[review] mophie juice pack 3g for iPhone 3g
by Justin Horn on Nov 30th, 2008 @ 10:59 pmAfter a few delays I finally got my hands on the new Mophie Juice Pack 3g. The juice pack is an external battery pack for the iPhone 3g. Mophie states the juice pack should about double your battery life giving you additional standby time up to 350 hours, talk time up to 6 hours on 3G (12 hours on 2G), Internet use up to 6 hours on 3G (7 hours on Wi-Fi), audio playback up to 28 hours, and video playback up to 8 hours. As with the original juice pack, which was the first battery extender to receive the “Works with iPhone 3G” blessing, the new juice pack has also received the certification.
The first gen juice pack works exclusively with the first gen iPhone and this second gen juice pack with the iPhone 3g due to the design that fits like a glove. If you are still rock’n a first gen iPhone, check out our friend Dr. Macenstein’s review of the first gen mophie juice pack. The new Mophie Juice Pack 3g shares the same basic look as the first gen, but seems to fit a bit more snug saving some space at the bottom.
Ok, enough about the past, how does this new one hold up with the 3g iPhone?
Mophie Juice Pack 3g and iPhone 3g
iPhone 3g inserted into the Mophie Juice Pack 3g
Battery Performance
I decided to test the juice pack by putting it through an average day. I took my iPhone (2.1 firmware at time of test) off the charger at about 9.30 AM and headed out for the day. I used it for about 45 minutes of iPod in the car, about 15 minutes of web browsing, and about 2 hours of talk time. I also did some average email usage which included manual checking (about once every hour or so), receiving via 2 push accounts, and reading and sending about 15 emails. A little after midnight the Mophie was out of juice, leaving the phone fully charged on its internal battery after about 9 hours of pretty decent usage. I can remember using my phone before I had the Mophie or a car charger and this certainly would have killed the phone before midnight. So Mophie’s promise to double the lifetime of the iPhone performed above and beyond. In the future I will try a follow up test which is more heavy weighted on Internet usage and compare to these results.
Function
iTunes Syncing
This new juice pack now allows you to sync with iTunes without removing the phone. On that same note this also bring a possible downside for some due to the fact that connection to the outside world is now via a mini-USB cable. It’s a pretty standard cable, but still another cable taking up space on your desk. They do include the cable in the package which is nice. One of the possible downsides of this is situation with a car charger that is hardwired for an iPhone/iPod connection. This doesn’t affect me as my current car charger is just a 12v power outlet to USB. All I have to do is grab my mini-USB cable and I’m good to go…so I’m not going to take any points away from Mophie on this.
Charging
Charging the juice pack is the same as charging the iPhone. You can plug it into a USB port on your computer or plug it into the power outlet to USB converter (or car outlet to USB). You can even charge it with the iPhone connected. It’s smart enough to always charge the iPhone battery before charging itself, acting like a dock until your iPhone is full and then it will begin to charge itself. Also, when in use, it will always drain itself before the iPhone battery. The back of juice pack includes 4 LED charge indicators. This is a simple yet effective way to determine about how much juice you have left. The 4 lights illuminate temporarily by pressing down the small button next to them. The same lights also show you that your juice pack is charging when plugged in and how far along the charge is.
Mophie Juice Pack 3g Charge Indicator Lights
Speakerphone / Mic
You might also be wondering how the sound is affected by the juice pack. I honestly didn’t really notice a difference and if anything I would say it actually seems louder than before. One other plus is I always wind up holding my finger over the mic or speaker when talking on the phone, but with the juice pack that will never happen!
Juice Pack Tip
Always remember to lock your phone when not using it. The iPhone sees the juice pack as a charging source so apps like iPod and maps do not go to lock screen when connect to external power source. So you could needlessly be wasting power on the screen while it’s sitting in your pocket.
Design
Size
I have to say I was a bit disappointment when I first took my juice pack out of the box as it was thicker than I was hoping for; approximately doubling the thickness. When I first slid the juice pack / iPhone 3g combination into my jeans front pocket, it felt a bit awkward. Although when I first moved from my Motorola SLVR to the iPhone 3g back on July 11, the iPhone felt a bit awkward in comparison. After using it for about a week it never really felt 100% comfortable, but wasn’t as noticeable. Even though it’s a bit bulkier than I had hoped, I believe it’s still currently the slimmest full time battery option out there.
Weight
The juice pack is pretty light, feeling a bit lighter than the iPhone. When attached to the phone you can feel the difference in weight more than you’d think, but isn’t that bad.
In Your Hand
The juice pack feels comfortable in your hand. It’s bulk and non-slip rubber makes the iPhone feel more secure compared to the naked iPhone 3g. Unless you have really small hands it’s a plus.
Protection
Although it kind of looks like a case, it’s purpose is to give you more juice. It does help when setting it down on a table to avoid scratches, but if you drop it chances are you are going to be making a trip to the apple or att store for a replacement.
Conclusion
Coming in at $99.95 the Mophie Juice Pack 3g is the most expensive external battery option I’ve seen, but for me it’s a perfect fit. I don’t use a case and I really like that it maintains most of the slick look of the iPhone (I really hate those small batteries that stick off the bottom). I also wanted something I could pop on the phone and take with me for the day, not just an emergency solution. So I believe the design and performance of the juice pack justify its price tag. I can now use the iPhone 3g the way it was intended without fear of being left without a phone halfway through an important work day (or tap tap revenge)! If you are just looking for an emergency battery backup and not something you will use often then you can save some money and grab one of the small “bottom hanging” batteries that I love so much.
When Will Apple Rating
Price
$99.95
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