Mophie Juice Pack Access Battery Case: Power Your iPhone Wirelessly Without Blocking Its Lightning Port

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If you’re going to be away from a charger for a time, and you need your iPhone to keep up and not leave you stranded, using the new mophie juice pack access is a great way to accomplish just that.

Available in four colors for the iPhone X/XS and iPhone XS Max and in three colors for the iPhone XR, the new mophie juice pack access is the perfect way to protect your iPhone while also adding substantial extra battery life.

You might be familiar with mophie’s battery cases, and if so — this is likely what you’re used to seeing.

That’s mophie’s juice pack air; it’s an excellent battery case that protects your phone and gives you an extra 2,420mAh, or up to an additional 33 hours use of your phone. Here’s one thing it doesn’t do, though — provide access to your Lightning port. When your iPhone is in that battery case, the Lightning port is covered because the case is using that port to power your phone. The mophie juice pack air is a good product, but the mophie juice pack access is a great product. Here’s why …

As you might have gathered from its name, the juice pack access provides access to the Lightning port on the bottom of your phone. Why does this matter?

Well, since the mophie juice pack access battery case uses wireless charging rather than needing to physically insert into the Lightning port to charge the phone, the Lightning port is left free for other uses — like plugging in a pair of wired earphones or for attaching a Lightning port accessory like the Shure MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone or the DXO One camera. In other words, if you are using your iPhone to capture a long day of video, you’ll now have a built-in backup battery that doesn’t require you removing your accessory to recharge your phone on the go.

The mophie juice pack access packs a 2,200mAh battery into a case that measures ~6.3″ tall by 3.2″ wide by  0.70″ thick, and it adds an additional 3.74 ounces to your phone. It can give you up to an additional 31 hours of battery life, and it will protect your phone from drops; the battery case also offers face-down protection for your phone’s display.

The mophie juice pack access is coated in a rubbery material that won’t stop you from sliding your phone (with the case attached) into your pocket, but it is more grippy than slippery when in your hand. If you should drop your phone while it’s in the case, your phone’s four corners will be protected as well as the top and both sides.

The mophie juice pack access has two parts; to use it you’ll separate the two pieces, slide your iPhone in, and then slide the top piece back into place.

Once your phone is in the juice pack access, you’ll have full access to the bottom of your iPhone. The power and volume buttons will be covered with built-in button covers, and the mute switch will be accessible via cutout.

On the back of the juice pack access, there is a small round button next to four LEDs. A quick press of the button will show you remaining battery life in 25% increments. If you press and hold the button for three seconds the battery case will begin wirelessly charging your phone (5W output); pressing and holding the button for another three seconds will turn the case’s wireless charging off, conserving the remaining power until you need it later.

The mophie juice pack access can use USB-Type C to charge, but it is also able to be charged with any Qi wireless charger. I tried it with the Nomad Wireless Hub and the Google Pixel Stand, and both worked just fine. When you set the case on a wireless charger, it will begin charging on contact. If your iPhone is in the case when you’re charging the battery case wirelessly, priority+ pass-through charging will kick in to provide power to your iPhone inside the case first; after your phone has fully charged, the juice pack access battery will start to recharge.

If you regularly find yourself at all-day events away from power and you’d prefer not to carry a separate battery pack, then you’ll love the attractive and convenient wirelessly charging mophie juice pack access. But if you regularly use accessories that need access to the Lightning port and you also need additional battery power, you are going to absolutely love this battery case’s features and design.

The mophie juice pack access for the iPhone XS Max retails for $99.95, and it is available directly from the manufacturer and from other retailers including Amazon [affiliate link]. 

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Attractive battery case that offers four-corner and face-down protection without blocking access to the Lightning port; You can wirelessly charge the battery case; Priority+ pass-through charging will charge your phone first when it’s in the case, then it will charge the battery case — all wirelessly; Available in four colors

What Needs Improvement: Nothing

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About the Author

Judie Lipsett Stanford
Judie is the co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Gear Diary, which she founded in September 2006. She started in 1999 writing software reviews at the now-defunct smaller.com; from mid-2000 through 2006, she wrote hardware reviews for and co-edited at The Gadgeteer. A recipient of the Sigma Kappa Colby Award for Technology, Judie is best known for her device-agnostic approach, deep-dive reviews, and enjoyment of exploring the latest tech, gadgets, and gear.