Since first coming to market about a decade ago, Mophie has made its name in keeping batteries on for longer on mobile devices. Among the first to pack in a battery into a phone case, the company is still putting those two together, along with portable chargers and a new embrace of wireless charging. They even have new iPhone owners covered with brand new charging cases specifically for iPhone 7 available.
No matter how advanced and sophisticated smartphones continue to be, battery life is always one of the biggest sticking points for users. Needing to charge at an inopportune time is one of those frustrating slices of life anyone can relate to. Mophie has never really strayed from its battery-first focus. Almost every product the company has released to date has some sort of battery component to it.
Battery cases
The battery cases are the most iconic for Mophie, in a number of respects. The Juice Pack line started out way back in 2007 with the first iPhone, and has since continued on, with a spin-off line in the Juice Pack Air.
The idea was always to incorporate a battery into the case itself, along with a plug at the bottom to route the charge through. A button or switch in the back would turn the built-in charger on or off, with LEDs indicating how much power was left. At the bottom would be a port (usually microUSB) to charge the phone and case. Mophie wisely made this pass-through, meaning it would charge the phone’s own battery first before refilling the case’s battery.
You do sacrifice a few things for the luxury of having a backup battery so handy. The extra bulk adds girth and weight to what would otherwise be a thin and light handset. The added heft does offer some protection, in case the phone falls out of your hands. You could also get away with putting a glass screen protector (Mophie doesn’t make those, mind you), though edge-to-edge ones might make for a tight fit. The speakers are somewhat muffled because they’re covered, though Mophie makes slits to align with the phone speakers to let audio through.
A majority of the cases are for the iPhone, though others have come out since too. There is a Juice Pack for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, for example. Still, the iPhone dominates, and Mophie has even released Juice Pack cases matching with the colours of the device itself. There are rose gold, gold and matte black versions for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, along with alternate colours, like blue and red.
They did the same thing last year with the Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, offering blue, purple, pink and white as alternate colours from the standard black.
Portable chargers
There is nothing new about portable chargers as far as what they’re designed to do. The premise is simple, and the execution even simpler. What you have here are casings with batteries inside and USB ports to plug in cables to charge whatever mobile device you have in hand.
Mophie’s Powerstation portable chargers are agnostic, and usually have two regular USB ports to charge up to two devices simultaneously. This way, you and a friend can split it when you both need some power.
They also come in varying capacities — as low as 4000mAh to as high as 12000mAh in the Powerstation XL. Most smartphones are in and around the 3000mAh battery size, on average, so that charger could refill it at least three times, if not four. Of course, a 12000mAh is huge, making the form factor of the XL considerably bigger and heavier than its smaller siblings.
The point is the convenience of charging without having to look for a power outlet. Being on a plane or bus without outlets, or commuting to work and needing to keep the lights on to finish a game or important emails are examples of how handy it can be. Even better that it knows to allocate a charge appropriately, switching between 500mAh, 1Amp and 2.1Amp charges, depending on what’s plugged in. That’s how it knows the difference between a smartphone, tablet or Bluetooth earbuds.
Portable chargers are popular as travel items, given that you’re either on the go constantly or lounging somewhere that isn’t close to an outlet, like the pool, beach or balcony. Having the peace of mind that your phone can keep going longer while you enjoy yourself or the content you’re watching is pretty liberating.
Wireless charging from Mophie
This is a recent development that started with the Juice Pack Air for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Using the Qi wireless charging standard, these cases can effectively charge on any Qi-enabled pad or surface.
Mophie calls this line Charge Force, and it currently comes in a few different designs to complement a user’s daily routine. For example, there’s the Wireless Charging Base, a simple pad you can basically place anywhere (close enough to a power outlet, mind you) in your home. Then there’s the Magnetic Desktop Mount that might be ideal for a home or work office. The magnets inside align with the magnets on the Juice Pack Air to forge the connection and initiate the wireless charge.
There’s also the Magnetic Car Vent Mount, which is basically the same idea as the Desktop Mount, only meant to do the same in the car. In both cases, like the Charging Base, you still need a cable to run power to the mounts, but the benefit is that your phone isn’t tethered at all.
Being wireless, the rate of charge won’t be as fast as it would be directly through a cable, so despite the added convenience, you’re getting it at a slower rate. It’s not as bad as it used to be though, and there are some charging pads coming to market that will be able to funnel a higher amp throughput.
Check out the entire lineup of Mophie products currently available.
Check out this Limited Time Offer
Get a FREE Mophie Wireless Charging Base ($45 VALUE) with the purchase of any iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus Juice Pack Air battery charging case.
