The original Phonesuit Elite for the iPhone 4/4s was our Editors' Choice for iPhone battery cases, thanks to its relatively low price and excellent battery life. Its successor, the Phonesuit Elite for the iPhone 5/5s, is powerful in its own right. But at $99.99 it's a tough sell against less expensive competitors like the Unu DX Protective Battery Case.

Design

The Phonesuit Elite measures 5.43 by 2.44 by 0.61 (HWD) inches, which makes it shorter than the 5.58-inch Mophie Juice Pack Plus. At 2.78 ounces it weighs less than the 2.9-ounch Unu DX. It has smoothed edges and a rounded bottom panel, giving it a more organic look. The soft-touch exterior and interior is available in black or gray.

To connect your iPhone 5/5s to the Phonesuit Elite, you simply slide it into the case's grooves until it snaps into the Lightning connector port at the bottom. Then you attach the smaller plastic top, which protects the rest of the phone along with the camera. There are cutouts for access to the iPhone's volume buttons and mute switch. A plastic lip running around the edge protects the phone's face. On the bottom of the case is a micro USB cable for pass-through charging and syncing.

On the back toward the bottom is a set of five LED rectangles that indicate remaining power. Next to them is the Power button. You can tap it once to show your power level or hold it to start and stop the charging process.

The Elite's rounded bottom has two cutouts for the speaker, microphone, and headphone jack. While Apple's bundled EarPods fit snugly enough, you'll need a headphone extension cable if you want to use any with a larger connector, and since the Elite doesn't come with one, you'll have to buy your own.

Performance and Conclusion

While the previous Phonesuit Elite more than doubled the life of the iPhone 4s, the new Elite and its 2,100mAh battery powered a completely drained Verizon iPhone 5s for 10 hours and 20 minutes in our talk time test. Compared to the Unu DX and its 7 hours and 53 minutes of talk time, it's a powerhouse.

The Phonesuit Elite won't knock the Unu DX from its spot at Editors' Choice simply because of the price, but it's certainly another solid battery pack. It's cheaper than the Mophie Juice Pack Plus and slimmer than the Tylt Energi Sliding Power Case. That makes it a pretty solid option for charging your iPhone on the go.