It’s not surprising to hear complaints about the battery life of the iPhone 6, 6S, and Plus variant — especially after Apple recently offered its own “Smart Battery Case” as a solution. There’s a new Indiegogo campaign that wants to knock two birds with one stone by offering an external battery pack and increased storage.
It’s not exactly new technology. Mophie’s Space Pack is a notable example, offering an additional 1,700mAh and 16, 32, and 64GB storage options in the case. But what distinguishes Kuke is that it offers a higher battery capacity in a slimmer case at just 11mm — slimmer than both Mophie’s and even Apple’s options.
The Kuke boasts a stylish polycarbonate design, in black or white options, that’s sleek and hides the Apple logo on the back of the device. A rubber frame covers the sides of the device for extra protection.
But the Kuke doesn’t just shave off a few millimeters from the back, as the bottom of the device also stays close to the phone’s actual Lightning charging port, unlike Mophie and Apple’s cases.
Kuke has a 16 or 64GB option to choose from, and also has a battery capacity of 2,400mAh. That would give you an additional “seven hours more Internet use” on the iPhone 6 and 6S, and five more hours for the iPhone 6 and 6S Plus, according to Kuke’s Indiegogo campaign.
Like Mophie cases, there’s a button with LED lights next to it that you click once to check the remaining power available. Tap and hold it to begin charging, and hold it down longer in order to turn Kuke off. When you plug in a Lightning cable to charge your iPhone, the device will charge first, before the case.
The other feature that more or less requires the Kuke app is extended storage. You can export images, documents, and videos from your iPhone to Kuke to free up space on your device, and vice versa. You can also connect Kuke to a PC or Mac, where you can transfer files at speeds of 14MB per second. Kuke can play media files, so you can play music and video directly from your case without having to take up space on your iPhone.
The Kuke doesn’t exactly offer anything new feature-wise, but its higher battery capacity, and sleeker and less bulky design are what make it more appealing — especially at its low price point. The 16GB will retail for around $80, and the 64GB version will be around $130.
The company’s Indiegogo page has a multitude of discounted price options to choose from as part of the early bird offers, and the device is expected to ship around March of this year.
