Mophie Snap Plus Juice Pack Mini review: Slim, magnetic charging

When Apple introduced MagSafe as a new feature for the iPhone 12 lineup, I was pretty excited. This opened up a whole new world for possible accessories, and it's something else that sets the iPhone apart from the competition.

The most common MagSafe accessories are wireless chargers and wallets. But when I say wireless chargers, I mean the ones you need to plug into an outlet.

While many of us have been waiting for Apple to create a MagSafe portable battery pack, some third parties have already beaten Apple at its own game. The mophie snap+ juice pack mini is one of those products, and it's quite handy.

mophie snap+ juice pack mini: Price and availability

The mophie snap+ juice pack mini is available directly from mophie's website for $49.95. It also shows up on Amazon but is currently temporarily out of stock — I'd recommend adding it to your Wish List and checking back regularly to see if it is available.

The mophie snap+ juice pack mini only comes in one color: black. However, since mophie likes to release new colors eventually, there may be more options in the future.

mophie snap+ juice pack mini: Slim and portable power — now with magnets!

mophie is one of those well-known brands for its mobile power accessories, so it was only a matter of time before it released a MagSafe-compatible battery pack. The mophie snap+ juice pack mini mostly does not disappoint.

The mophie snap+ juice pack mini is super slim, clocking in at only 2.64-by-4.41-by-0.49 inches. The exterior has a textured fabric design that is comfortable to hold with extra grip, and it's easy to clean. The mophie logo is embossed on the front subtly, and the back features the magnetic ring array, as well as the battery capacity and all of the other FCC mumbo jumbo. The edges appear to be a shimmery gunmetal aluminum, giving it a very sleek and modern look and feel. You'll find the power button, USB-C port, and four white LEDs on the bottom.

The magnetic array on the mophie snap+ juice pack mini allow it to accurately snap into place on an iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. However, it is important to keep in mind that on an iPhone 12 mini, because of the size of the phone and battery pack, it may block part of the camera, and it does have some slight overhang on the bottom by 4.8mm.

If you do not have an iPhone 12 device, you're still in luck — mophie includes a Snap Adapter, which is a metallic ring that you can install on any iPhone case to make it work with the snap+ juice pack mini.

The magnets are fairly strong and secure, and I didn't experience it sliding off when I put my iPhone 12 Pro in my back pocket with the battery pack on. While you could use the mophie snap+ juice pack mini with most MagSafe-compatible iPhone 12 cases and regular cases, the magnets feel strongest on a naked iPhone or thinner cases. mophie does not recommend using the snap+ juice pack mini on cases made with fabric or porous materials, unfortunately.

To charge the mophie snap+ juice pack mini, you need to plug it in via USB-C only, so it does not charge itself wirelessly. When charging the snap+ juice pack mini, it does take a few hours to go from zero to 100%, as it charges at 5V @ 3A or 9V @ 2A, up to 18W. It also has USB-C charging output at 5V @ 2.4A, up to 12W. When charging your iPhone 12 or other devices wirelessly, the mophie snap+ juice pack mini has a maximum of 7.5W output. So if you're expecting the 15W MagSafe speed of Apple's charger, you may be disappointed. But this is a convenient way to just have some extra juice with you to top off your phone throughout the day when you need it.

I've been using the mophie snap+ juice pack mini for a few weeks now, and it's becoming one of my favorite little accessories. Thanks to its super small and compact size, I can easily fit this into the front pockets of my woman jeans without it taking too much bulk. If you know the pain of woman's jeans, then this is a nice victory. With this in my pocket all the time, I can make sure that I have some kind of backup power whenever I need it.

mophie snap+ juice pack mini: Works best with certain cases

One of my biggest issues with the mophie snap+ juice pack mini is that the magnetic attachment doesn't feel very strong with certain cases. During my testing, I was using it with a Native Union Clic Canvas case that was MagSafe-compatible. However, because its back is mostly fabric, the snap+ was not sticking to it very well.

Apparently, mophie is aware of this issue and does not recommend using the snap+ juice pack mini with fabric or porous cases, which is a shame. I changed back to a Nomad Rugged Case with MagSafe, and the magnetic attachment feels much stronger because it's a leather case.

That isn't to say that the mophie snap+ juice pack mini won't work with those fabric or porous cases — it will. But just don't expect the most secure magnetic attachment if you do. I also noticed that my phone did get warmer than I would like it to be when charging with the snap+ while in the Native Union case, so that's something to be aware of as well.

The other negative is the fact that wireless charging only goes up to 7.5W output. I honestly don't mind, because it's better than nothing, but if you are looking for fast charging your iPhone 12 50% in 30 minutes, then you'll need the best iPhone 12 chargers and a USB-C-to-Lightning cable for that job.

mophie snap+ juice pack mini: Competition

The only other MagSafe battery pack from a reputable brand right now is the Anker PowerCore Magnetic 5K. It's smaller in overall size than the mophie, but it's thicker to make up for it. The Anker also feels slightly stronger when you use it on a fabric case, but not by much.

There are also some off-brand magnetic power banks on Amazon that cost less than both mophie and Anker if you just search for a "MagSafe battery pack." However, we cannot vouch for those because we lack personal experience with them. But they are out there, of course, and maybe Apple will come out with its own version one day as well.

mophie snap+ juice pack mini: Should you buy it?

• You want a slim portable battery pack
• You want MagSafe
• You prefer to use the mophie brand

• You want fast charging
• You need more than 5000mAh capacity
• You are on a budget

The mophie snap+ juice pack mini is a great little battery pack for iPhone 12 owners. And even if you don't have an iPhone 12, the included Snap Adapter makes it possible to use the snap+ juice pack mini with any device for wireless charging at 7.5W max output, or you can even charge via USB-C at 12W max output. It's also slim enough to slip into any pocket inconspicuously, and as long as you use a good case, the magnetic attachment is fairly strong.

But if you're looking for fast charging, you won't find it with the mophie snap+ juice pack mini's 7.5W output for wireless. And as much as I love this thing, it is a little annoying that it won't work as well as it could with a case that has fabric on it, even if it was MagSafe compatible. It's also a little pricey considering that it's $50 for 5000mAh. Still, you're paying for the convenience of having a slim and compact battery pack that attaches magnetically to your iPhone, with no need for extra cables.