Trident Electra battery case for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Review

Remember the USS Vengeance from Star Trek: Into Darkness. Sort of looked like the starship Enterprise but way bigger and more badass? That's the Trident Electra for the Samsung Galaxy S4. First off, this case is huge. There's no getting around that one. This is a big sucker. Bigger than an Otterbox if that helps you visualize it. Now that we've gotten that out of the way though, that size contains some interesting features that may make it very worthwhile to some folks.

As the name Electra suggests, this case contains a second 2600mh battery. Like a Mophie Juicepack, you push a switch on the back when your phone's battery is getting low and, presto-it starts to recharge things immediately. The battery/case combo both charge through a standard droid usb port on the bottom of the case. According to the instructions, the case is designed to charge the phone's battery first and then power up the case's battery. From a practical standpoint, a user should see double the normal battery life. Not bad at all.

The other feature that sets this case apart is protection. Trident was really serious about protecting your phone with this beast. The Electra has three levels of protection built into it. First, there is a silicone form fitting case that goes directly on to your Galaxy S4 to cushion it from impacts. Then a hard plastic bezel with a built-in screen protector attaches to the front of your phone. Then those two parts (once fitted together) snap into a hard exterior case which houses the second battery. The exterior case part has impact absorbing corners and easilly grippable soft plastic points on the sides to allow for activation of the phone control buttons. Lastly, Trident includes a belt clip that the case clicks into for carrying. (I'm not a big fan of belt clips like this so I've chosen not to use it).

  It is tricky to fit the Galaxy into the case the first time you use it. You have to pull things apart from the bottom and side at the same time to get it all apart from what I can see. It will take some trial and error but it does work out eventually. Once on the phone, everything seems very tight and secure. One thing to note, the charging port on the bottom of the case needs to be inserted very firmly once lined up. It stays put just fine after that.

 If you want a case that offers the maximum combination of protection and power, the Trident Electra is it. There are third party batteries for the S4 that offer more juice but none of them offer this kind of protection. This is one very tough customer.