Mophie Juice Pack Plus - iPhone Case Review
iPhone 4 running out of power? Consider the Mophie Juice Pack iPhone case with built-in battery. Keep your precious iPhone safe and topped up on the move.
What is the Juice Pack Plus?
If you have an iPhone 4 or 4S, then running out of battery will be a familiar experience. These smartphones from Apple are powerful beasts, and with GPS, wi-fi and 3G all enabled, you'll need to charge once a day, or be stuck without a phone. That's where the Juice Pack Plus from Mophie comes in. Here's what it does:
- A protective shock-resistant case
- Built-in 2000mAh battery
- Extend talk time by up to 16 hours
- Up to 44 extra hours of audio
- LED battery level indicators
- Charge and sync with the phone in the case
This is a nice case for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. We've tried a few similar cases in the past, including the Mi Suny Solar case, and a slimline case from Power Pack Sales. The one we're looking at here, from Mophie, is our favourite to date. An impressive battery life, whilst only adding a small amount of additional bulk.
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Mophie Juice Pack Plus Availability:It's available in the UK from Amazon. Here's what Amazon tells us are the latest and best prices: |
Juice Pack Plus UK Review
We're rather taken with this case. Two of the FileSaveAs team now carry the case, with one more hoping that a version for his HTC Android phone is on the way. The Juice Pack Plus holds the iPhone securely and safely, is well made, and does the job nicely.
It uses a 2000mAh Lithium Polymer battery, which is better than a Lithium Ion battery, according to the manual. The micro-USB cable supplied with the Pack charges both the phone and the case, whilst allowing iTunes sync.
The case comes in two parts - the main part containing the battery, and a smaller section that slides over the top of the phone to lock the Juice Pack in place.
Sliding the phone into the Juice Pack
Take a look at the picture above - you'll see the micro-USB slot, used for charging the phone and case, as well as for syncing to iTunes.
Here's another shot. This shows the four LEDs at the bottom of the phone. This are lit when charging to indicate how many quarters of the battery are charged. You can also use the little silver button to check on the battery's status..
Mophie Juice Pack battery status lights
The iPhone is a good fit inside the case - it's snug, and easy to remove - it does feel like there's some decent protection there. The case doesn't get in the way of any of the key controls, and and clearly been well-designed. From the following photo, you can see how the camera lens and flash are neatly recessed and the power button is easily accessible. All of the other controls are easy to get to, and nothing hinders accessing the phone's features.
Mophie Juice Pack Rear View
The only part of the case that is slightly tricky, is the mute switch, which although accessible, isn't quite centred and is a little too recessed. Not a problem, but a minor niggle.
Mophie Juice Pack - Left Hand Side View
Using the Juice Pack
It's pretty straightforward. On the bottom left is a switch (ours is slightly fiddly)
When switched on, the iPhone drains the Juice Pack first before draining the phone's built-in battery. It's great to be using the phone all day, and still see it showing 100% of battery life.
- On: A green dot next to the switch indicates the Juice Pack is charging the phone, and that it can be synced to iTunes.
- Stand-by: A little red dot next to the switch indicates the Juice Pack isn't charging the phone. Apparently in standby, the phone can still be synced and charged, but that doesn't seem to be the case with ours.
Charge time for the case is 2-3 hours, and the extension to battery life is awesome. On occasion, we get a message stating "Charging is not supported by this accessory", but it doesn't seem to be a problem.
In summary - we're very happy with this case... does the job, and does it well.It's well-designed, and nice little touches include the two holes on the front to funnel the audio from the phone's speakers to push the sound forward. Sure, this does add a little bulk to the phone, but it's worth it nt to have to worry about your iPhone 4S running out of juice.
Your Questions about the Juice Pack Plus
- None yet. Got a question for us? Get in touch
Want to talk about the Apple iPhone, chargers or the Juice Pack Plus? Please use our mobile phone forum, or leave a message on our Podcast Podline, on 0208 133 4567
Other Links
- Sat Nav Apps for the Apple iPhone
- iPhone UK Help and Advice
- Power Monkey - More power for your iPhone
- DriveGain - Become a better driver and save money with this novel iPhone app
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