Over the years I have tested many different Mophie charging cases and have purchased a few in airports around the country as more power was needed on the road. I’ve spent the past couple of weeks testing the new Mophie Juice Pack for the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and love the innovative wireless charging technology that means I don’t have to give up a convenience I have come to enjoy on my S7 Edge.
The Mophie Juice Pack for the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is priced at $99.95 and offers up 3,300 mAh of extra battery capacity. The Galaxy S7 Edge comes with an integrated 3,600 mAh battery so this extra capacity is designed to provide up to 13 hours more talk time, 5 hours more web browsing, 40 hours of additional music playback, and 11 hours more video playback.
The retail package includes the two pieces Mophie Juice Pack, a microUSB cable, and a pass-through headset adapter. The microUSB port on the case is designed so that just about any current cable you have should work, but the headphone jack is recessed quite a bit at the bottom of the case so you will need to use the adapter. I prefer to use Bluetooth headphones, like the JayBird Freedom, and don’t like having to remember to carry the adapter.
While wireless charging may not be that important to the masses, it’s a convenience I have come to embrace in my life with wireless charging stations on my nightstand, on my home office desk, and at my engineering office desk. I love that I can just drop my S7 Edge down on a charger to top it off without worrying about connecting a cable.
For the first time from Mophie, we see that Mophie integrated wireless charging into the Juice Pack so even when your S7 Edge is mounted inside you can set the Mophie package down and charge it up without wires. You can also charge up the Mophie Juice Pack wirelessly without the S7 Edge being positioned inside the case. The case supports Qi and PMA wireless technologies so you should be able to charge it up just about anywhere.
The Mophie Juice Pack will top off your S7 Edge first and then charge up the case so that your phone is always ready to go. There is a button and four bright white LED indicator lights on the back to provide you with the battery pack status. Press and hold the status button for two seconds to begin charging your phone. There are buttons on the side for volume and power and an ample camera and flash opening so that the quality of your photos is not impacted.
The Mophie Juice Pack is a two piece solution. Slide your S7 Edge down onto the embedded microUSB fitting at the bottom of the case and then snap on the top frame piece to secure your S7 Edge in place. The Mophie Juice Pack is designed to provide some protection from drops too, which is important when you have a phone with a glass back. The case curves down along the edges so you still get full edge functionality with the appealing design aspects present as well.
The Mophie Juice Pack does add bulk to the sleek S7 Edge device, but the weight is only 122 grams and it is curved on the back to make holding it more comfortable. The case is also covered in matte, soft touch black material so it makes it easy to grip and hold onto your S7 Edge. Unlike some people who always carry their phones in a Mophie, I would only use it during time when I plan to be away from a charger for an extended period of time because the added bulk just isn’t worth it to me.
While the Galaxy S7 Edge is water resistant, one of its greatest features IMHO, the Mophie Juice Pack is not so be careful using this case solution in the rain or other wet environments. My S7 Edge already provides me with excellent battery life, but there are times when you need more. Maybe I’ll pick one up at the airport when I have an urgent need for more power, but $100 is tough to justify when you can get 10,000 mAh and more capacity from a portable battery pack.
Source: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phones/rss.xml