Antank battery case for Nintendo Switch review

The 6500mAh portable battery case specially design[ed] for Nintendo Switch… will double the playing time wherever you are.

That's what it says on the box anyway. Does it live up to it's lofty goal? Read on to find out!

Aesthetic

📸Front of case 📸Back of case 📸Back of case, open 📸Game compartment on the back 📸Recline level I 📸Recline level II 📸Recline level III

The outside of the case has a matte finish that feels quite good. The back has two release mechanisms that expand the case vertically to allow insertion of your Switch. Below both mechanisms are kickstands with three levels of recline. I only used them while testing as I prefer to use handheld mode on the go. There certainly isn't any space for kickstand mode on the MBTA! Near the bottom of the case are holes for the Switch's heat vents and a power button followed by four thunderbolts to signify how much charge is available. They alight blue when charging. The top of the case hides a compartment for storing two Switch games horizontally. The side of the case features USB-C charging. YUS!

Portability

📸Side of case with Switch 📸Back of case with Switch 📸Top of case with Switch 📸Detached Joy-Con with cased Switch 📸Fanny pack view I 📸Fanny pack view II 📸Slipcases are a no-go with the case

The case by itself doesn't weigh much but when you insert the Switch, you can definitely notice the difference (if you play in handheld mode often). I was able to squeeze my Switch and case inside a fanny pack but it was a tight fit. Don't expect this to work with your nifty Super Mario Odyssey slipcase, that ain't happening. Of course, you could always store the battery case itself in the drawstring bag that comes with it.

Real-world Usage

I didn't measure the charge time for the case itself but it's roughly an hour and a half to two hours. I used my MacBook Pro power brick to charge so I'm not sure if that made a difference versus the default power brick it comes with. During my playtest with Super Mario Odyssey, I noticed the case didn't recharge my Switch…it basically kept it from dying and was effectively a portable wall-charger. I assume graphically-intensive games prevent charging AND battery replenishment so that was a little discouraging. I got at least a half-hour of extended playtime thanks to this charger though and that's what counts.

Should you buy this?

If you play your Switch a LOT while nowhere near a USB-C charger, absolutely. I can see this being a great addition to any traveler as well. I wish I had this with me in Japan for the bullet train rides, I was using the available socket to me for charging my computer. Also, China Southern Airlines did not have appropriate sockets for me to charge my computer. Instead of sleeping to pass the time, I could've been playing Mr Shifty or Zelda.

Even for occasional travel, having a Switch charger that envelopes the system is a great idea. I have an Anker USB-C charger and it's a brick. Sure, I can charge my Switch with it but it's unwieldy and it sucks dealing with cables. I'm loving the one port life with as little cables as possible and Antank made that a little bit bearable. You can buy the Antank charger on Amazon1 for $47.

If you have an existing USB-C charger and don't care about having a case that fits your Switch, there is absolutely no need to get this. It's more of a convenience thing, not a necessity. 🕸

P.S.

I was approached by a representative for Antank to purchase and review their charger. I was refunded after purchasing.

It occurs to me that I never tested how much the case would recharge my Switch while it was turned off. I'll get on that and update this post.