Wireless charging is not a necessity, but once you’ve had a phone with this capability the convenience of simply setting your phone down on a wireless charging pad becomes tough to ever give up. Mophie continues to expand its Charge Force wireless power accessory lineup and sent along an assortment of gear to test.
We reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Juice Pack Wireless in May and now Mophie has brought that same wireless capability to the Apple iPhone 6/6s and 6 Plus/6s Plus. Mophie also has advanced charging platforms with a wireless charging base, Charge Force desk mount, and Charge Force vent mount. Let’s take a closer look at these accessories.
Apple iPhone 6s Plus Juice Pack Wireless and Charging Base
Android smartphone users have had wireless charging capability in their phones for years, while Apple continues to skip wireless and fast charging technology. Admittedly, no one has yet figured out how to implement wireless charging into smartphones encased in metal so I don’t expect Apple to implement wireless charging without a change in its iPhone design.
Since wireless charging is new to Apple iPhone customers, Mophie sells the Juice Pack Wireless bundled with a wireless charging base. The Samsung Galaxy Juice Packs do not come with this bundled charging base.
The charging base has a soft touch top, similar to the back of the Juice Pack case, and bottom that prevents sliding around on your desk. A microUSB cable and A/C adapter is included to plug in the charging base. Set it up on your desk, nightstand, or table and then simply set your iPhone Juice Pack case on it to start charging. Strong magnets are present in the base to automatically line up the Juice Pack for charging so it doesn’t get any simpler to charge up your iPhone.
The iPhone 6s Plus Juice Pack has two pieces. The front frame piece has a green color inner frame with a black outer frame. The green part appears to provide drop protection while the black has a soft touch outer lining to make it easy to grip your iPhone 6s Plus. There are buttons in the frame for power and volume while there is an opening for the ringer switch.
The back piece contains a 2,420 mAh battery and the wireless charging components. There is a male Lightning connector towards the bottom so you simply slide your iPhone down and into place. There is a soft touch front on this bottom piece so that your iPhone won’t get scratched in the case.
There is a large camera opening so that your photo quality is not compromised while using the case. There is an on/off selector switch and a charge indicator button with four LEDs on the lower back. A microUSB port is found on the bottom, along with an opening for your headphone jack. Like most Mophie cases, you need to use a long headphone jack adapter while using the case. I hate this requirement so only use Bluetooth headphones when using a Mophie and have no problem with the end of 3.5mm headphone jacks on iPhones.
The Mophie Juice Pack routs the bottom speaker sound up to the front with the speaker opening on the lower right side. I like this design feature as it makes sound a bit louder and facing in the right direction for speaker phone calls and audio without headphones.
Mophie reports you will see up to 12 hours more talk time, 6 hours more web surfing time, and 7 hours more video playback with the Juice Pack wireless case. You can use it with the included charging base or any Qi/PMA wireless charger found at coffee shops or other venues. The case will charge up your iPhone first as well so you can rest easy that your phone always see priority charging.
These newest Mophie Juice Pack cases also have a Juice Pack dock connector on the bottom so you can purchase one of the $49.95 docks and charge up your smartphone while the phone rests in a vertical position on your desk. I haven’t yet tried out one of the docks, but this looks like a faster and more convenient method to charge compared to using a mess cable solution.
The iPhone 6s Plus bundle is priced at $129.95 while the iPhone 6 bundle is $99.95. You can also purchase an additional wireless charging base for $39.95. These are great solutions for adding wireless charging, additional battery life, and decent protection for your iPhone.
Charge Force Vent Mount
Some new vehicles, like the 2016 Chevy Tahoe I tested have integrated wireless charging pads in the vehicle. However, most automobiles don’t have this capability so that is where the Charge Force Vent Mount comes into play.
The Vent Mount is available for $59.95 and includes a magnetic vent mount, cable, and automobile plug. On the back of the vent mount pad you will find a four way split rubber covered prong that simply slides over your vehicle’s air vent louvers. It works very well at keeping the vent mount pad securely in place.
A microUSB port is found at the bottom so you can attach the cable and automobile power plug. The vent mount pad is 95 x 67 mm and has a strong magnet inside to hold your Mophie Juice Pack and phone in place. I tried it with a Galaxy S7 Edge without the mount, but there is not enough metal in the Galaxy S7 Edge to keep it in place.
The nice thing about using this Charge Force Vent Mount is that you can also then use your smartphone for GPS navigation mounted in a convenient location while your phone continues to charge wirelessly. Keep in mind you should not run your heater through the same vent that your vent mount is attached too, but cool air is fine.
Charge Force Desk Mount
While the wireless charging base is convenient for charging your phone on your desk, some people prefer to have their phone mounted vertically up off of the desk. Mophie has the Charge Force Desk Mount available for $59.95 so you can have your phone accessible for use while it is charging wirelessly.
The Charge Force Desk Mount is especially useful if you make video calls or watch videos on your phone while it’s charging on your desk. The desk mount has an opening in the bottom so that you can run the cable through the opening and up to the bottom of the wireless charging pad. You can rotate the charging pad as it is mounted on a ball joint. Find your perfect viewing/charging angle and then tighten the nut on the back to keep the pad securely in place. While the desk mount is quite light, it is balanced properly so that your phone will not tip it over.
The bottom of the desk mount has a sticky bottom, it’s not an adhesive or anything, so it will not slide around on your desk, counter, or table top.
While Mophie Juice Packs are very nice for providing additional battery life and some protection, the expanded ecosystem of Charge Force accessories makes using a Juice Pack an even more compelling choice. With a Charge Force accessory in your car, on your desk, on your nightstand, or on another convenient table top, you can keep your phone charged up and ready to go all the time. These magnetic Charge Force accessories currently work with Juice Packs for the Samsung Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, Apple iPhone 6/6s, and iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus.
Source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phones/rss.xml