Mophie Juice Pack Access case charges your iPhone XS without blocking the power port

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Mophie has sold cases with batteries for awhile, but its latest, introduced at CES 2019, has pushed the envelope just a bit closer to perfection. The $119 (around £95 /   AU$170) Juice Pack Access is a model made specifically for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR that doesn't block the lightning port - even while it's charging your device.

How? Wireless charging, of course (up to 10W). Which means that it can itself recharge if placed on a charging mat. The case will always prioritize the phone first, recharging your device to full before refilling its own cells.  

While that’s a slower method of charging, the difference between direct plug and wireless charging wasn’t too severe - perhaps it would take an extra 30 minutes, and should refill phones in or just over three hours. 

But by leaving the port open, you can listen to tunes or use an accessory while your phone charges up - and the case won't cover up your speakers, either.

Extra battery, extra options

As for the case itself, Mophie designed it to have a little scalloped cutaway about three-quarters up the back so it’s almost flush around the camera. It’s a nice rest for fingers, though all but one color have a nice matte rubber finish that should give some grip anyway (the gold is a hard plastic, but otherwise looks identical).

The case comes in three sizes for the three latest versions of the iPhone, along with different colors for each. The models fitting the iPhone XS (which also fits the iPhone X) and iPhone XS Max come in black, gold, maroon and forest green; the case for the iPhone XR comes in black, bright red and a robin’s egg blue. 

The iPhone XS Max case is obviously larger and packs commensurately more battery, but all models should charge at the same rate. The Juice Pack Access will be available sometime this quarter, but official global pricing and availability is yet to be confirmed.

•  Want more CES 2019 highlights? TechRadar is hands-on with 8K TVs and foldable, rollable displays, along with new laptops and Alexa-enabled smart gadgets. Check out everything we've seen, live from Las Vegas! 

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