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29th May 2012
Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Pro USB power pack review
by Ian Burley

Bags of emergency power for USB-chargeable cameras and other devices

To recharge the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Pro simply plug in a Micro USB cable and connect to a powered USB port.

Mophie produces a range of supplementary rechargeable power packs, which Mophie call Juice Packs, including iPhone cases with built in batteries. With cameras on our mind, we chose the top of the range Powerstation Pro USB Juice Pack. This is a ruggedised rechargeable battery protected by a rubber jacket. It has two ports; a micro USB port for charging and a standard USB that you can connect your device to via the relevant USB cable for power and/or charging. The protective rubber jacket also features rubber flaps over the ports. This enables the device to conform to IP65 dust and liquid ingress. That means it is completely protected from dust, while water protection is basically splash proof, or "Protected against low pressure water jets from any direction. Limited ingress permitted." The Powerstation Pro is designed for charging and providing emergency power for mobile phones, but as USB power is widely used in many other devices the Powerstation Pro is a versatile power source.

Quite a few compact digital cameras now re-charge their cameras inside the camera using USB for the power source. The Powerstation Pro is ideal for cameras like these. Unfortunately, larger cameras with larger batteries continue to use external chargers because of the higher current required. If you are going somewhere without guaranteed access to mains power a device like the Powerstation Pro could conceivably keep your camera, phone and a number of other devices charged up.

The Powerstation Pro battery is rated to 6000mAh. Using a fully-charged Powerstation Pro we were able to recharge two smartphones; an iPhone 4s, a Samsung Galaxy Note, and an Olympus XZ-1 compact camera and there was still a little residual capacity. It's worth noting that for faster charging you should use the USB cable that came with the device you are charging because these may be wired to enable more current to be drawn from the USB port than a standard USB data cable. The Powerstation Pro is able to deliver up to 2.1 amps. For example, this was enough to charge an iPhone 4s from flat in less than two hours. Mophie say that you can power an iPad using the Powerstation Pro but the battery in the iPad exceeds the capacity of the Powerstation Pro, so it will certainly help you out but not provide the equivalent of a full charge. It's also not possible to charge the Powerstation Pro and provide power to a connected device at the same time.

Power is not available simply by plugging in your device. A button on the side of the Powerstation Pro doubles as a remaining charge capacity tester, with four red LEDs showing available capacity, and you press the same button to commence power delivery once a device is connected. The four LEDs indicate that power is on and how much power is remaining. As soon as you disconnect from the charging USB port the power stops.

A standard USB port lets you connect virtually any device that requires USB power.

 

Note the rubberised power on and battery test button on the right of the Powerstation Pro.

It does take a fair while to recharge a depleted Powerstation Pro. An overnight charge is your best option. A mains charge adapter is not provided with the Powerstation Pro and it's not recommended that you try to charge the device using a standard USB data port as the current this can deliver may not be adequate. Instead, use a phone or camera USB charger with the USB cable supplied with your Powerstation Pro.

Conclusion and rating

The Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Pro is an ideal product for keeping USB-powered devices going. In our experience one Powerstation Pro charge is enough to regenerate three or even more smartphones and cameras. It's also rugged and dust and splash proof. At 218g without its USB cable, and about the size of two smartphones on top of each other, it's not too big and bulky. If there is a niggle, it's the cost; at over £100 you will have to make your own mind as to whether it's good value and affordable. If you like the concept but want to spend less, Mophie also sells lower capacity, more compact and less ruggedised Juice Packs. But cost aside, we can heartily recommend the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Pro.

DPNow.com review rating: 80% or 4/5 stars

 

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