I’ve written a pretty comprehensive guide to the best iPhone 6 battery cases, but up until this point, truly waterproof iPhone 6 battery cases have been rare. LifeProof’s Frē Power was first shown in January at CES, and Mophie’s Juice Pack H2Pro ($130) was announced in May, but only made it into stores after the iPhone 6s was announced.
Both of these cases promise military-spec drop protection, but they have different strengths: the power experts at Mophie promise better battery life, while the drop and waterproofing experts at Lifeproof promise better protection. H2Pro has a 2,750mAh battery versus Fre Power’s 2,600mAh battery, and Fre Power guarantees 2 meters of drop or water submersion survival, versus H2Pro’s 1.2 meter protection. Here’s what I found when testing the H2Pro…
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Juice Pack H2Pro isn’t much bigger than a non-waterproof iPhone 6 battery case, thanks to the typical Mophie millimeter-conscious design I’ve come to appreciate in many prior Juice Pack cases. Roughly 6″ tall by 2.9″ wide by under 0.7″ thick at its largest points, H2Pro combines the ease of installation LifeProof has guaranteed in its waterproof cases — there’s a front frame and a back frame, nothing more — with the clean lines and soft curves of a typical Juice Pack. The iPhone 6’s side buttons and switch are covered, but totally usable thanks to nicely integrated protectors, while the phone’s ports are covered with pop-open rubber caps that need to be put back in place to guarantee a completely watertight seal.
Worth noting: I tested the Juice Pack H2Pro with the original iPhone 6. Since the iPhone 6s is a little larger than the 6, makers of tight, form-fitting cases aren’t necessarily guaranteeing that their products will fit the newer iPhone, and Mophie hasn’t made any assurances with the H2Pro. The sled inside the back frame is tight enough that the iPhone 6s might have an issue squeezing in.
You can choose from jet black, blue and white, pink and gray, or white and gray color schemes, each with clear plastic protectors on the screen, cameras, and LED flash. A Home Button cover continues to work with Touch ID fingerprint scans, and Mophie includes a second screen protector to enhance the screen performance of the iPhone 6 while inside or outside the case; it works reasonably well without the second piece of film. A cleaning cloth, micro-USB charging cable, and headphone port extender cable are also included, though ultra-thin 3.5mm headphone plugs (such as Apple’s) could work without the adapter.
I was partially surprised by how the iPhone 6 worked as a phone while inside H2Pro. It’s no shock that the speakers’ volume level is reduced somewhat by the watertight enclosure, such that speakerphone and handheld phone calls are both a little quieter than they would be with a bare iPhone 6. Compromised outgoing audio is fairly common in watertight cases. But having noticed some complaints online about muffled audio on the other side of calls — alleged problems with microphone pass-through — I tested specifically for this issue and asked my caller how I sounded on the other end. After a very brief period of audio level adjustment, she said, I sounded normal. So don’t expect sonic perfection, but by waterproof case standards, H2Pro does just fine.
Rated IP68 “against the invasion of dust, foreign objects and water immersion up to 1.2m for 30 minutes,” H2Pro also passed an indoor water submersion test on my side without any evident moisture intrusion. The case has a brightly colored O-ring on its rear frame’s inner edges, and not a drop of water made it past the O-ring into the case’s core, where the iPhone 6 rests against a Lightning connector for charging. I would feel very comfortable taking an iPhone 6 inside H2Pro to my favorite local testing spot, Niagara Falls, if the weather was a bit warmer than it is near the end of October.
From a battery performance perspective, H2Pro is solid. I was able to more than completely refill the iPhone 6 with H2Pro’s integrated 2,750mAh battery, achieving a 109% total recharge. That involved bringing a completely dead iPhone 6 up to 100%, then an additional 9% when the device was partially discharged. This is better than the “100% extra battery” Mophie promises, and in line with what I’d expect from a battery of this capacity given the performance of other iPhone 6 battery cases. My only small charging-related gripe is the two-button power/remaining power indicator system: neither button is labeled, so you need to learn which activates the case’s battery, versus which shows you the remaining power using four white LED lights.
Would I recommend H2Pro? Well, it does what it promises to do: it’s waterproof and delivers (more than) a complete battery recharge to the iPhone 6 inside. Additionally, it’s easy to open and close, which I don’t take for granted with waterproof iPhone cases. Expect to compromise a little on sonic performance once your iPhone’s sealed in, but that’s no huge surprise given how most waterproof cases work, nor is the price, which includes a waterproofing premium over Mophie’s otherwise comparably-equipped Juice Pack Air. If you really need to combine these features in a single case, there aren’t many other options; lower pricing, bigger drop and waterproof guarantees, and a little less battery life might swing you to LifeProof’s Frē Power, instead.
| Manufacturer: Mophie |
Price: $130 |
Compatibility: iPhone 6 |
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The problem with these cases is that they don’t come with a leather case that has a belt loop on them. Sure they’ll sell you a cheap plastic clip that will break two months down the road, but genuine leather with a magnetic sealer that won’t let the phone pop out is the way to go.
Oh don’t worry about the leather part. dairy farmers in the US don’t mind killing them with rBST hormone so there should be lots of leather on the market to make them.
As a former engineer, I used to design stuff that conformed to actual US military specifications and standards.
Are there real US mil-specs/standards for Smartphone cases? Or is this term used in a colloquial way?
They are variously certified via third-party testing to meet 810F or 810G specs, usually specific specs pertaining to drop, water, and dust resistance. Manufacturer websites get deeper into the specs for those who want the nitty gritty.
What about heat dissipation? Is this case going to cook my phone?
I’d doubt it. The iPhone has internal temperature sensors. Like many Apple products, the iPhone will reduce power consumption or even power itself down if internal temps get too high.
Too bad Apple didn’t just build this into the phone itself like the Samsung Galaxy S5…
Look on eBay and you can find yourself an inordinate number of water-damaged S5’s for sale for dirt cheap.
Samsung abandoned their waterproof strategy with the S6. Likely because it wasn’t effective with the S5.
What are your observations on the touch screen and fingerprint effectiveness.
Thank you
Fingerprint scans work fine through the preinstalled front film. Touch is slightly reduced in responsiveness depending on whether or not you use the second piece of screen film.
How has mophie not switched to lightning cable charging yet? Other than the outrageous price that is the second biggest failing of the mophie cases. I’ve used several generic “power case” models that normally run $15-$20 and include the Lightning connector and work perfectly well with my 6 and 6s.
Bought two of these water proof Mophie Juice pack H2 Pro cases for my daughter and my New iPhone 6s cell phones and both of us have experienced major problems with callers hearing us when we speak with the phone on the side of our Head and ear and speaking directly into the phone. This review has indicated that a waterproof case experiences muffled problems however the case defeats the whole purpose of using a cell phone if it makes it impossible for the other person to hear conversation on the cell phone. The price of these cases are significant and Mophie should ensure the case allows the cell phone to operate so the person does not experience major problems during a cell phone conversation that people have indicated sounds like our voice is coming through “a full Kleenex box” this us unfortunate since the style of the case and weight is more than acceptable to ensure protection of a new I phone 6S and being able to recharge the phone is a plus.
I am attempting to reach Murphy to identify if there’s any other suggestion that they have so that the case is functional for phone conversations. if not I would not recommend this product to future purchases.