**REVIEW** Elebase Galaxy S8 Plus Battery Case

WHY did I not know about this before???  (This is going to be one of two reviews this week that start with that sentence.)

As someone who is always moaning about a dead phone battery, I don't see how the idea of a battery charging case got past me. I'm that chick who was in the airport last year, lurking in the corner, trying to charge my phone ten minutes before boarding a flight. I have one of those external batteries that someone in my family gave me a couple of years ago, but what a pain in the butt. I have trouble keeping up with my phone; I don't need another piece of electronics to keep tabs on.

Anyway, now that my rant is over, let me show you this Galaxy S* Plus Battery Case from Elebase:

Since I don't know much about these cases, I had to read a lot of reviews (as usual) and get my brother's input. He is the one who told me about the "mAh" in the product descriptions. Of course, I have forgotten what it meant, so you better check that link! All I know is, this particular case has 5500mAh - which is supposed to be pretty good. ~shrug~

The actual case looks fairly simple and that's because it is. You can charge the case using one of your phones charging cords or the USB port on your PC. Once it's all charged up, you use it like a regular phone case. You simply insert your phone into the case, making sure that the little metal power thing at the bottom slides into your phones charging hub. (Decode that sentence the best you can...) When your phone's battery is running out, you can have the case battery kick in by touching the button on the back.

You will see your phone charging as if it's plugged into the usual power source. You monitor the case's battery power left by watching the little light on the back.

RED = the case battery has 1%-25% power
BLUE = 25 - 50%
GREEN = 50-75%
WHITE = 75-100%

Now, is it just me, or does it seem like that color system is warped? I thought that Blue would indicate the most charged. Whatever.

********By the way, this is where, if you are paying attention, you could win a free battery charging case for an S8 (not a Plus; just a plain S8). Details at the end of this post***********

The Pros to this item are kind of easy to figure out:

1 - Not having to carry an external battery

2 - Charging case doubles as a case

3 - Simple to use

What I want to talk about are the things that irritate me. The Cons:

1- The biggest issue I have is that the case - while very rugged and protective for the back of the phone - leaves the front wide open for damage. There is no raised 'lip' around the edge. The phone's glass front is not very exposed.

Since the case is so heavy, if you do drop the phone, it's going to hit the ground hard. Also, because of that heavy case, those pop-socket holder thingies don't seem to work as well for gripping it. The first day I had the case, I was holding it by the pop-socket - which popped right off. Good thing I had the phone cupped with my other hand.

2 - When charging my phone, the bottom of the case (where it connects to the phone) gets very, very warm. I also noticed that my CPU monitor always indicates over-heating. The first time, the monitor read CPU at 176 degrees. 

3- That color system for the charging power is double-flawed. Not only is it just weirdly designated but it leaves too much guessing room. A 25% gap is huge when it comes to phone power. I saw other cases that monitored by exact LED numbers. 

I guess I like it well enough. I have ordered a screen protector to use with it. Also, I only plan to use this when necessary - while out and about or traveling. 

So, yes, the idea of a charging case is awesome, but there are not a lot of choices for my S8 Plus model. There are tons of S8 choices, which leads me to the giveaway...

I mistakenly ordered this case and didn't realize it wouldn't fit my phone until the day before it was delivered. Amazon was nice enough to save me the hassle of doing a UPS return. They issued a refund and just let me keep the case to do with as I wish. Well, I won't sell it since it was a freebie for me so I am going to send that blessing forward. I will not be liable for anything after I put this in the mail to you. So don't be coming at me with any problems you encounter. The thing comes with a 24-month warranty for which you will have to apply. The instructions for that are in the case.

The case is by PowerBear and here are some photos:

If you have an S8 phone - not a Plus model - you can leave the comment "I want it" on this very blog post. Whoever has the first comment (by time-stamp) wins. I will notify you by whatever Profile is on your comment. We can take care of the mailing address via email. I will send the case via Flat Rate mail.

That's it.

Peace

--Free

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