Skip to main content

Mophie’s new battery packs also add much-needed storage to your iPhone and iPad

There are two main problems with mobile devices that have yet to be solved: constraints on battery life and internal storage space. It’s often a daily battle to keep your phone above 10 percent battery on any given day, and after a while, you tend to run out of storage space what with all the cat photos you’ve been taking. Now Mophie is wading back in to solve both those problems with its new Space Pack case for iPad Mini and Spacestation charger bank, which is compatible with any device.

It’s like having a roomy MicroSD card and a extra huge battery in your phone.

“Space represents another opportunity for us. Just as we created and established a real solution for mobile power with the juice pack,” said Daniel Huang, Mophie CEO and Co-Founder. “The next phase of Space establishes a complete, user-friendly solution for mobile storage and file management.”

How does it work, you may ask? Well, Mophie — known for its excellent battery packs and power cases for iPhone/Android devices — simply adds two things to its original battery cases: local flash storage and an app to manage it. Pop your Space Pack on your phone or plug it into your tablet, and you get extended battery life and extra storage. It’s like having a roomy MicroSD card and a extra huge battery in your phone.

You can then decide what goes into your new storage with Mophie’s Space app. The app acts like a file manager, and you can toggle on a setting that will migrate every picture from your camera roll onto your Space Pack automatically. Once your photos are in the Space Pack, you can delete them from your phone or tablet to free up space. However, you’ll still have local access to those files at all times, whether or not you have an Internet connection. If those pics were on the cloud, you’d be unable to view them unless you had a connection.

You can also store documents, videos, presentations, and other kinds of media on the Space Pack. You can import files from cloud-based storage like iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive, as well as from your computer and other phones or tablets, too. Most of this is done over a Wi-Fi connection using a special code, by connecting devices directly via USB, or with AirDrop on iOS. Once the files are on the pack, you can organize them.

The app is a free download on the iOS App Store or GooglePlay, and although you can download it on any iPhone or Android device even if you don’t own a Space Pack, most of the useful features will be unavailable, so you’d best buy a Space Pack if you’re interested. The app also takes some getting used to, and would greatly benefit from a tutorial or tips section.

Mophie Spacestation

The first new option from Mophie is the Spacestation battery bank. It looks like your average power bank, but in addition to its 6,000mAh battery, it also has up to 128GB of extra storage space. You can connect your iOS, Android, Mac, or PC device to the Spacestation, and manage your storage either online or in the app.

The Spacestation adds up to 100 percent extra battery for iPad Mini, and 200-300 percent for the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. Mophie says that the additional memory gives users access to as many as 64,000 photos, 56,000 hours of video, and 36,000 additional songs — Not even your 128GB iPhone could handle all those files.

Mophie Space Pack for iPad Mini

Mophie’s newest form factor for its Space Pack line is the iPad Mini case. Depending on which model you buy, you can get up to 128GB of external storage that will hold around 64,000 photos, 56 hours of video, and 36,000 songs, effectively making them accessible to you on your iPad Mini at all times.

The 7,000mAh battery in the case will add 100 percent extra battery, while the case itself protects your iPad Mini from scratches and drops. It’s also compatible with Apple’s magnetic smart cover, so you can still snap that over the screen. It looks awkward and a little clunky, but it will certainly keep your iPad Mini safe.

Coming soon: Mophie Space Pack for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

Mophie will also soon introduce the Space Pack for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 case gets a boasts a 3,300mAh internal battery for a 100 percent charge, while the one for the iPhone 6 Plus has a 2,600mAh internal battery with a 50 percent charge. Both come with varying amounts of storage up to 128GB.

Editors' Recommendations

Malarie Gokey
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Mobile Editor, Malarie runs the Mobile and Wearables sections, which cover smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and…
You may have to wait a while longer for new iPads
The backs of Apple's iPad Air and iPad Pro, with the tablets place on a table.

Just days ago, the Chinese website IT Home said Apple would announce the launch of its 2024 iPads on Tuesday, March 26. However, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman — who still believes new iPads will arrive this spring — has debunked this rumor. In other words, we'll probably have to wait a little longer for new Apple tablets to arrive.

Gurman had previously stated that Apple's next-generation tablets would arrive in late March or April.  Of the March 26 rumor, Gurman took to X, formerly Twitter, to say it was "not true."

Read more
YouTube TV just got even better on iPhones and iPads
Multiview on YouTube TV on an iPad.

If you use the most popular live-streaming service on an iPhone or iPad, things just got even better. YouTube TV — which boasts more than 8 million subscribers — just pushed multiview live on Apple's mobile devices, as previously promised.

It works basically the same way it does on a television. YouTube TV picks the programs available in multiview, and you get them all at once, with audio coming from one of the shows. Tap another, and the audio switches. And just as before, you can get multiview for sports, news, business, or weather. (Though we definitely don't recommend watching four news channels at once in an election year.) It's just in time for March Madness, which is great, though we hope you'll be able to pick your own games instead of just sticking with the multiple viewing options YouTube TV gives. This will be great come fall, though, when the new season of NFL Sunday Ticket takes hold.

Read more
iPhone not holding charge? How to replace an iPhone battery
How-to-replace-iPhone-battery-feature-image

When smartphones were in their infancy, battery packs were easy to replace. Most products let users open a flap on the back of the device to easily remove the battery, giving them a quick way to ditch a dead battery and install a new one. Fast forward to 2024, and that's a rarity. Replacing batteries is much more difficult today than it was a decade ago, and that's especially true for all iPhone models.

Whether you're working with the new iPhone 15 or an old iPhone 12, you can't just run out to the store and snag a new battery for your smartphone. Instead, you'll need to contact Apple directly or go through elaborate workarounds to install the battery yourself.

Read more