I have a long reputation of using a Mophie Juice Pack on my iPhone and review them frequently. But why do I love them?
I love Mophie Juice Pack products. I have used a Juice Pack Air on an iPhone 3GS, a Juice Pack Air and Plus on an iPhone 4 and 4s, and a Juice Pack Helium on an iPhone 5. Currently I am using a Juice Pack Air on my iPhone 5.
Why do I take a beautifully crafted piece of Apple equipment and hide it away in a case? A case that doubles the thickness of my phone and adds bulk all round and hides the Apple logo that glistens on the back?
iPhone batteries – and smartphone batteries in general – might have improved in recent years, and operating systems been optimised, but heavy use of your phone will still drain the battery quicker than most people care for.
Battery
The first and main advantage of using a Mophie Juice Pack case is the built-in battery. Depending on which model you buy, will depend on the battery level you get.
The lower the battery capacity generally means the slimmer the case. A Juice Pack Helium is the thinnest for an iPhone 5/5s at 0.59” but only packs a 1500 mAh battery, whereas a Juice Pack Plus at 0.69” but packs a 2100 mAh battery. That’s a 70% recharge vs. a 120% recharge. In between is the Juice Pack Air at 0.63″ packing a 1700 mAh battery, which gives about an 80% recharge.
But a Mophie adds more than just extra battery life.
Size
Mophie have done a lot to make the Juice Packs slimmer. The iPhone 3G/3GS and iPhone 4/4s versions added a considerable size to the phones. The iPhone 5/5s versions are slimmer and the iPhone 6/6+ versions are even slimmer still.
Protection
The extra ‘bulk’ a Mophie adds to your phone does give it an advantage. It offers protection from dropping and scratching. I take good care of my kit, but even a careful person can make a mistake. I pulled my phone out of my pocket the other week and lost grip, and it fell to the floor. My Mophie saved any damage to the phone and, being slightly rubberised, no damage was done to the Mophie either.
I am pretty sure, though, that had it dropped on the screen, then the Mophie wouldn’t have protected it – although I do have a plastic protector on it.
Lightning Port
The bottom section of the Mophie Juice Pack plugs into the Lightning Port and clips to the top section of the Mophie securing the port. Apart from the odd occasion that I need to sync my iPhone with a cable – as I normally do WiFi syncing – the Lighting port is never used. Charging is done via the Micro USB port on the bottom of the Juice Pack.
Headphones
Due to the extra length on the bottom of the Mophie, it means you are limited to which earphones you use. I use Apple EarPods with a straight plug. The added length means there is less strain on the iPhone headphone socket, as it is protected from knocks.
Audio/Mic Pass Through
One final thing are on the bottom. The left is the microphone and the right is the speaker, these are covered up by the bottom section of the Juice Pack and are funnelled through to the front – which actually enhances the sound.
Without One
iOS 9 has done wonders for the battery life on my iPhone 5, and a few days ago I decided to stop using a Juice Pack. It felt very odd not having such a bulky device in my pocket – but instantly I was conscious that I had no means of charging if I hammered my iPhone.
It didn’t take long before I reached for my Mophie and was back using it again.
Conclusion
Mophie Juice Packs offer more than just extra battery power. If you can live with the extra bulk, then the benefits of these devices are great.
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