Sometimes you are really in need for some extra juice for your iPhone 4/4S. If you have a 4S with battery issues this is even truer. My iPhone 4S is usually drained quickly whenever a new game from Kairosoft invades my phone. I have tried one battery case previously: the exolife from ExoGear. I was really impressed with the agility of that case that came with a 1500 mAh battery. The Mophie Juice Pack Air also comes with a 1500 mAh capacity. What has changed though is the fact that 1500 mAh feels kind of puny when used with the powerful iPhone 4S.
The Juicepack Air comes in two different versions depending on where you purchase it. I have tried the batwing version sold by Apple Stores online across the globe. To me the top of the case reminds me of a batarang or batwing due to the top being open. It curves slightly inwards giving the bat look. This Apple Store version has the bottom of the case come off when inserting the phone, or using a dock. The Juicepack Air sold at other outlets, and Mophies online store has a top piece that comes off instead. This means that it isn’t as versatile, and the entire case has to be removed to use the 30-pin connector or dock. On the other hand it protects the phone better by not having an unprotected top. I will only review the Apple Store version, as it is the only one I have tried.
The matte finish is really nice, and soft to the touch. Getting the iPhone 4/4S into the case is easy, but it takes a bit more work to push out. Still I really think it is better to have the user working to get it out instead of having a risk of it falling out.
1500 mAh is not enough to completely recharge my iPhone 4S even with everything turned off. In airplane mode, with no notifications or location services on it managed to charge it from 5-10% to 85-90%. With everything turned on playing a processing heavy game such as Grand Theft Auto 3 or Infinity Blade 2 the battery life of the iPhone 4S isn’t charged at all. Instead the drainage is limited, and hence battery life is enhanced. The Juicepack Air seemed far less effective when I was using the phone, and charging.
One thing that occurred extremely frequently was that the sound was lost from the phone. No matter if I had headphones plugged in or not the volume controls on the phone disappeared. It was like it had another output all of a sudden. To remedy this I had to remove the bottom piece of the case. Without the 30-pin connector connected to the case sound returned, and I could use headphones again. If I paused for a bit with the case on the same thing happened again. A real shame, and I hope it isn´t a universal problem. Furthermore I never got to test the clever way the case directs sound towards the user from the speakers.
My test of the Mophie Juicepack Air was cut short due to the issues with the sound being removed from the phone. Regardless of those issues I found that 1500 mAh might not be enough juice to make the bulky sacrifice in using a battery pack. For those who barely manage a day without getting their iPhone 4/4S completely drained it can save a couple of hours. When going on a trip it is better to plan ahead to be able to fully charge the phone instead of having a Juicepack Air.
Final Rating
Juice Pack Air at the US Apple Store $79.95
Juice Pack Air at Mophie.com $79.95
