Accessories
Double Your iPhone 5 Storage with a Catch
There is a new iPhone 5 case that can double the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s storage without buying a new iPhone. If you need more room for photos, movies and files this case lets you carry them all with you, but it’s not cheap and you can’t use it the same as storage built-in to the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s.
Apple sells the iPhone 5s with up to 64GB of storage, and offered the same amount on the iPhone 5 in the past. The Mophie Space Pack is a iPhone 5 battery case that also includes flash storage. This is like the storage found in a USB thumb drive, but it is built-in to the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s case so that you can access it on the go.
Mophie announced the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 Space Pack case at in January, when we gave it a Best of CES 2014 award. We gave the Space Pack the Best iPhone Accessory of CES 2014 award because it offered storage and better battery life in a case that is not much bigger than a traditional iPhone 5 battery case.
The iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 Mophie Space pack can double your storage.
Today Mophie announced the 64GB Space Pack for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s. This new iPhone 5 case costs more than a 16GB iPhone 5s on a two-year contract, which is a tough price to swallow. It is also only available in black with a ship date in late July.
Read: 50 Amazing iPhone 5 Cases
Users can also buy a 16GB case for $149.95 or a 32GB iPhone 5 case for $179.95. These cases are available in red, white and black and fit the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s.
In addition to the added storage, the Mophie Space Pack includes a 1700 mAh battery that can charge the iPhone while you are on the go. The iPhone 5 storage and battery case should also offer up enough power to double your iPhone battery life as well.
You’ll need the Space Pack app to access files, and the case needs power to access files.
Like any iPhone battery case this one adds some bulk. It boosts the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s from 7.6mm to 16mm in thickness. That’s significant, but it is a trade-off that some users may be willing to make for more room to carry music and photos and keep the iPhone recharged. The larger bottom means you need a small headphone adapter (included) to make all headphones connect while using this case.
The 64GB Mophie Space Pack for iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s is a tough sell for the price, which is more than a new phone on a contract. Apple does not sell a 128GB iPhone 5 or 128GB iPhone 5s. It also looks less like Apple will sell a 128GB iPhone 6 this fall, opting instead for iCloud Drive, which will keep your files in the cloud.
The real catch isn’t the price of this case, but how the files are stored and how you can use them. You need the free Mophie Space Pack app to use the storage in the case. This new iPhone storage can handle iTunes music, but not iTunes movie rentals. You cannot play the music from the case storage in the default music player, but instead from the app. The case needs battery power for the ability to use the files on it, otherwise the files stored on this case will be useless until your plug-in to a computer or power source with a Micro USB cable. The file size is also limited to 4GB, which is generous, but not unlimited.
One very nice thing about this iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 case is that you can drag and drop any type of file from your computer to this case and carry it from place to place with you, instead of using a USB drive. You can share files on the Space Pack by AirPlay, AirDrop, Facebook, Twitter, Email mEssages and Dropbox.
If you need to double the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s storage, this is the option that you can’t overlook, but the price and the catches mean it is worth thinking over before you spend $250 on an iPhone case.
