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Review: Monoprice's iPhone leather-cased battery backup is another great deal

by David Winograd Jan 22nd 2010 at 6:30PM

We like Monoprice around here. They are a wonderful source for cables and iPhone battery backups as well as lots of other accessories and add-ons. We covered their 2200 mAh battery dongle a few months back and nearly everyone who bought one was quite happy including our own Auntie TUAW. The price was great at US$14.50 when reviewed and currently up just about 75 cents to a still absurdly cheap US$15.23. One problem people had with it was that if left in your pocket, the dongle could get loose and stop charging the iPhone. Pushing it back into place corrected that, but it was an inelegant solution.

Getting ready for my trip to the Macworld Expo I wanted something that would stay in place dependably no matter where I put it, so I went back to Monoprice.com, and found a leather case cover with a 2200 mAh battery built in that the iPhone snaps into. The price is ridiculously low at US $20.75, just US $5.52 more than the dongle. This has been on sale for at least as long as the dongle, I hadn't heard anything about it, but decided to give it a try.


What you get is a plastic case housing the battery that your iPhone 3G or 3GS snaps into. iPod touch users need not apply, since when plugging your device into the case, you'll be covering your speaker jack, making the product worthless to you. Connected to the top of the case is a leather cover that you flip to protect your screen. On the left side is an input for the usual 30 pin dock cable to charge the unit. On the front is one light and a toggle switch marked on and off. As is usual with Monoprice, there are no instructions.

You really don't need instructions since it's pretty obvious how it works. Slide your iPhone onto the case's 30 pin dock connector and the fit is nice and snug. Plug in a standard iPhone/iPod cable into the side and the light turns red until fully charged when the light turns green. The on and off switch activates or de-activates the battery backup. I can't come up with a good reason to ever turn it off. The leather flip cover not only protects the screen, but also acts as a stand, when folded back a bit, holding the iPhone upright in either landscape or portrait mode. So much for those little flexible plastic holders. Another nice feature is that if you leave the switch set to on, you can charge both the battery backup and your iPhone at the same time using a standard 30 pin iPhone/iPod cable.

Its closest competor is the Mophie Juice Pack which has a smaller 1800 mAh battery, needs a mini-USB cable to charge, has no screen protection and costs $US 99.95. In its favor though, the Mophie comes in four colors while Monoprice ships only basic black.

The downside of the Monoprice case: It adds a good deal of heft to the svelte iPhone. Batteries aren't light. The upside is that it's US $79 cheaper than the Mophie with a larger battery, screen protection, and you don't need to find that missing mini-USB cable. You'll also save another few bucks by not having to buy a stand. As with anything else I've bought from Monoprice, I recommend it highly.

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We like Monoprice around here. They are a wonderful source for cables and iPhone battery backups as well as lots of other accessories and...
 

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18 Comments

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JH

the one I received did not work at all. The phone does not fit tightly in the case. being returned.

February 01 2010 at 1:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
gshadley

I like this device but I do have a question. I have found that I cannot sync my iPhone 3GS while it is in the battery case. Has anyone else had this problem? Thank you.

January 28 2010 at 7:24 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
flexo

Does the leather flap secure with a magnet or something, or does it just flap about?

January 25 2010 at 12:18 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to flexo's comment
David Winograd

It just flops around, but it's heavy enough to stay in the right place most of the time.

January 25 2010 at 6:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
thelongmile

I decided to check this site out on the recommendation but was extremely saddened to see the UK shipping costs (see here for a screenshot with some example items http://grab.by/1V9q ) I'm not sure if there's a UK equivalent but I don't think I can justify paying another $26 on top just to get it shipped to me. And I don't see a UK equivalent, so if anyone knows of one I'd really be grateful if you could link me to one. Otherwise this product does look fantastic, but sadly us people in the UK won't be able to get it unless we play inordinate amounts of money to ship it. damn...

January 23 2010 at 9:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Appulous

Wow good deal condisering the mophie is $99. I own a mophie and its great when traveling or using the gps constantly.

On another note check out this app it's pretty fun. It's like the lightsaber app except it's an actual game. It's called SaberBall http://bit.ly/SaberBall

January 23 2010 at 1:59 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
now4real954

dude this thing is BUTT UGLY...I just had to check it out cuz it looked too good to be true...and it is...

I'm sorry...the last thing I would ever put my precious iPhone into is that awful looking case

I have the Juice Pack Air and I love it...tends to make the phone a little bulky but when I have it in the case for a long period of time and I take my phone out of it...I feel like my phone is a delicate flower...and I worry about it...lol

so I put it back in to keep it safe...and I have dropped my iPhone a few times while in the Juice Pack and tho the Pack seems to be scratched a bit...I thank god that those scratches are not on my phone...

MOPHIE RULES enough said

January 23 2010 at 1:32 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
2 replies to now4real954's comment
JH

Scott how long have you worked for Mophie ?

January 23 2010 at 1:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
now4real954

@JH...NO I don't work for Mophie...I work for Best Buy...and I have the Juice Pack Air...which is only $79.99 at both Best Buy and at Apple Stores

it's not so bulky and keeps the phone safe like a normal case

and your smart ass remarks are not needed...when I love a product I will be passionate about it and it is none of your concern where the heck I work...NOW WHAT?

it so annoys me that people have the nerve to talk smack to people on these blogs...because you know damn well you would not say anything to me if I was in front of you...

sorry everyone else that I had to snap...let the peace go one...and keep praying for those poor unfortunate souls on the Island Nation of Haiti

give to your local charity for relief and supplies for them in Haiti...the most peaceful people ever

January 23 2010 at 8:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dadditude

Great review. I currently have the Mophie Juice Pack Air, but might have considered this case had I known about it. Maybe I'll get one once my wife gets an iPhone of her own.

January 23 2010 at 12:11 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
AJ

How is it so cheap? It probably uses counterfeit iPod dock connectors. Apple does not sell dock connectors to unapproved (non-Works with iPhone) accessories, nor do they allow the use of dock connector receptacles on accessories. So combine cheap knock-off or grey-market connectors with the lack of royalty payments to Apple and BINGO!, you can undercut the competition. This is just a theory, of course.

January 22 2010 at 10:23 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
3 replies to AJ's comment
Brian

The reason to turn it off is that when you leave it on all day the battery constantly tries to stay full... by only turning it on when you're down to 10 or 20% you'll maximize your total battery life between the two batteries. I do this with my mophie and I can easily go two days if I need to with heavy use of the phone and any apps.

January 22 2010 at 9:04 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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