
You got one of those fancy new iPhone 3Gs and find you keep running out of juice? Apple’s decision to keep the iPhone battery safely tucked away in the inaccessible innards of the phone keeps you looking for a power outlet toward the end of the day? This decision may not be popular but it’s opened up the external battery market to those enterprising companies looking to make a buck to keep you all juiced up and we bring you a deathmatch between two of the popular solutions available.
The Mophie Juice Pack 3G is the brand new version of a battery that has been out since the first iPhone was released. This new version is designed specifically for the iPhone 3G and has some innovative features that we’ll look at in the comparison below. The Richard Solo 1800 Backup Battery (RS1800) is that company’s newest model and while it will work with any iPhone or iPod it has specific features when coupled with the iPhone 3G. We will compare both batteries with iPhone 3G usage. Read on to see who wins this deathmatch for extra juice.
Form and function
The first category for this competition takes a look at the form of each competitive device and how well the form serves the user. The Mophie Juice Pack takes the form of a slide-on case that doubles the thickness and weight of the iPhone 3G. It is created as a perfect form fit for the iPhone and once attached to the phone while a bit bulky it fits well in the hand and allows complete usage of the phone. The entire front of the iPhone is unfettered and accessible as always and you can still use the volume and hold controls on the upper left of the iPhone. The entire top of the iPhone is also accessible as the Mophie Juice Pack ends about 1/2 inch from the top of the phone. The iPhone is fully functional in the Juice Pack.
Mophie Juice Pack 3G w/ iPhone in place
The Richard Solo 1800 Backup Battery is a separate unit that plugs into the dock connector of the iPhone. It is almost as large as the iPhone itself and while lighter than the iPhone it makes for a rather unwieldy package when attached to the phone. The RS1800 puts a bit of a strain on the iPhone dock connection so the company has included a clear plastic connection support to take the strain off the connection. I would not recommend using the battery without this support in place. The entire unit (iPhone 3G with RS 1800 battery) is so large that the phone is not usable while the battery is attached. This is the biggest disadvantage of the RS1800 over the Mophie Juice Pack.
Richard Solo 1800 attached to iPhone 3G
Advantage: Mophie Juice Pack
Capacity
You can’t consider an external battery for the iPhone without looking at the additional run time that it will provide, that’s the point after all. Neither company supplies exact run times but in my usage so far both batteries provide roughly the same amount of run time. You will find your iPhone 3G’s run time more than doubled with either battery and that’s pretty good.
Advantage: Tie
Included accessories
Both batteries need to be charged and take slightly different tacks in included accessories to make that easy. The Mophie has the simplest charging method as they include a single short USB to mini-USB cable with the Juice Pack. This cable plugs into the bottom of the Juice Pack (mini-USB) and the USB connector can be plugged into a computer port for charging. You can also plug this cable into the Apple mini-adapter for the iPhone 3G for charging without a computer.
Mophie Juice Pack w/ included USB cable
Richard Solo took a much more elaborate route to provide the most options for charging the RS1800. It comes with a retractable mini-USB to USB cable which is nice as it takes up little space while retracted. It also comes with a mini power adapter that is required as the RS1800 will not charge from a computer’s USB port. You simply plug the cable into the adapter and plug it in to charge. To give you additional choices the company also includes a car adapter that plugs into the cigarette lighter in any car. This adapter is unique in that it has two USB ports, meaning you can run two different devices at the same time. This car charger also takes the retractable USB cable for charging.
Richard Solo 1800 w/ included accessories
The RS1800 also has two unique functions that are integrated into the unit and while not accessories exactly they serve specific purposes. The battery has an integrated laser pointer and LED flashlight with associated on/off switch. Both of these functions work very well and are quite useful so we’ve included them in the accessory category.
Advantage: Richard Solo 1800
Company claims
Both companies claim that their battery will charge both the battery and the iPhone 3G at the same time and I have verified that is true. Mophie claims that the Juice Pack will allow syncing of the iPhone 3G with iTunes while in the Juice Pack and it works on the MacBook but not my MacBook Pro for some reason. This is a cool function when it works and it tilts the nod to them in this category.
Advantage: slightly Mophie Juice Pack
Pricing
Price is always important and the two batteries very quite a bit. The RS1800 has a MSRP of $69.95 at the Richard Solo web site while the Mophie lists for $99.95.
Advantage: Richard Solo 1800
Usability
This last category is likely the most important one. Hey you didn’t think we’d give you the best up front, did you? The category of usability is very important for an external battery like these and can often mean the difference between one you’ll carry with you and one you’ll leave at home. In day-to-day usage we found the Mophie Juice Pack to work better since it becomes in essence a case for the iPhone. The phone is completely usable while in the Mophie so it makes a more useful scenario than the RS1800 which basically requires you to sit the phone down on a table while connected. The Juice Pack also has a very useful LED battery life indicator on the back which gives instant feedback of available battery life by hitting a button.
Advantage: Mophie Juice Pack by a wide margin
Deathmatch results
Comparing two accessories like the Richard Solo 1800 and the Mophie Juice Pack 3G is a difficult process since mobile gadgets are very personal. The one feature or drawback that we find a deal-breaker may very well not matter much to you and vice versa. Our feeling about the two batteries is pretty good, you’d not go wrong with either one thrown in your bag for those moments when your iPhone 3G is running on empty. We prefer the Mophie Juice Pack for all the reasons mentioned above but find the RS1800 to be a solid performer too. If price is critical go with the cheaper RS1800 but if usability is important then the Mophie will serve you better. Thanks to the folks at both Mophie and Richard Solo for providing the evaluation units used in this article. Special thanks to Matt Miller for sending on the Mophie since he didn’t have an iPhone 3G to try it with. :)
jkOnTheRun winner- Mophie Juice Pack





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