iPhone5 users can now enjoy extended battery life thanks to a new accessory made by Mophie. The device is called the juice pack air, and it offers a sleek solution to the battery problems iPhone 5 users have been struggling with since iOS 6.0.2 was rolled out earlier this year.
Gadget Insiders reports that the juice pack air weighs just 2.68 ounces and has a 1,700 mAh battery that’s inserted into a standard iPhone5 case. According to the manufacturer, it adds about eight more hours of talk time or LTE Internet use or ten hours of Wi-Fi use. In addition it adds 40 hours to the iPhone 5’s audio playback and 10 hours of video playback.
Mophie said the case works for about 500 full charging cycles, with a cycle being any time the device is charged from empty up to 100 percent. The accessory’s capacity could drop to 75 percent after 500 full charging cycles. It does come with an outlet to allow microUSB charging for both the juice pack air and the iPhone5 at the same time.
The juice pack air will be available on March 22, although it can be purchased as a pre-order. It’s priced at $100, and available colors include black right now and then red and white closer to the release date.
Mophie released a similar product in February called the juice pack helium. It sells for around $80 and is a little less of an upgrade than the juice pack air. A reviewer at ocanada said the juice pack helium adds 1,500 mAh of battery life in a case similar to the one used for the juice pack air. It adds about six hours of talk time, up to 30 hours of audio playback time and seven hours of video playback time.