Laptop Mag Verdict
The iBattz Mojo Hi5 Power Bank battery case can more than double the life of your iPhone 5, but at the expense of looks and convenience.
Pros
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Excellent battery life
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Good price
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Durable battery case
Cons
- -
Unattractive design
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Inconvenient charging method
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Heavy
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If you own an iPhone 5, chances are you're a fan of industrial design, but you also likely suffer from less-than-desirable battery life. iBattz has an impressive solution for iPhone 5 battery woes: the $79 Mojo Hi5 Power Bank. While this case will more than solve your endurance issues, it's not exactly the most attractive or elegant offering available. Find out whether unmatched lasting power is worth the trade-offs.
Design
Click to EnlargeTo achieve such endurance, iBattz made some design and convenience sacrifices with its Mojo Hi5 Power Bank.
The case comes in two pieces. The first is a thin black plastic shell that clips onto the iPhone itself; on its back are patterns similar to those tribal tattoos that were unfortunately popular in the ‘90s. Each Mojo Hi5 package also includes a glossy white (with black details) version of this thin shell case.
The actual battery, which has a brushed aluminum finish on the back and a rubberized face, attaches to the plastic piece via three slots. When connected, there's a small gap between the shell and the battery, which is somewhat unattractive.
MORE: 11 Battery Tips for Your iPhone 5
A USB port and a microUSB port are on the bottom of the battery, along with four LEDs that indicate charge level, and a button to activate charging.
The Mojo Hi5 charges through its microUSB port, but in order to power the iPhone, you must use the Lightning-to-USB cable that comes with the iPhone. This is much more inconvenient than almost all other iPhone battery cases, which have a Lightning port built in.
The advantage to this design is that, if you don't need to charge your iPhone, you can simply remove the battery and stow it in your bag.
While this case is not an all-in-one offering like most of its competitors, it does manage to maintain the original length and width of the iPhone 5 at 5 x 2.25 x 0.72 inches. That said, it's also the heaviest iPhone 5 battery case we've tested, coming in at 3.9 ounces. The myCharge Freedom and Lenmar Meridian both weigh 3 ounces and others weigh 2.5 ounces.
Performance
Click to EnlargeWhat you lose in convenience and aesthetics the Mojo Hi5 Power Bank gains in endurance. iBattz promises that the 2500 mAh battery in the Mojo Hi5 "easily doubles your mobile usage" on the iPhone 5, and it certainly lives up to that guarantee.
In our LAPTOP Battery Test, which put the iPhone 5 through continuous Web browsing over LTE on 40 percent brightness, the Mojo Hi5 lasted a record 12 hours and 54 minutes. That's more than double the iPhone's battery life of 5:30, and it blows the category average of 9:06 out of the water. The case with the next longest battery life, the Lenmar Meridian, lasted 10:05.
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iBattz also sells a sleeker solution, the Mojo Refuel, for $89, that's closer in design to other battery cases. However, that has a smaller 2200 mAH battery.
Verdict
The $79 iBattz Mojo Hi5 Power Bank offers the most endurance we've seen in an iPhone 5 battery case yet. However, you have to make considerable trade-offs when it comes to design and convenience. We prefer the Lenmar Meridian, which lasts about 10 hours, and has a more one-hand-friendly design. But if battery life is paramount, the iBattz Mojo Hi5 delivers.
iBattz Mojo Hi5 Power Bank Specs
| Accessories Type | Apple Accessories, Chargers, Cell Phones Accessories, Bags and Cases |
| Battery Type/Life | 2500 mAh |
| Brand | iBattz |
| Company Website | http://www.ibattz.com/ |
| Size | 5 x 2.3 x 0.72 inches |
| Weight | 3.9 ounces |
