Stacked has released a new wireless charging solution for iPhone, the Stack Pack ($130). Stack Pack comes with an iPhone 6/6s case, which isn’t able to charge an iPhone on its own. The power comes from the 2750 mAh power pack, which is attached magnetically to the included AC wall charger. Once the pack is charged, it’s then magnetically attached to the back of the case to charge an iPhone — it can charge the iPhone while in use, if desired. A headphone adapter is also included in the Stack Pack.
Stacked sells Power Packs separately for $58, and the AC wall adapter can charge up to five Power Packs at once. Stacked is selling an iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus version of the Stack Pack for the same $130 price. The Stack Pack comes in black, gold, or white.
Stacked’s iPhone case doesn’t look too much different than most battery cases. The top can be folded down to insert an iPhone 6/6s, similarly to Apple’s iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case, and the Lightning connector can be slid off to aid in removing the phone. The biggest difference, of course, is the magnetic circle on the back of the case — a fully charged Power Pack must be placed on back of the case to charge the iPhone.
Though the Power Pack is meant to be charged with the included AC adapter, it can also be charged with a wire — there’s both a micro-USB input and USB output port on each Power Pack, essentially making it a small battery that can be used for other charging purposes.
We found that a fully charged Power Pack charged an iPhone 6s to 99 percent in about 2.5 hours, which is a bit slow, but not significantly so. The bigger question with Stack Pack: does its wireless charging actually makes things any easier than a traditional battery case? It’s a bit awkward to use the iPhone when the thick Power Pack is attached, and it’s not the best-looking solution, either. Users also aren’t seeing any increased power for the price. You can charge the iPhone directly on the wall charger at the end of the day, but it’s hard to see how getting rid of one wire is worth a premium.
With many wireless charging solutions, the promise doesn’t measure up to the execution, and that’s no different with Stacked’s Stack Pack. Traditional battery cases are significantly cheaper, and you can argue Stacked’s system, with its chunky Power Packs, has at least as many drawbacks as advantages.
