Incase Snap Battery Case

Incase is a minimalist product, and that's a good thing for those who value style and, more importantly, a slender profile on the iPhone 4S. It was the most slender and light of all of the cases we tested. But that comes with a few downsides.

Note that Incase says the Snap is certified only for the iPhone 4 by Apple's Made for iPhone program, not the 4S, although there appears to be no real difference.

The case only provides minor protection for the phone, leaving the sides exposed and providing almost zero protection of the iPhone glass if you drop it (thankfully we didn't). There is a single recessed battery indicator switch that doubles as a power switch. Finally, it doesn't provide the battery life that other cases do—just a few additional hours, which might be enough to make it through the day.

This case was also the only one with the standard Apple 30-pin connection for charging and connecting to a computer. You may view that as either a good or bad thing. If you have a peripheral equipment that uses a 30-pin connector, the Incase may be appealing, and there is a much equipment that does. But don't assume that the phone in the case will fit in the peripheral dock. Oddly, while it fit in an iHome dock, it would not work in it.

Late in the editing process this product disappeared from the vendor's web site. Incase says that they are out of inventory, but that retailers (like this one) still have some. The fire sale price indicates that this model is not long for the world.

Name: Incase Snap Battery Case

The Incase Snap is lightweight and perhaps good looking, but it provides minimal protection and battery life.

Price: $59.95
Capacity: 900 mAh
Pros:

• Light weight, slim
• Uses Apple 30-pin connector, not micro USB

Cons:

• Weakest battery we tested
• Provides minimal physical protection for phone
• Uses Apple 30-pin connector, not micro USB

Click here to return to our main review of iPhone 4/4S battery cases