Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Wearables
  3. Mobile
  4. Reviews

Griffin PowerJolt for iPhone Review

Add as a preferred source on Google
Griffin PowerJolt for iPhone
MSRP $1,599.00
“The Griffin PowerJolt is a handy way to keep your iPhone or iPod charged while on the road.”
Pros
  • Charges both iPod and iPhone; connect by car adapter or USB; available in black or white
Cons
  • Doesn't charge other cell phones; missing vital wall outlet option

“Why you can trust Digital Trends – We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Find out more about how we test and score products.“

Summary

As any iPod or iPhone owner knows, keeping those sweet little devices charged can sometimes be a daily chore. When you’re on the road, in the car or even stationary, finding a place to plug in can be anywhere from mildly annoying to downright impossible. Griffin has you covered with a quick and easy, dual-function charger – the PowerJolt.

Full Review:

Recommended Videos

The Griffin PowerJolt is a three-piece charger meant specifically for iPod and iPhone charging. There’s the PowerJolt charger that gets plugged into car cigarette lighters (any 12V DC plug in automobiles), a USB-to-Dock Connector cable and a USB-to-mini-USB cable.

To set the PowerJolt up, simply plug it in to a 12V outlet in your automobile, connect the USB-to-Dock Connector cable into the PowerJolt’s USB port, and then connect your iPhone or iPod. If you happen to be using Griffin’s iTrip in your car, you can keep your iPod charging by using the USB-to-mini-USB connector between the PowerJolt and the iTrip.

If you’re mobile and need to connect your iPod or iPhone to your laptop, disconnect the USB-to-Dock Connector cable from the PowerJolt and plug it in to an available USB port on your laptop. You can instantly charge and sync your iPod or iPhone.

That’s it – nice and easy. Two upgrades to the PowerJolt could make this accessory 100% perfect – a flip-out plug for standard wall outlets and the ability to charge other devices, like cell phones.

The PowerJolt comes with a 1-year warranty, comes in black and white, and costs roughly $19.99 USD. It also has a replaceable fuse should a power surge ever cause it to fail.

Te PowerJolt is available in Apple stores, on Griffin’s website and at most consumer electronics retail locations where iPod accessories are sold.

Griffin PowerJolt iPhone
Griffin PowerJolt iPhone and iPod Charger

Bonus Value

If you’ve lost or damaged your original iPod or iPhone USB-to-Dock Connector cable, don’t spend $19 USD to replace it with Apple’s branded cable. For an extra dollar, you can get this Griffin PowerJolt charger, a USB-to-Dock Connector and an extra USB-to-mini-USB cable. That’s a fantastic value!

Conclusion:

The Griffin PowerJolt is a handy way to keep your iPhone or iPod charged while on the road. It allows you to charge via any 12V DC outlet (aka cigarette lighter plug) in an automobile or straight from a USB port on your computer. At $19.99 USD, it’s an easy purchase. We just wish Griffin would have added a wall plug and the ability to charge mini-USB-equipped cell phones.

Pros:

• Charges both iPod and iPhone
• Use in-car or connected by USB
• Doubles as backup iPod/iPhone Dock connector
• Available in black and white

Cons:

• Doesn’t charge cell phones
• Missing vital wall outlet option

Jason Tomczak
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nothing’s first proper smartwatch could be the wrist candy Android needs
Nothing wants to put some personality back on your wrist
Wristwatch, Arm, Body Part

Just like how smartphones have settled into a familiar routine, smartwatches have also become quite predictable. But Nothing might be planning on shaking things up for wearables. A tipster claims the company is preparing its first smartwatch under the main Nothing brand. The unnamed wearable will reportedly launch in September, cost less than $300 in the US, and initially reach a limited number of markets.

Its design is also said to carry the “typical Nothing DNA” that has helped the company’s phones and audio gear stand apart. Right after this, Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis joined the conversation with a separate, cryptic post. It adds some company-side smoke to the leak, although Nothing has yet to announce the watch or reveal any hardware details formally.

Read more
Google could soon let you unlock your Pixel Watch with your phone
An in-development feature could flip the current Watch Unlock feature, letting an authenticated phone unlock the watch automatically.
Google Pixel Watch 4 in black in the hand

If you've set up a PIN on your Pixel Watch, you already know the prompt that shows up every time you slip it back on your wrist. It's a useful security measure, but entering a PIN on that small screen multiple times a day gets old fast. A new report suggests Google may be working on a way to let you skip it.

Watch Unlock in reverse

Read more
A new iPhone app can sniff out Meta smart glasses lurking nearby
Your iPhone can now keep an eye on the glasses keeping an eye on you
The Ray-Ban Meta smartglasses and case.

Android users got an unusual privacy tool earlier this year that could alert them when smart glasses were nearby. Five months later, iPhone owners finally have something similar, and its name makes its feelings about Meta pretty obvious.

AntiZuck is a $2.99 iPhone app that scans for Bluetooth signals associated with smart glasses and alerts you when it thinks one is close. It supports devices including Meta Ray-Bans, Snap Spectacles, Amazon Echo Frames, and RayNeo glasses, while the developer says additional hardware is being added.

Read more