I for one use my phone a lot, Believe me, unlimited call plans were a bad idea. Battery life, needless to say, is an issue. However, there is a solution. A sexy one too. Well, I think it is anyway.
Ever since the days of the 3GS, Mophie have come to the rescue with external battery cases and, with the latest generation of iPhone and other flagship devices, they’ve continued on.
Here we have the Mophie Juice Pack Helium.
For me it’s a life saver. Putting the case on is a breeze. The case splits in two parts. The bottom holds the switch, the status LED’s and the lightning connector, the other part holds the battery. They fit together nicely with two connectors joining the interiors and providing the “oomph” when needed.
Come 3-4PM I always get low battery warnings. On goes the case at 20% leasing new life up to 80% ready to carry on. I try not to use the phone whilst it’s charging as it warms up a little but that…is… difficult.
The Helium fits well, covering all corners and sides. Made from a quality plastic with a soft touch feel, this one doesn’t have integrated buttons and an impact band like its more expensive siblings, but access to the buttons and holes is still possible. The Helium has cut-outs around the power button and volume buttons/mute switch. As the bottom of the case has the gubbins in, it’s a little thicker. Accessing the headphone port with the Apple earbuds it’s not a problem, but any cans you with a bulky jack plug will need to use the supplied adapter.
With the bottom covering the speaker and microphone, you would expect distortion and a lower quality of sound.Surprisingly enough you don’t suffer at all. The holes are designed to direct the sound and I can honestly say it works well.
Charging the case and phone isn’t an issue. The supplied microUSB lead works with any “Made for iPhone” charger. The case has a pass-through feature and charges the phone and the case at the same time. Syncing can be a little bit of an issue though. If you’re not one for syncing over WiFi and still use a cable, then you’ll need to remove the bottom every time you want to sync. I can’t remember the last time I sync’d with a computer. Does this still happen?
Overall it’s a good quality, well built case made with a purpose in mind of providing additional power when needed. It performs the task very well and for the £59.99 price tag over at MobileFun iPhone 5S Battery Cases I’d consider it a good buy, even more so when stuck with no power in my phone and have no plug socket available. If your phone is your lifeline… Buy one, just flick a switch and carry on with your day.
As a side note, Mophie recommend you start your day with the case and phone fully charged. I think that’s their way of saying charge your phone overnight every night. That’s also the same information I was given by a “Genius” in the local Apple Store.