[General Accessories] vectron:
This is a review of Anker 7500 mAh extended battery with a case for Galaxy S5. http://www.ianker.com/product/79ANS5-B75A/73

When it comes to extended batteries, a lot of the people can't make up their mind because on one side they would like to get a few extra days of battery use while on the other side - you have to pay a price of increased weight and size of the phone. We all want to have a slick and sexy new phone and some even skip a case. But the truth of the matter, smartphone is our personal entertainment center and once you start watching videos or playing games or enable frequent social media updates, you battery life will go down exponentially. One solution is to have an external battery which attaches to your phone through micro-USB connector, but those are not always convenient to hold together with a phone, plus their efficiency is often down to 75%-80%. Extended battery will go into the original battery cavity of your phone for a more permanent attachment and 100% efficiency. Another point to take into account, don't be fulled by cheap eBay batteries that claim to pack double/triple capacity into OEM footprint. It's not physically possible. The bottom line, you have to deal with a brand you can trust, the brand which has been around for awhile, has extended warranty coverage, and enough of positive feedback on the sites like Amazon. I personally consider Anker to be among those top brands and here would like to talk about their latest 7500 mAh extended battery for S5.

Arrived in their typical environmentally friendly packaging, it's a basic box with just a battery and a case inside of it. Just like any other product from Anker, it's covered by 18-month warranty and from my own experience and everything I read in our community, they really stand behind it with a support. The battery itself has a custom shape which looks like an original S5 battery footprint with a slab of another battery shape attached on top of it. The shape cutout doesn't interfere with sim/microSD card and also has a generous opening around the speaker. Obviously the thickness of the new battery will extend beyond S5 original profile and you can't use the original battery cover. Here, Anker provides a custom TPU cover/case with a precise cutout for an exact fitment of the battery shape. What I really liked is that to fill in the extra space in the case, they used a lightweight solid rubber material. The tight fitment keeps battery from shifting inside of the case, and that extra rubber material provides a decent shock absorption if you drop the phone. Also, I like how they designed a tight fitting opening to bring the sound from the speaker without loosing it's quality.

The case fits tightly around the phone and has a decent lip around the edge so you can place the phone down without touching the screen. Also, it worked well with a tempered glass I had on. All the port openings have a precise cutout and microUSB port opening is generous enough to open the cover. The camera lens and a flash and sensors on the back are not obstructed, and the opening from outside is sloped down so there is no issue when taking pictures or reflection from the flash. Volume and power buttons have a nice tactile response and slightly raised profile is helpful in locating buttons just by sliding your finger. The back finish of the case is matte, while the sides are shinier. Would have been good to add some textured finish on the sides to improve the grip considering the increased weight and size of the phone, but it's still manageable. For the reference, the weight of S5 with original battery and battery cover is 154g, while Anker battery and case by itself is 212g, and assembled together with S5 the total weight is 314g. Overall, you will double the weight and thickness of the phone.

Now, regarding the performance. In the past I went into great details about hours of use with a regular battery versus extended battery, but it turned out to generate too many arguments. That's understandable because we all use our phones in a different way, running different apps, use different custom ROMs, etc. The measurement of the battery stamina is only relevant to your own use, and on every single occasion I found that if you are dealing with a reputable vendor who truly provides a triple capacity - you will get on average 2.5 times more use out of your battery. Putting this in perspective of how many hours is irrelevant. Another thing to mention, NFC with this extended battery will not be supported. I'm sure for some it will be a deciding factor.

Overall, I prefer to judge this battery more on it's quality rather than performance. In the last few years Anker name became synonymous with battery brand and is very well respected on Amazon with thousands of 5-star reviews. In my opinion, there is no question about their performance (and I'm not being biased, just realistic). In terms of quality, I found it to be very good!

Here are the pictures.