iPhone power pack review part one, the MiLi Power Pack

First impressions

As with all things these days, first impressions are important, and the MiLi Power Pack does not disappoint. Presented in a nice looking compact black box with the MiLi logo and picture on the front, which is synonymous with products from both Apple and 3rd party manufacturers. Open the box and looking back at you is the MiLi with the familiar printed iPhone insert representing where your iPhone will ultimately live. Remove the MiLi from the box and the first two things that grab you is just how light weight it is, and the nice shinny high gloss piano finish (just like my black iPhone 3G) that has been very popular in recent years, which some people will love, whilst others will think it looks cheap and will loath. The MiLi also comes in a range of colours, although is is only the inlay that is coloured, which is obscured when fitted to your iPhone. In the bottom of the box you will find the supplied USB cable which you connect to the iPhones charger for charging, however with my sample there was one noticeable omission, the instruction leaflet!! After talking to the supplier, it turns out this had been removed as the supplied instructions were poorly translated in to English, and they were in the process of have new ones printed. This was not really a major problem, as a quick Google search found some translated user instructions, but even with out these you do not need to be a scientist to work out how to use it, but just in case here are the user instructions I used.

The MiLi Power Pack

Once out of the box and fully charged, it was time to take the MiLi for a spin. First off, and because the MiLi is billed as being compatible with both the 1st Gen iPhone and the iPhone 3G, I attached my wife's 1st Gen iPhone to the Power Pack. Whilst the MiLi does connect to the 1st Gen iPhone (after all it uses the same standard iPhone connector), it is a very very bad fit, which was not really a surprise as the back of the iPhone 3G is curved, whist the 1st Gen is not.

Having got this first test out of the way, it was time to fit the MiLi to my iPhone 3G, and I am please to say this was a much better fit, although I would have preferred it to have been a more snug fit than it actually was, as there was some movement of the iPhone, which could have easily been fixed with some strategically positioned foam or rubber pads.

When you insert your iPhone in to the MiLi, the iPhones battery charge indicator screen comes on, as if you have just plugged it in to a power outlet (which of course you have). What you will also notice is that when your iPhone is switched on, the recharge/power outlet icon is displayed in the top right hand corner of your iPhones screen.

Removing the iPhone from the MiLi was a little difficult, as whilst the power pack is not a tight fit, the iPhone connector is a firm fit. Whilst the MiLi does have a couple of thumb grooves near the power pack connector, enlarging these would have made removal of the MiLi that much easier (for me anyway).

Finding your way around the MiLi Power Pack

On the front of the MiLi you will find a power on button, although this is only used to light the 4 blue LED lights to indicate how much power is left in the power pack, as shown below:

• 1st LED on = MiLi Battery Charge is 0-25%
• 2nd LED on = MiLi Battery Charge is 25-50%
• 3rd LED on = MiLi Battery Charge is 50-75%
• 4th LED on = MiLi Battery Charge is 75-100%

On the back, is the MiLi logo and a cut-out for the iPhone lens, although on my MiLi I found there was a small amount of vignetting visible where the cut-out for the camera lens is just not quite big enough, although on my test photo's it was barely noticeable. On the bottom of the MiLi you will find a mini USB port (marked IN) which is used to connect the supplied USB cable to your iPhone charger, for charging. Next to this is a full sized USB port (marked OUT), which can be used to charge something like a Bluetooth headset. On my MiLi this full size USB port was slightly twisted (poorly fitted), although did not affect its functionality.

MiLi Specifications:

• Sync with iTunes when still docked in your MiLi Power Pack
• USB out port on bottom of pack for charging other USB devices such as bluetooth headsets
• The Mili Power Pack uses its power first to power the iPhone, and then switches to the iPhones own battery
• LED blue power indicator lights
• Compatibility iPhone 3G and 2G
• Battery Capacity 1800 mAh
• Standby Time = Up to 350 hrs
• Talk Time = Up to 6 hours on 3G and up to 12 hours on 2G
• Internet Use = Up to 6 hours on 3G and up to 7 hours on WIFI
• Audio Play = Up to 28 hours
• Video Player = Up to 8 hour

Size and weight:

The MiLi like any external battery pack adds extra bulk to your iPhone, however whilst I would not want to carry my iPhone in this power pack, the bulk for occasional use is acceptable.

Dimensions = 126mm(L) x 66mm (W) x 23mm (D)
Weight = 79.5g

Fitted to the iPhone 3G, the length extends to 136mm.

Final Thoughts

The only problem I found whilst using the MiLi was that during the switch over from the MiLi Power Pack to the iPhone's battery, the iPhone went mad making the on off charging tones where the battery managment was trying to discharge the last bit of juice from the power pack. In the end I had to remove the power pack as it became annoying, but this could have been resolved with a simple power on/off switch on the MiLi.

During the battery test, I ran my iPhone for about 9-10 hours on the MiLi, using my iPhone for a mixture of things, from talking, to email and internet, to taking photo's and playing back part of a movie. Had I not removed the power pack, then I estimate that I would have got about 2 days worth of combined use from the MiLi Power Pack and the iPhone's battery, although with less use of the iPhone i am sure this would have been longer. I really wanted to like this power pack, but having to remove it from my iPhone after about 9 hours of use really defeats the purpose of a power pack.

Pro's:

• Light weight
• Full size USB port for charging other accessories
• Price
• Look and Feel
• Battery managment (use of MiLi before iPhone's battery)

Con's:

• Poorly fitted standard usb port
• Poor fit (iPhone 2G)
• Difficult to remove
• Camera Vignetting (although not that visible on my test photo's)
• Battery managment during switchover

Price and availability:

UK = £44.99 from Juice Pack
USA = $79.99 from PhoneSuit

I will be reviewing the Mophie Juice Pack as soon as it arrives (which should be in the next day or two), so it will be interesting to see how the two compare. After I have tested both of these power packs I will write a final conclusive review.

Comments

[Blueant Headsets]

Hello,

Hey this iPhone power mack review is quite great! thanks for sharing your post

Thanks,
Natalie