First iPhone 5 Battery Case Now Available, Requires Lightning Cable

The first iPhone 5 battery case is now available from iBattz according to Gadgeterista, though it isn’t a typical battery case.

The new iBattz Mojo Hi5 is a snap on iPhone 5 case that includes a removable battery. The 2500 mAh battery attaches to the case to make it easy to transport, but it can’t charge the iPhone 5 alone. The battery on the Mojo Hi5 still needs a Lightning cable to charge the iPhone.

The external battery means users will still need to carry around a 3.5-foot Lightning cable from Apple or a shorter 2-foot Lightning cable from Griffin. Either way users will have a lot of extra cable attached to the case. The iBattz Mojo Hi5 comes with a microUSB cable for charging the battery, and includes a pass through to charge the iPhone at the same time.

There are other external battery solutions for the iPhone 5, including the Zaggsparq and external batteries from Mophie and MyCharge. None of these options will attach to the iPhone 5, but users have the option of buying larger batteries instead. These batteries also need Lightning cables to charge the iPhone 5.

Some other external batteries also let users charge multiple devices at once, so users can charge their iPhone and an iPad at the same time, or charge an iPhone and a friend’s phone at the same time.

Other iPhone 5 battery cases will likely come to market sometime early next year. Apple only recently let third-party companies use the Lightning port in the iPhone 5, and manufacturers need to create their battery cases around the new standard. Until then external batteries are the only option for charging an iPhone 5 while away from an outlet.

The iBattz Mojo Hi5 is available for pre-order now for $79.90, which is about the same price of similarly sized external batteries. The battery case will ship on December 8, 2012, and it comes in Glossy White or Matte Black.