Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,195
30,136



Mophie today debuted the Juice Pack Air battery cases for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, bringing the company's signature battery case line to Apple's latest smartphones. In addition to featuring extended battery life in a slim design, the new cases also take advantage of Mophie's Charge Force wireless charging technology.


The case magnetically aligns with all other Mophie Charge Force accessories, like the wireless charging base, vent mount, desk mount, and Charge Force Powerstation battery. The case is also compatible with Qi and other wireless charging standards.

The iPhone 7 version of the Juice Pack Air comes with a 2,525 mAh battery while the iPhone 7 Plus version comes with a 2,420 mAh battery. Mophie says they boost total battery life of the phones up to 27 and 33 hours of talk time, respectively.

We've been able to spend a few minutes with the new cases, which carry the familiar two-piece slider design with a matte finish. As with all battery cases, they add a fair bit of bulk and heft to the iPhone, but the case feels good in the hand and is not overly cumbersome if you have a need for extended battery life.

mophie_juice_pack_iphone_7.jpg

The case's power and volume buttons for the iPhone have a high-quality feel, while the mute switch remains easily accessible. For those without Force Charge or other wireless charging solutions, the case charges with a standard micro-USB cable and supports pass-through charging of the iPhone first, followed by the battery case. Four LEDs on the rear of the case display the current case battery level at the press of a button, while a longer press on the button turns on and off charging of the phone from the case.

One downside relates to headphone connectivity, as with no built-in headphone jack and no direct access to the iPhone's Lightning port, wireless headphones are a necessity with this case.

Both Juice Pack Air variants are available for $99.95 each at Mophie's website and come in black, gold, rose gold, navy blue and Product (RED). The various Charge Force bases, mounts, and external battery are sold separately, but are generally available at discounted prices if purchased with a Juice Pack Air case.

Article Link: Mophie Launches Juice Pack Air Battery Case With Wireless Charging for iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
 

SigEp265

macrumors 6502a
Dec 15, 2011
953
881
Southern California
I really hope Apple actually does something innovative with wireless charging in the next iPhone.

Same. I have this case for my 6S and it ios a necessity for me. It is so much easier to just place it on my wireless charging stand at my desk. I wont upgrade my phone until it has wireless charging lol
 

OldSchoolMacGuy

Suspended
Jul 10, 2008
4,197
9,050
I'd take a battery case with larger capacity and the same size over this garbage.

My iPhone 7 Plus battery case is 4,000 mAh. This one is only 2,420 mAh. The battery in the iPhone 7 Plus is 2,900 mAh which means you don't even get a full charge with this Morphie case.
 

Abacab

macrumors member
Jul 4, 2008
96
3
I have owned these cases from the I-Phone 4 all the way to my 6s and for the money they are not made well,( buttons always break or fail) have issues charging when phone is on and inserted. Although not as stylish I am going to give the Apple case a try as 3 strikes and you are out with mophie. If anyone has a better alternative I would like to hear their experience.
 

OnTheZone

macrumors regular
Apr 1, 2009
113
25
So with this case you can't use wired headphones at all.

Also if it can't do audio pass through USB then I'm assuming it's not possible to do CarPlay either. I truly miss having a mophie but they need to fix these issues first.
 
Last edited:

avanpelt

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2010
2,954
3,873
The iPhone 7 Mophie has a higher capacity battery than the iPhone 7 Plus Mophie? Is that a typo?
 

TurboPGT!

Suspended
Sep 25, 2015
1,595
2,620
Same. I have this case for my 6S and it ios a necessity for me. It is so much easier to just place it on my wireless charging stand at my desk. I wont upgrade my phone until it has wireless charging lol
How is that "easier"? You can't even hold the phone while its charging, let alone use it. And how many of those cumbersome, expensive charging mats do you have? And how effing ugly are they? How does that beat the widely available lightning connectors I have everywhere, the car, the house, etc.
And for that matter, battery lasts so long in the 7 Plus I never charge except at night, and that point, I don't care if its in a dock plugged in or laying on a mat (actually I think I prefer docked).

This kind of "wireless" charging is an inconvenience, not a convenience. Trying to sell it as such is impossible. Its just not better.
 

Appleaker

macrumors 68020
Jun 13, 2016
2,197
4,193
Honestly, I couldn't care less about wireless charging when they could have put a headphone jack on the case.
 

mrow

macrumors 6502
Aug 15, 2009
423
561
Why would they not use a lightning pass-through port at this stage? Apple has made licensing available for female lightning ports to device makers for a few years now. Then wired headphones would work and you could use it with all your existing lightning accessories. That is by far the best thing about Apple's battery cases IMO and why I wouldn't use any battery case that didn't have lightning pass-through.
 

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,541
6,026
Why would they not use a lightning pass-through port at this stage? Apple has made licensing available for female lightning ports to device makers for a few years now. Then wired headphones would work and you could use it with all your existing lightning accessories. That is by far the best thing about Apple's battery cases IMO and why I wouldn't use any battery case that didn't have lightning pass-through.

They'd probably either have to raise the price or lower their profits per sale. They probably calculated that the increase in sales from having lightning wouldn't make up for the fall in sales from a higher price or from the fall in profit per sale.
 

stephen1108

macrumors 65816
Sep 30, 2007
1,098
351
They'd probably either have to raise the price or lower their profits per sale. They probably calculated that the increase in sales from having lightning wouldn't make up for the fall in sales from a higher price or from the fall in profit per sale.
Those cases have a REALLY high margin. On some of them it's almost a 100% markup.
 

SigEp265

macrumors 6502a
Dec 15, 2011
953
881
Southern California
How is that "easier"? You can't even hold the phone while its charging, let alone use it. And how many of those cumbersome, expensive charging mats do you have? And how effing ugly are they? How does that beat the widely available lightning connectors I have everywhere, the car, the house, etc.
And for that matter, battery lasts so long in the 7 Plus I never charge except at night, and that point, I don't care if its in a dock plugged in or laying on a mat (actually I think I prefer docked).

This kind of "wireless" charging is an inconvenience, not a convenience. Trying to sell it as such is impossible. Its just not better.

I use this at my desk.

https://www.amazon.com/Remission-3-Coils-Wireless-Indicator-QI-Enabled/dp/B01FTND612

It's quite easy to just place it on there anytime I am not using it .. and constantly stays charged. I can see notifications quickly and easily because of the stand.
 

Mac 128

macrumors 603
Apr 16, 2015
5,360
2,930
Still no female lightning connector.

jJcyQYD.png

How are these even compatible with the iPhone 7 if they don't have a built-in 3.5mm jack, or a female Lightning connector with which to connect a Lightning adapter, or headphones?

This is really a total fail for anyone the uses a wired headphone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ErikGrim and nutmac

dannyyankou

macrumors G5
Mar 2, 2012
12,900
27,647
Westchester, NY
How is that "easier"? You can't even hold the phone while its charging, let alone use it. And how many of those cumbersome, expensive charging mats do you have? And how effing ugly are they? How does that beat the widely available lightning connectors I have everywhere, the car, the house, etc.
And for that matter, battery lasts so long in the 7 Plus I never charge except at night, and that point, I don't care if its in a dock plugged in or laying on a mat (actually I think I prefer docked).

This kind of "wireless" charging is an inconvenience, not a convenience. Trying to sell it as such is impossible. Its just not better.
I mostly agree, but for certain things it makes sense, like the vent mount they sell.
 

bigjnyc

macrumors 604
Apr 10, 2008
7,806
6,616
This is pretty cool, if only I could stand cases for more than one day. I dont think I've ever had a case on my phone for more than one day, I absolutely hate it.
 

macduke

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,100
19,598
I hope so too...I really think the Apple Watch is/was their beta testing of wireless charging and hoping the reason it wasn't added in the iPhone 7 was because they wanted to add it in their 10th Anniversary iPhone.
I'm thinking it will be more advanced than that.
 

cdmoore74

macrumors 68020
Jun 24, 2010
2,413
711
How can you make an accessory that blocks you from using lightning port headphones? Mophie had months to figure this out.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.