African startup Xogg takes a crack at an iPhone case with the multitalented iCaze

Some iPhone cases, like Sandisk’s iXpand Memory Case, give Apple’s handset extra storage while charging it at the same time. Even though Xogg’s iCaze certainly keeps up with the iXpand, it does so while including some peculiar features.

As far as regular features are concerned, the iCaze includes a 2,400mAh battery that promises to add an extra 12 hours of talk time, 10 hours of video, 10 hours of music and game playing, and eight hours of Internet browsing. These numbers are somewhat arbitrary, seeing how people use their iPhones for multiple tasks, but the battery is sizable enough to charge your iPhone from dead to full. You can check the battery status by glancing at the built-in LED indicator.

Furthermore, unlike the iXpand that comes with non-expandable storage, the iCaze includes a MicroSD card slot that supports up to 128GB cards. This is particularly a boon for those with 16GB iPhones that are either reaching their storage limits or have already met them.

Things start to get interesting, however, with how you charge the iCaze — either by wireless charging using Qi or using the Micro USB and Lightning ports found on the sides, an odd combination of ports normally not seen together in the same product. Furthermore, you can customize the iCaze either by choosing a premade iCaze skin or uploading an image of your choosing. You can then slide the skin in the back, giving the iCaze a bit of personality.

The features do not stop there, as the case includes NFC, which lets it talk to NFC tags and credit cards. The iCaze also includes Bluetooth connectivity, which can be used to send files to the case and talk to your iPhone in conjunction with the iCaze app. Finally, seeing how the iCaze is first and foremost a case, it protects your iPhone from shock damage when dropped.

It will be interesting to see if African startup Xogg can deliver the goods, particularly when it promises to deliver all of the aforementioned features in a thin, 13mm profile. This makes the iCaze thinner than Apple’s and Mophie’s iPhone charging solutions. If you are willing to take the risk, however, Xogg launched the iCaze’s Indiegogo campaign, with early adopters able to get the case for $100.

For the time being, the iCaze is limited to the iPhone 6 and 6S, though Xogg said it will consider designing a version for the iPhone 6 Plus and 6S Plus if there is enough interest. Either way, for every iCaze that is sold, Xogg will donate $1 to One Tree Planted, a nonprofit that plants a tree for every dollar donated.

If everything goes according to plan and the case gets funded, Xogg will have it shipped to backers sometime in November.