another choice would be Apple's Smart Battery Case, which uses Apple's proprietary eight-pin port, too.) You'll also get a headphone extender since the thickness of the case prevents some headphones from reaching the handset's headphone jack (another typical add-on).

With its beefy battery capacity, clean design and competitive price tag, Trianium's Atomic S Battery Case stands out from most of the other cases I've seen. It's a lot cheaper than Mophie's case (though it has a smaller battery) and better looking than Incipio's Offgrid Express; and its indicator lights don't work as annoyingly as those of Anker's Ultra-Slim Battery Case. So you want a battery case for your iPhone at a reasonable price and aren't looking for any special features, this one should be your pick.

8.3

Trianium Atomic S Battery Case for iPhone 6/6S

Score Breakdown

Design 8Features 8Performance 9