Extended Battery & Case for Thunderbolt-Review

Today, I received my 3200mAh extended battery and the Seidio protective case to cover it. Previously I had the stock battery and the otterbox case (LOVE OTTERBOX). Unfortunately, Seidio is the only brand that I found that makes a case to accommodate the extended battery...which is apparently a must for this phone.

Maybe it's because I use WiFi at home but the battery is dead in 2-3 hours of use and drains almost completely while it sits, untouched on my bedside table overnight. That is not acceptable so I decided to spend the money and get the battery. I will not do without a protective case so the Seidio seemed like my best bet.

Here is my initial review: (+) = positive; (-) = negative; (N/A) = no preference

BATTERY:
This sucker is huge and heavy compared to the stock version and does make your phone look like it's got a tumor, as someone else mentioned in a forum. We'll see how much it improves the life of the phone in a week or 2. The phone is definitely heavier than normal but that is ok for me...I never did like those tiny little phones that you could lose easily.

CASE:
This case is similar to the otterbox defender series with a few exceptions. Seidio case has 3 parts: backer, rubber case, plastic skeleton...not including the holster. Here are some other findings.

* This case does not include a cover for the screen so it's a good idea to make sure you have a screen protector on the phone before putting the case on. The cover I bought actually came with screen protectors but I already had one on since the day I bought the phone. (N/A)

* The rubber "plug" that covers the camera is annoying. Great to protect it if you don't use the camera much but you have to unhook it and then push it into the plug holder before taking a picture if you don't want the cover to be in the way. I actually cut mine off (snip) because I use the camera alot and don't want to mess with it. (N/A)

* The rubber part of the cover seems a lot more slick than the otterbox so I'm hoping that doesn't mean I'll be more apt to drop it. (N/A)

* The Seidio has a separate kick stand that is smaller than the original on the phone and a much more flimsy plastic. The phone kick stand is far superior but I barely use it anyway so that's not a huge deal.  (-)

* The plastic cover actually completely covers the speaker on the back but it doesn't appear to have much impact on the overall sound quality. (N/A)

* The Seidio holster is created to allow better removal than the otterbox, which often caused me to miss calls because the phone was so tightly held by the clip. Hopefully, this doesn't mean the phone is prone to falling out of the holster without provocation. (+)

* The button on the top of the case that you have to use to "wake up" the phone before you can unlock the screen is much better on the Seidio case. It's not as thick and doesn't require that you press down directly in order to make contact with the button on the phone. (+)

I know I'm supposed to leave it plugged in for at least 8 hours on the first charge but it's been plugged in for about 15 minutes and says it's already at 90% charge. That is a good sign, I hope! After I've had it for a few weeks I'll be able to give more feedback on the battery life itself. The design of the case isn't that much different than the otterbox so I don't think my opinion of that will change much. I will let you know if I end up dropping the slippery thing too much! :)

(Photos from www.amazon.com)