Does extra battery power and wireless charging make this a worthwhile iPhone 7 battery case?
Get the Mophie Juice Pack Air on Amazon right now!
Mophie Juice Pack Air Review – Wireless charging and spare battery. What could go wrong?
The Mophie Juice Pack Air has an extra 2450 Mah battery and also has a Qi wireless charger integrated into the back. These extra features sound great but aren’t that impressive on a day-to-day basis in our opinion. We don’t think anybody wearing a suit could easily deal with the extra bulk and the extra battery power might not be enough for power hungry students. We’ll elaborate below.
For our Mophie Juice Pack Air review, we’ve given this product a score of 3.7 Ehs out of 5. This Mophie case scores a little lower than the Apple Smart Battery case at 3.9 Eh’s out of 5. We’re ramping up our iPhone 7 battery case reviews so check back soon to see how the Mophie compares against other products.
Get the Mophie Juice Pack Air on Amazon right now!
Design – Looks a Mophie, feels like a Mophie
The Mophie Juice Pack Air is a larger than average iPhone case which is expected since it comes with a wireless charger and spare battery. At the thickest and widest parts, the Juice Pack Air is as bulky as the Apple Smart Battery case. But the Juice Pack Air doesn’t have the Quasimodo hump that the Apple product does. We’ll be honest with you, we like the Quasimodo hump when it comes to functionality. We’ll elaborate below.
You install the iPhone 7 by sliding the device into the case and capping it off. Everything fits well together and there is enough texture on both sides to keep it from sliding around. The case fits together tightly so you can’t use a skin on the iPhone with this case. The battery case only weights 103 g’s which is actually lighter than the smaller Apple Smart Battery case.
Our only issue with the build quality of the Juice Pack Air is how quickly the back will show wear and tear. You can see all the scratches on the back after 10 days of light usage.
[divider][/divider]
Protection – It won’t stop much. But’ll be fine for most people
When it comes to protection, the Juice Pack Air is going to protect your iPhone from small day-to-day drops. The case isn’t drop-rated but the edges of the case are quite high which is great for your iPhone’s screen. The great fit of the iPhone also reduces the chance that dust and debris will get between the iPhone and the case.
[divider][/divider]
Functionality – Is the Mophie Juice Pack worth it?
The functionality of the Mophie Juice Pack Air is where this product is suppose to shine. We didn’t have any issues accessing the buttons and the edges of the case do not interfere with screen usability.
The spare battery has a capacity of 2450 mah but that translates to an extra 50% of battery during our usage. The iPhone 7 Plus has a capacity of 2900 mah so the extra 50% was disappointing. Oddly enough, the iPhone 7 version of the Juice Pack Air has a bigger capacity.
An extra 50% will definitely get you through the rest of a day if you chronically run out of power. The rate of charging from the case to the iPhone is similar to the rate of charging from a standard iPhone charger.
You can sync your iPhone through case using a micro-usb cable. For wireless charging, the Juice Pack Air is compatible with any Qi compatible wireless charging accessory. For an extra $40 dollars, you can get a wireless charging base which is a giant blue puck. Surprisingly, the wireless charger filled our iPhone’s battery at the same rate as wired connection which is nice. We found that this wasn’t the case for earlier Qi charging accessories.
The handling of an iPhone 7 Plus isn’t great. The extra bulk is noticeable on the device and the coating on the Juice Pack Air doesn’t offer enough texture . The Quasimodo bump on the back of the Apple Smart Battery case actually reduces the bulk because the edges of the case are still quite slim. The handling of the battery case won’t be as much of an issue for the smaller iPhone 7.
Get this battery case if you’re a suits? a student? or for vacation?
With the iPhone 7 Plus, there is almost no way you’re going to be keeping your device and the Mophie Juice Pack Air in a pant pocket. Especially if you wear a suit.
For students, we don’t think the extra 50% battery charge is going to be enough. Especially given the extra bulk that you have to haul around all the time. If you’re looking for a extra battery power, we’d get a stand alone power bank.
BUT if you’re going on vacation and need to have that extra juice and you don’t mind the extra bulk, the Mophie Juice Pack is going to suffice.
Last thing that we’ll talk about deals with the magnets on the case. Mophie has several magnetic accessories to use with the Juice Pack Air which is great if you’re willing to spend the money. Like the Mophie Force Hold, you can’t use this case with other magnetic case accessories which seems silly to us.
[divider][/divider]
What did she say about the Mophie Juice Pack Air?
(This is our attempt at seeing things from a female perspective):
- “The case looks very slick”
- “Mophie always has smooth lines and compact looking design”
- “I wouldn’t bet a battery case because I’d prefer a power bank so that anyone can use it”
- “A great vacation case”
[divider][/divider]
Have questions for our Mophie Juice Pack Air Review? Please ask them below, or on our Facebook page or our About Us page. To stay up to date on everything we’re doing, check out our Twitter and Instagram feeds!
Diane
June 23, 2017 at 1:30 am
I have the mophie iPhone 7 charging base and iPhone cover. I was under the impression that when the battery runs down on the iphone that the extra battery would then give me more battery time. I thought that when you push the button on the back of the iPhone case and all 4 lights light up that it meant that I had more charge on my phone. At this writing, my phone has 11% left but all four lights on the back of the case light up. Am I way out in left field here?
Aaron Ho
June 24, 2017 at 1:56 pm
I think you have to press and hold the button down to start the charging process.
Doug
June 27, 2017 at 3:02 pm
I have had several mophi’s since I got my first iPhone 6 Plus and now with the 7 plus. I beg to differ on the case. I have always slipped my iPhone into my back pocket. This case prevents the breaking and bending people associate with back pockets and big phones. Sure it weighs a lot but it’s less than carrying a battery. Lock or charging cable. I can’t say anything about the magnetic stuff other than I use a magnetic holder in my truck so naturally I slapped a metal plate (designed for such) on the back and it works like my last one did. I think however I liked the switch on the 6plus case rather then pressing and holding the button. Would I recommend it? Yes and I have given my old mophis to my kids. An aftermarket USB charging cable is more reliable than an aftermarket lighting cable and cost less anyway.
Rebecca Eiffert
August 23, 2017 at 5:39 pm
I love that Moonie help me with my daughter’s broken case. No question asked. Sent out the case rightway. I love the great customer service. I’m giving them 5 stars. There are great. Thanks Moonie. My email is blessedxbecky@gmail.com my daughter loves cases