iPhone
Review: Pitaka MagEZ Juice – a $90 power bank and wireless charging stand combined into one
It’s expensive, but if you work at a desk all day, this will definitely come in clutch.
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
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One of the things I hate most about smartphone batteries these days is the fact that you can’t replace them. Now, most of them are built right into the phone, so if you ever wanted to upgrade your battery capacity, you just have to wait until a newer phone with a bigger battery is released. It sucks, but hey, that’s the name of the game.
Thankfully, we now have convenient gadgets that extend a phone’s battery life and today we’ll be looking at an option from Pitaka – the MagEZ Juice. So, what is it exactly? Simply put, it’s a magnetic portable power bank that can double as a wireless charging stand.
Coming in at $89, the MagEZ Juice isn’t cheap, but you can see the quality when you take it out of the box. It’s a gorgeous unit, designed extremely well, but it is not without issues. The stand works with any phone along with its case, but to fully utilize the charging stand, you’ll have to apply a magnetic plate with an adhesive back to the back of your phone. I’m not a fan of this because it just bulks up your phone. Pitaka sells its own cases with the magnetic feature built-in. I’m am, however, a big fan of them.
The MagEZ Juice is pricey but provides plenty of utility
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Image: Kevin Raposo / KnowTechie
Now, onto the battery. This is where this device came in really useful for me. With the magnetic plate slapped on the back of my iPhone, I was able to easily attach the power bank effortlessly onto the phone, which wirelessly charges it. That’s pretty neat, and it’s why I can see how this could come in really helpful.
My only caveat about the battery – for $89, I was expecting a bigger capacity battery. It’s only 2000mAh. That’s considerably less than most smartphone batteries. But to be fair, the company’s Amazon product listing doesn’t shy away from the fact, saying, “MagEZ Juice provides an extra 30% power to your device. Not too much but it’s enough to save you out of emergency.” I can’t argue with that.
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Image: Kevin Raposo / KnowTechie
The charging stand is the main event, though. I like the fact that I can mount the phone vertically as well as horizontally. Most charging stands out there only give you one option. And while your phone charges, the battery charges as well thanks to its pass-through charging capabilities.
All in all, it’s a solid product. But if I’m being honest here, it’s a pretty expensive battery and charger. But I have always been a fan of Pitaka’s products, and they’ve been known to withstand the test of time, so I have that assurance that the product is well built. It’s literally made with military-grade aramid fiber and aerospace-grade zinc alloy, so that does help justify the high price tag a bit.
Editors’ Recommendations:
- Review: Roborock S5 Max – let the machines do the work for you
- Review: Anker’s latest portable battery is a perfect, polished powerhouse
- Review: RAVPower 16750mAh external battery pack – Surely a life a saver
- Samsung has a $499 phone with a removable battery and it’s coming to the US very soon
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here for more. A sample unit was provided for the purpose of this review.
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