You can carry a spare battery pack around with you (check out our recommended best power banks), but that can be cumbersome and entail loose cables, etc, or you could go down the pricey upgrade route and pick up the iPhone 13, boasting even better battery life than the 11 ever did. But, aside from slapping down hundreds on a new iPhone, the best option will be to buy a battery case for your iPhone 11, 11 Pro or 11 Pro Max, which will give you up to another full charge of juice for when you really need it. My iPhone 11 Pro can last a normal day, but if I can’t charge it when I need to, then I stick it in a battery case and can carry on using it while it charges back to full power. A battery case also offers you something else every iPhone needs: protection.
iPhone 11 models are all different sizes
Important! Always check you are buying the correct case for your model of phone. Each member of the iPhone 11 family is a different size, so you need to have the exact case for each phone. The iPhone 11 has a 6.1in screen (measured diagonally), the iPhone 11 Pro is actually a little smaller with a 5.8in screen, and the biggest is the iPhone 11 Pro Max with a 6.5in screen.
What’s available now?
Aside from the expensive Apple Smart Battery Case, you can find an army of Chinese iPhone 11/Pro/Max battery cases online for a fraction of that cost, and we have been testing the best of them. A lot of those with the best online reviews (which we then tested, below) are virtually identical (even the data printed there is the same), but some do stand out with extra functionality. Only the Apple case is officially blessed by Apple (of course) with its MFi (Made for iPhone) certification, but the others still work.
Best battery cases for the iPhone 11, 11 Pro & 11 Max in 2022
Testing methodology
We test for real-world battery capacity. Simply, we wait till the iPhone is down to 20% charge, and then activate the battery case. The Newdery battery case may look fairly generic, but it boasts wireless charging – which we find indispensable. The Pro model we tested is also pretty light at 130g. The prominent wireless-charging symbol on the back is rather unnecessary – although the wireless function itself is very useful, of course. You press the case’s back button for three seconds to start charging the phone. LEDs show you how much charge is left in the case. Newdery claims that the battery capacity offers 120% claimed recharge potential. The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro Max cases have a 5,000mAh battery, the 11 Pro’s battery is 4,800mAh. We tested the 11 Pro battery case. In testing we got just over 100% charge, which is probably all you need before you get to your next charging point – just remember to charge the battery case after using it! The case is reassuringly hard, and the top silicone is flexible so easy to fit in and out. It offers more charge than Apple’s Smart Battery Case, has the same wireless charging, and is a whole lot cheaper – although it’s available in only Black. Apple didn’t release its Apple Smart Battery Case for iPhone 11 at the time of the phone’s launch – probably because it wanted to shout about the new mobile’s longer battery life. Announcing a battery case for it would have looked like admitting poor battery life. The Apple Smart Battery Case looks just like the other Smart Battery Cases (for iPhone 7, XS and XR) with a hump on the back and a cut-out for the cameras. There are separate versions for the 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. It is also just as expensive, at a mighty £129 / $129. What we like about the Apple case – and it’s almost worth the eye-watering price tag – is that it keeps your phone charged automatically, rather than you having to push a button to start charging. It will keep the iPhone at 100% for as long as it can. When it’s finally used up all its charge, the case lets go, and you then have as long as the phone gives you from fully loaded. With its 1,430mAh capacity, it’s not as powerful as the others tested here. Apple claims only 50% extra battery life – a lot less than the non-Apple battery cases we tested (not that any of those lived up to the >100% claims). We tested the Apple case, and we actually got around 60-70% extra charge from the case. Another benefit of going with Apple, is that you can see both the phone and the case’s remaining battery charge by swiping right on the phone to its Notification Centre. It’s Qi-wireless, so you can use a wireless charger just as you would with the iPhone itself. Interestingly, the case features a dedicated button that launches the Camera app (whether the iPhone is locked or not). A press of the button takes a photo, and a longer press captures video. It’s available in either Black or White – with a special Pink Sand colour for the 11 Pro and Pro Max. This is a greater choice (at a cost) than most other battery cases we’ve found for the iPhone 11, although it’s not as many as with the Casely Power 2.0. Apple’s is the best battery case for the iPhone 11 family, and you get a choice of colours – plus, at 114g, it’s the lightest one we tested. Out only real gripe (and it’s a big one) is the price. Ouch. The Casely Power 2.0 looks a lot like the Apple Smart Battery Case but it a lot cheaper and comes in over 40 case designs (many quite flowery). It claims to have a much larger battery capacity (4,800mAh compared to Apple’s 1,430mAh) but didn’t provide 4x the recharge power. While the Apple case gave us about 70% extra, the Casely managed 109% – we charged up an iPhone 11 Pro from 15% back to 100% full power, and then again from 20% to 44%. That’s still impressive. Unlike the Apple case, you need to start the phone charge by pushing the button on the back of the case. It does, unlike the Apple, have LED battery indicators, but the amount of remaining charge doesn’t appear in the iPhone’s Notification Centre, which is a handy feature of the Apple Smart Case. And like the Apple case, the Casely Power 2.0 features wireless charging although it’s tricky to check it’s working as the battery indicators are on the back. That said, the four lights are more helpful than Apple’s one light hidden inside the case. The one-piece Power 2.0 improves on Casely’s original slightly fiddly two-piece battery case, but feels just that little bit less robust at the flexible top than the Apple battery case. It’s also heavier (150g) than the Apple case (114g). But the price and colour options are much more appealing if you can take the extra weight in your pocket. The Snugg battery case for the iPhone 11 family is very similar to the Newdery, although it lacks the Newdery’s wireless charging functionality. We tested the model for the iPhone 11 Pro (weighing 133g), and it gave us around 95% recharge (not the claimed 120%). The models for 11 and 11 Pro Max boast a 5,000mAh battery, and the 11 Pro comes with a 4,800mAh capacity. Like the others, you charge with a standard Lightning cable (not included). It will not charge wirelessly. When the iPhone is up to 100%, we turn off the battery case, and leave some in there until you need to use it again. Then we add the two charge percentages together to see how much charge you’ll get from each case. The Apple case works in a different way, so we just slipped a run-down iPhone into the case to see how much extra it was charged to afterwards. It’s not super scientific but this is how you’ll use the case in real life.
What to look for in a battery case
Capacity
In our experience of phone battery cases, 4,800mAh should be fine. Many claim larger power capacities but rarely deliver more than a full recharge (100%) – and that’s all you really need, until you can plug the iPhone in again and power back up. Apple’s Smart Battery Case actually has just a 1,430mAh capacity, which is weaker than the others tested here, but probably just enough to get you to your next charging opportunity.
Protection
The other point of a battery case is to protect your precious iPhone, so look for a decent bumper around the case to save it from drops and a front bevelled edge that will protect the screen from scratches.
Size
There’s no getting away from it – including an extra battery in a case is going to make that skinny, lightweight iPhone into something a bit fatter and heavier. As the iPhone 11 has improved daily power, we think you can keep the battery case for those times when you will need it most: long-haul travel, time away from a power socket, or, most likely, those emergencies when you’ve forgotten to charge the night before. Or you might be something of a power user and drain that 11’s battery faster than most, in which case, it’ll be used most of the time. Fit: The case should also fit the phone snuggly, but not so inflexible that it’s a pain to put on or pull off. The best ones are a one-piece design where you pull back the soft top and slide the phone in, where it connects with the case’s Lightning connector. Make sure you buy for the right model as the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and Pro Max are all different sizes. We have marked compatibility on the individual reviews above.
Wireless Charging
Many of us are getting used to wireless charging, and having a battery case that charges both via charging cable and wireless charger is a nice option. Of course, wireless charging is a lot slower than charging using a cable, but it’s a convenient option. Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.
