Top 5 iPhone 3G Battery Extenders Review
My Apple iPhone 3G is always running out of battery life and many vendors are catching on to the add-on market for portable battery extensions. In this post I review my top 5 favorite designs and assume many more exist that are great but still on the drawing table right now. In researching this I came across a page at Apple that basically says turn off 3G, wi-fi, lower brightness, turn off push mail… get serious Apple!
Apparently a new iPhone is arriving in 1 week so maybe this issue has been resolved..
What is important in a Battery Design for the iPhone
- Small & thin in design (if adds to much bulk, not worth it)
- Function with the iPhone as if you didn’t have a battery pack (no removing battery to charge phone)
- Modern in design and flow (Apple set the bar high on this one)
- Not increase phone size so much it doesn’t fit in your pocket (I carry mine in front pocket and the extra size would not be cool)
- Easy to sync phone without removing (essential, I heard horror stories on this with some battery solutions)
- Ability to leave on at all times and remove easily.
- Sturdy connection point (don’t want this to break the connector on the phone do we?)
- Price can’t exceed $99 (if phone is $199, that battery can’t be 50% of the price)
- Doubles the battery life of the iPhone or not worth it. 1000mAh minimum (I found that 1200mAh will provide 270 hours of additional standby time and 4.5 hours of 3G talk time).
- No additional blinking lights
- No large branding statement on the battery case.
The $6 Solution Before I begin I found a Cnet article that mentioned how to replace the iPhone battery internally by removing the 1100mAh and replacing with a higher capacity 1600mAh (the replacement should give you about 50 percent more runtime). The important point - Opening up your iPhone will void your warranty. So will installing a third-party battery.
Most Popular iphone batteries according to me..
1. Mophie Juice Pack Air Battery iPhone 3G $79 (1200 mAh) (see online)I came across this battery and said this is the one! First impression is good design, slimness, style all sounds good. They make a claim to be the thinnest rechargeable battery case for the iPhone 3G and they are correct! The battery is available only from Mophie & Apple Stores and is Apple certified. You can sync without disconnecting the battery, charged with a USB cable and has a power switch. The life of this battery is 500 cycles and after that will diminish in capacity (just buy a new iphone). It comes in 3 colors and doubles the life of your iPhone which is fine.
Project Gadget Rating: 10 out of 10
Mophie Video Review
2. Mophie Juice Pack Battery iPhone 3G $99 (1800 mAh) (see online)Ok, not as stylish as the Mophie Air it has more juice (1800mAh vs. 1200mAh) and is another rechargeable battery slider for the iphone. The case is non-slip in a soft gel design. It weighs 3 ounces and provides an extra 6 hours of 3G Internet use, 7 hours of Wi-Fi or 6 hours of 3G talk time. This was the first certified Apple battery to work with the 3G and not if that is a good thing or a bad thing.. Personally I like the air design but more power is the reason you are reading this page. You can sync and charge without removing the battery and offers the Latest in lithium polymer battery technology. Project Gadget Rating: 9 out of 10
3. Power Slider for iPhone 3G by InCase $79 (1330mAh) (see online) Although this product has been around for awhile I am keeping it on the list based on it’s design aesthetic and overall approach. The black case is simple. The issue I have heard about this battery is with syncing and have resisted buying it on that alone. The unit weighs 2.5 ounces and increases the phone to the point of not fitting in your pocket. A nice point - "Works with iPhone" certified by Apple Project Gadget Rating: 8 out of 10
Other Ideas for charging I choose to highlight the “other” category for iPhone External power as I am not sure I want one of these designs but wanted to share. I say this because I use a contour Flick case and the thought of flipping the flap and popping this on the bottom is not cool.
Those include the:
4. iPWR SuperPack iPhone 3G Battery Pack $59 (1800 mAh) (read recent project gadget post)
This small, modern battery pack for the Apple iPhone 3G is my favorite plug in style design. With 1800 mAh power source it’s the smallest battery and you can achieve 120% the battery life of your iPhone with re-charging in 2.5 hours. The lithium-polymer battery allows you to talk on the phone while it’s attached and that’s important to me. Available in Black & White and comes with a nifty top snap-on case and very thin in design. If I was buying an external battery pack I would suggest this design.
Project Gadget Rating: 10 out of 10
5. Richard Solo 1800 iPhone external battery pack $69 (1800 mAh) (see online) Honestly, I have some doubts about anything remotely tied to Sharper Image (ex-sharper image guy) as the quality of the brand went down so much I don’t see why this would be different. However, I will give the benefit of the doubt and say it provides an extra 1800 mAh of power which is as good as anything on the page and you don’t have to leave it on the phone which is nice.
Project Gadget Rating: 8 out of 10
Overall, I see the Mophie Air the winner in my iPhone 3G external battery solution research. If I was to go to a 2nd choice it would most likely be the IPWR external pack and just use it when I needed it. Please comment on what you thought.
I wanted to update my post and say that I purchased the Mophie and it is great - 2 Thumbs Up on this one and used during an entire 3hr flight, flicked the switch and powered up the battery right away. A must for long hauls!
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