5 August 2009 17:28 GMT / By Stuart Miles
If you've got an iPhone you'll now that the battery is pretty awful, if you've got an iPhone 3GS then you'll know that it's even worse. So what are you to do? Well you could systematically go through the phone's settings and turn off all the features you've paid extra for; the location services, the wireless, and even the 3G connectivity.
Mophie have other plans, promising to give iPhone users a new lease of life and more importantly a phone that will last longer than 4 O'clock without the battery warnings.
In steps the Mophie juice pack air, a case for your iPhone that slots around the back just like any other case. The colours, white, black, and purple, (we got purple) aren't the most designer friendly, however the hidden gem is that built with-in the case is a battery that, if you are careful, can mean that your iPhone lasts around 3 days without needing to say hello to a power socket.
I though that would get your attention.
As we've said the case is simple in it's design, comes in a range of colours and slots into the docking connector. A USB cable out the bottom gives you connectivity to your Mac or PC so you can still dock it as well as providing charging capabilities for the battery itself.
Battery levels can be checked via four LED lights on the back at the press of a button and owners of a MacBook will be familiar with the design and concept.
The premise is simple. You charge the device, it then charges your iPhone throughout the day. When the Mophie juice pack air runs out, the iPhone resumes using its own battery, allowing you to go thin if you want.
In practice it works just as it sounds. First we tested the juice pack air with overly heavy use of the iPhone; turning on location services and Wi-Fi, and then going to town with calls, surfing the web, and Twitter. The result? It basically doubles the life of the phone and with the Mophie juice pack installed we managed to get through to the following morning without needing to worry about power.
On light use, i.e., how we currently use our iPhone 3GS in the office, we managed a whopping 3 days of battery, yes 3 days, although it's worth saying that this will drastically depend on how many calls you get and what you do.
In our 2 weeks of testing we not once had a battery warning half way through the day - or at a time in the bar where you really need to phone home to tell them you are going to be late.
So what's the catch? There is always a catch right? Well it's that for this need to have a phone that is capable of always being on, you have to live with the fact that the Mophie juice pack air will double the thickness of your iPhone.
Then there is the case design, not exactly mind blowingly hot or exciting.
Verdict
The Mophie juice pack air does what it sets out to do, i.e., double the life of your iPhone battery and save you having to find a charging point at some point during the day.
However the payoff for that isn't the cost (it's £64/$80) but that you end up with a phone that isn't as slinky or thin as it once was.
Leaving you with a feeling that while you'll be able to order that late night cab home, your mates will ridicule you for having something that would look more comfortable in the 90s.
Score
Review Recap
- Made by
- Mophie
- Price as reviewed
- £68
- The good
- Doubles the life of your iPhone
- The bad
- Bulky, will double the size of your iPhone, not that stylish on the design front
- Quick verdict
- The Mophie juice pack air does what it sets out to do, i.e., double the life of your iPhone battery and saves you having to find a charging point at some point during the day
- Score
-
Recommended articles
Phones, Phone accessories, iPhone, Mophie, Cases, Batteries, Mophie juice pack air













Is Facebook about to buy Opera to create own Facebook browser? EXCLUSIVE: Pocket-lint source tells us "yes"
Which smartphone is best for the sun? Screens for the Summer
Batman Nokia Lumia 900: Limited edition phone heading to UK Who are you? I'm Batman
Jony Ive: Next Apple product is our most important and best work yet Better than iPod, iPad and iPhone?
Dragon's Dogma Adventure time
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Roger likes a Tango at 12 o'clock
Canon EOS 5D MK III It's a hat-trick
Porsche 911 Carrera (991) 2012 pictures and hands-on WANT
Robert Moog Google doodle best yet, even better than Les Paul Synthesizer synthesiser
Microsoft Office coming to iPad and Android tablets this November A change of heart?
APP OF THE DAY: Mini Motor review (Android, iPhone and iPad) Top-down. Top app.
Toshiba AT300: The quad-core 10.1-inch ICS Android tablet UPDATE: Pricing unveiled
Sega serves up Virtua Tennis Challenge on the iPad and iPhone Smash-ing
APP OF THE DAY: Wyse PocketCloud Remote (Android) Work on your PC from anywhere in the world
80-inch Windows 8 tablet already exists - in Microsoft CEO's office Could this be the future?
Olympus OM-D E-M5 review
The compact system camera to beat all others?
Nokia Lumia 900 review
Is big beautiful?
HTC One V review
V for victory?
FIFA 12: UEFA Euro 2012 review
Lacks polish, if not the Polish
Huawei Ascend G300 review
Big bang for your hundred quid
Asus Transformer Pad TF300T review
Transforms your money in to a great tablet
Nikon Coolpix P510 review
Does the P510 zoom beyond expectations?
Fujifilm X-Pro1 review
Like a Leica
Volkswagen Beetle Design 1.2TSi DSG review
The bug is back. Again.
BlackBerry Curve 9320 review
A BB for beginners?
Fujifilm FinePix HS30EXR review
Can Fujifilm’s latest put the ‘super’ in superzoom?
HP Envy 14 Spectre review
The Ultrabook that isn't an Ultrabook
The Walking Dead: The Game review
Fleshed out zombie bonanza
Mazda CX5 2.2 TDI AWD review
A very zoomy SUV