Across the bottom edge of the case sit four LEDs and a button. Press the button to see the battery's current charge level. You can charge and sync your phone while it's in the case. In a significant improvement other Mophie's earlier models, the lights don't blink incessantly. They are, however, bright enough to be burdensome in a dark room if you charge your phone overnight. Now, they light up for the first few moments of charging and then shut off; you can press the button again to get the LEDs to light up again with the current charging status for a few seconds.

Mophie says that the Juice Pack Pro exceeds , which it describes as "the standards for impact protection and dust/sand penetration set forth by the United States Military." There's no public means of acquiring that certification, but the company does say that the case should protect against splashing, rain, dust, and impacts.

The case ships with an optional belt clip that, unsurprisingly, makes things even bigger and bulkier, but it seemed to fit the phone (and my belt loop) snugly and securely.

The Juice Pack Pro is a fine case. It's well-made and seems sturdy. I'd let my one-year-old handle my iPhone in this case, and that's about as rough of a treatment as my iPhone is likely to encounter. That said, it's big, bulky, and weighs a solid pound. If you don't need the crazy levels of protection, perhaps a standalone battery case--like Mophie's own Juice Pack Plus--might make more sense. But if you need both the extra power serious protection from the elements, I know of no superior option.