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A little over a week ago, I picked up the Mophie Juice Pack Air ($80) with intentions of doubling my iPhone 3GS’s battery life… keeping it operable during a pair of transatlantic flights. (Not all United flights have power jacks in coach.) As it turns out, the combo Mophie case/battery was probably unnecessary. After about 4 hours of Apple iTunes movie rentals (State of Play, Wolverine) with lowered screen brightness and, of course, all wireless disabled during my outbound flight, I still had over 50% of charge remaining… without tapping Mophie. And on the way home, the iPhone hardly broke a sweat as I read the Kindle edition of Nine Dragons. Having said that, the Juice Pack Air did come in handy — providing peace of mind, knowing I could recharge the iPhone’s battery at will, combined with providing us some flexibility in how/when we used our one European AC adapter.
The original Juice Pack Air shipped in three colors (black, white, purple) of shiny plastic that I haven’t found very appealing. But, the recently introduced “soft touch” red model, which has more of a matte finish, looks infinitely better in my opinion. However, the Juice Pack Air isn’t quite as sleek and contoured as the marketing materials would have you believe. Especially the clearly visible, wide side seams (pic below) — a bit of a surprise given Mophie’s somewhat deceptive packaging, where they’ve dropped a black banner across the joints. Then again, I may be somewhat anal as my non-techie associates who’ve seen this Juice Pack Air seem to like the looks and have been astounded to learn the Juice Pack Air is a case with a battery molded right into it.
Unlike replacement batteries, an option on most phones that don’t begin with i, the Juice Pack Air and the iPhone are both charged via one provided micro USB cable that works just fine with the iPhone’s tiny power brick. For what I suspect is normal usage, once the internal iPhone battery is nearly depleted, flip the JuicePack’s switch from red to green to refill the iPhone’s internal battery.
Overall, I’m relatively pleased with Mophie’s solution. The Juice Pack Air probably doubles iPhone size and weight, but I do appreciate their (slightly flawed) design. And those with battery life issues would find it valuable. For those on a tighter budget, Monoprice offers a less elegant but lighter weight and economical solution. As for me, it turns out I don’t have much need for an extended battery given chargers at home, work, and in the car. So I’ll be listing this in the Amazon Marketplace for maybe 50% of what I paid.
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18 Responses for "Hands on with the Mophie Juice Pack Air"
Hey Dave,
I bought one of those about a month ago because I am notorious for forgetting to charge the phone while using it. I noticed a SERIOUS drop in reception. Did you have this problem?
I just bought one to my 3GS but, after a first use, I find myself disappointed with its charge. From a 64% battery use, it brought me just to 97%, which is worse (!) than a Kensington mini battery pack did. Considering the price I’m thinking I might have made a bad deal.
Ben, I have read concerns of reception issues, but in real world use I’m not sure if I experienced any or to what extent. I assume some impairment would be normal since the iPhone is enclosed, but I didn’t notice anything drastic. While away, I was mostly using WiFi in my hotel room which was just fine.
Jaoa, Are you sure the Mophie was fully charged? (You can check with that little button on the back and the lit indicators.) Or, were you doing something intensive, while it was refilling? I think mine pretty much fills it all the way back up.
Give it away Dave!!!
If you are gonna sale it, how much…id like to have one again since ATT put a new tower near where I live.
tivoboy, Ben, I already worked a deal via Twitter. $45 shipped. Sorry!
Well dang. How much did you pay for yours/ where did you pick it up if you don’t mind me asking. the last one i got was from an applestore….which I LOATH going to.
Also (not to sound like a suckup) I’ve been following your twitter for some time (Alchmyman). Keep up the good stuff.
I have owned the “Juice Pack Air” since it first came out. It does double the battery life. The unit will stay fully charged it seems forever (forever being 2 months in my experience.)
Three things I don’t like: 1) Top of the case if very fragile. I always am afraid I am going to break it when putting on or taking it off; 2) It interferes with the loudness of the speaker output, and 3) Proprietary cord/connector.
With that said, I think it is worth the money if you want the extra power security.
You can get it on their website, and there is a 15% off coupon and free shipping. But, you should have given it away! you get more posts that way.!
Man, if you had just bought it over a week ago from apple you should have just returned it. They give you 14 days to try out a product and return it if you don’t like it. I take advantage of that policy all the time.
Ben, I paid $80 in the Apple Store – which may be the only place to acquire the red model at this time.
Tim, I did notice reduced speaker volume but it wasn’t an issue as I listen to movies/music via headphones and the phone is usually on vibrate. (Most folks don’t call, they know me well enough to email.) Actually, the connector is NOT proprietary. I’ve got more micro USB cables and adapters here than iPhone connections. My Sprint MiFi, work Blackberry Tour, and Nokia tablet (N810) all use micro USB for example. But I recognize not everyone has as many mobile gadgets as I.
tivoboy, share that 15% off Mophie coupon code or location with your fellow readers.
fishmd, I’m not comfortable returning products I don’t like. I only return defective or misrepresented stuff. Having worked the other side, I know how challenging it can be for smaller, newer companies like a Mophie to turn a profit. My indecision shouldn’t cost them.
I went on mophies site and ordered one. the code air09 will get you $8.00 off. I have GOT to start carrying a charger with me or stop using my phone so much…
I have had the Mophie Air for a few months and find it invaluable. Can’t count the times I’ve been caught in a multiple-hour phone conversation, or forgot to recharge it at previous day’s end, and yet have the instant relief of the charge.
Also I’m a frequent int’l traveler, and after a long flight in which I like to use my iPhone, I must have access to my iPhone’s content on the other end of the flight (for directions, connections, etc). The Mophie Air guarantees that. I am pleased with the Mophie.
Sounds interesting. Rather have a passthru dock connector, but in the absense of that a USB variant is fine. Like you I have short cables to charge pretty much anything standard via USB, so I generally won’t buy something that has a completely proprietary power connector.
The thing that appears to suck my iPhone battery down faster than anything is gaming. Play a few rounds of Scrabble on the phone during a plane flight and half the battery will be done in the space of less than an hour.
During normal life I have power connectors hooked up everywhere–a dock in the car, near the bed, with me in hotels, etc, so its traveling that I need this most. The red one in particular sure looks nice…
the Juice Pack Air and the iPhone are both charged via one provided micro USB cable ?
Yes, that’s correct.
Dave, based on your review I will be picking up one of these red units for the GF later today. Thanks.
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