For a long time, Mophie made its name from iPhone accessories. The juice pack and its subsequent variations have become essential tools for many smartphone users looking to extend the uptime of their devices. This is especially true when speaking of devices that do not have removable batteries.
The HTC One resembles the iPhone in many ways: it is crafted from a single piece of aluminum; it has a non-removable cell; and, at least for now, it stands alone at the top of the pyramid as the company’s flagship device. Its high-profile release across multiple carriers has ensured that accessory manufacturers like Mophie worked quickly to create versions of their own most popular add-ons.
Mophie’s juice pack for the HTC One is similar to the recently-released iPhone 5 version, but it’s much, much bigger. Not only does the battery itself have a much higher capacity, at 2500mAh, but the sheer size difference between the One and iPhone 5 necessitates a larger structure around the phone.
Not only does the juice pack add weight, size and thickness to the HTC One, but it protects the phone a considerable amount, from scrapes to falls to knocks.
Like most mophie accessories, the juice pack for HTC One comes in two pieces, a larger bottom piece and a smaller top one that snaps into place once the phone is secured and plugged in. Due to the non-centred microUSB port, the juice pack looks like it has a snaggletooth, but is otherwise unremarkable in its design.
On the back, you’ll find four LEDs that glow white when the charge button is pressed. Next to it is a small on/off switch that begins charging the phone.
The juice pack will charge the phone regardless of battery level; if the phone reaches 100%, the add-on will maintain it there until it is depleted. When charging the juice pack itself, which is done via an included microUSB cable at the bottom, the phone and charger are topped up simultaneously, albeit at a slower pace than either one on its own.
The 2500mAh battery should be able to get your HTC One back to 100% from around 20% or so; though the included capacity is actually larger than the One’s internal battery, it isn’t quite efficient enough to hit 100% from fully depleted.
As a case, the juice pack is a little too big to use as a standard protector — I’d recommend one of HTC’s official cases, or Spigen’s excellent Ultra Thin Air — unless you don’t mind the added bulk. It’s not really the extra weight or thickness that affected normal usage so much as the increased height. The One is already a tall phone, and with the juice pack attached it just felt unwieldy and awkward, especially when used with one hand.
As with most Mophie cases, all the buttons are covered and adorned with rubber equivalents; the power and volume rocker felt extremely spritely and responsive. And because the HTC One projects its speakers towads the user, there was no need for Mophie to redirect sound the way it did for the iPhone series.
Overall, the Mophie juice pack for the HTC One does exactly as it advertises. It almost doubles the length of your phone’s battery but increases its overall weight, height and thickness considerably. While the added bulk won’t be an issue for most people, and all the requisite functions, from access to the camera to pressing the power button, are all present, it’s still a bit too big to use as an everyday case.
For $99.95, the juice pack is excellent value and a fantastic product. It is available directly from Mophie’s website and through select retailers. The black version is shipping now with a silver version coming in mid-May.
Highly Recommended.
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