My iPhone battery never seemed to last long enough.
I heard about cases that had a reserve battery built into them but was leery about the additional weight. I had also tried the standard things to conserve battery life (turn off Notifications and Location Services, turn off push email, etc.) when it was imperative to extend my battery but I found it to be too bothersome. Besides, why should I turn off some of the key features of my phone?
While at the local Apple Store, my husband and I were talking to one of the staff members about a battery-extending case. He recommended the Mophie Juice Pak Air. They do not sell them at the Apple Store (although they do sell an iPod case). My husband was the first to take the plunge so we ordered it online at Amazon ($79.95) last September.
I was actually quite surprised at how little more his iPhone weighed when it was in the Mophie case. He was satisfied with the quality and extended battery life so I decided to buy one in November. My decision was pretty easy since I purchased it directly from Mophie the Saturday after Thanksgiving for $20 less ($59.95) due to a Black Friday sale.
In terms of the extended battery life, I have been satisfied. The idea of the extended battery is that the iPhone uses the Mophie battery first and then only uses its own battery once the Mophie battery has been exhausted. I find that the Mophie battery extends my battery usage by about 10 hours a day. I no longer have to charge my iPhone at work to ensure that I’ll have some battery left for the evening.
Mophie Juice Pak Airs have a one-year warranty and, I must say, Mophie definitely stands behind their warranty. On the second day that I had my case, I dropped it and it cracked. Not extensively but enough that it bothered me, especially being brand new. I emailed Mophie, pretty much expecting them to tell me “too bad”. Instead, they immediately sent me RMA information and replaced it at no cost to me. I was one happy customer.
A few weeks later, the case wouldn’t charge. Again, I emailed Mophie. I expected to be told that I already had my case replaced once and that was it. Instead, they again immediately sent me RMA information and replaced it at no cost to me.
My husband is a happy Mophie customer as well. He has had no mechanical problems but did have his case replaced once due to damage from dropping it. Again, no questions asked from Mophie.
While, on the one hand, you can say “Why spend $70 (or $50 in my case) on a phone case when you’ve had problems”, to me it has been worth it. I love the extended battery life and the way my iPhone looks in the case. In addition, Mophie’s customer service has been incredible.
The Mophie Juice Pak Air comes in black, white and red. Find out more information at http://www.mophie.com/mophie-juice-pack-air-iPhone-4-battery-case-p/1145_jpa-ip4-blk.htm.
