Powermat's iPhone 5 wireless charging case (pictures)
Powermat's redesigned iPhone 5 wireless charging case made its first appearance at Mobile World Congress.
Roger Cheng
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Powermat went back to the drawing board with its wireless charging case for the iPhone 5 because of the new iPhone's Lightning Dock connector. The design evokes the black-and-copper look of a Duracell battery, unsurprising because Duracell is in a joint venture with Powermat. It will be available in April, although no specific date was given.
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Powermat's modular system
The new system comes in three separate pieces. There's the case itself, there's an extra battery pack that slaps on the rear, and there's the mat, which itself holds a large battery. The total system costs $199.99, or twice the price of the old system. Separately, case costs $59.99, the backup battery pack costs $49.99, and the dock costs $129.99. So they aren't cheap.
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Powermat's new design
Powermat tapped designer Yves Behar to create the new look of the iPhone 5 case.
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A more portable dock
Powermat opted to go with a more portable dock that doesn't always have to be plugged in. The dock itself has 4,200mAh of battery capacity.
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Prominent logo
Love it or hate, the items all carry the Duracell Powermat branding.
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Sitting on the dock
The system in total gets you 6,000mAh of battery capacity, or triple what Powermat's iPhone 4S case provided.
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A little extra bulk
The case adds only a bit of bulk, although the extra attachment at the bottom does appear a little needless; the Lightning connector required the longer design.
