Modified from Pitaka product page The Juice has a slide & detach mechanism that allows you to quickly place or take out your power bank or phone and both the dock & power bank are encased in Pitaka’s signature aramid & zinc alloy carbon fiber design. The MagEZ Juice pairs brilliantly with the Pitaka MagCases, which are thin, magnetic aramid fiber phone cases that won’t interfere with your smartphone’s wireless charging capabilities. My first impression of the MagEZ Juice is that it’s full of untapped potential just waiting to be unlocked, and it may be the best home/office desktop accessory on the market today.
MagEZ Product Information
What Pitaka MagEZ Juice Does Best
I have to admit I’m not the biggest fan of power banks; they’re often big, clunky, and a pain to carry around. But Pitaka’s version is one where I can envision really loving the more I use it because they thought about what the consumer is looking for. I’ll discuss more about their vision later but first let’s get down to what makes this dual power bank shine.
Top 5 Reasons to Buy Pitaka MagEZ Juice
Well that was a mouthful so let’s break it all down shall we. And what better way to start than with Pitaka’s aramid carbon fiber and zinc alloy material design. These substances make devices look futuristic, stylish, and they serve a real purpose. The metallic plates pair wonderfully with either Pitaka’s Magcases or with the encased metal sticker. The sticker comes with an auto-align chart so that you know where to center it on your phone. And yes it works with all iPhone and Android devices. The next interesting thing I’ve noticed was its wireless charging desktop stand and portable power bank combo. That’s because you can attach and detach your MagEZ Juice from the desktop stand to use on the go or as a wireless charger when you’re trying to be productive. Better yet the power bank attaches to the back of your phone so that you don’t have to worry about wires or having your device slide off the bank. Finally what I loved most about this item was its pass-thru capabilities. This is an ingenious idea that I’d like to see more of. You know those moments when you use a portable power bank but then the bank itself dies out on you and you forget to charge the unit. Well Pitaka wants to eliminate those worries by having it be capable of charging your phone and the power bank simultaneously. It’s a wonderful concept with so many possibilities. Unfortunately there are still a lot of limitations that bring down my enthusiasm a bit and I’ll be happy to discuss more about that below.
The Future of MagEZ?
So before we get to those limitations, let me reiterate the good stuff. The design, the pass-thru technology, and the 2-in-1 charging capabilities all get an A+ but I see a much brighter future for this product that hopefully I’ll be able to share with everyone soon.
What I’d Like to See From Pitaka MagEZ Juice
Increased Battery Capacity Rotating Stand for Horizontal & Vertical Positions
Better Slide/Detach Design
Smaller/Thinner Power Bank
Fast Charging
Increased Battery Capacity
Currently the power bank’s battery capacity is around 2000-2200mAh, which is enough for an emergency charge that Pitaka itself highlights but too low to stand out. Phone batteries will keep scaling up and I’d like to see this product aim higher with its capacity. It doesn’t have to be a full-fledged 10-30K mAh power bank but something closer to 5000mAh would be fantastic.
Rotating Stand for Horizontal & Vertical Positions
The desktop charging stand, which can be affixed to your desktop table can only charge your phone in a 45° position. That’s good for people who are interested in the product for productivity reasons, but sometimes we all just wanna watch a funny YouTube video. I think a rotating design would get more people on board, and it’d be a shame if their next version didn’t have that.
Better Slide/Detach Design
Maybe others had better luck but for me the slide and detach capabilities weren’t fully realized. In the ad video it showed that you could slide your phone with the bank attached right into the stand and then detach your phone with ease while the bank gets powered up. You should also be able to slide your phone out of the stand with the bank attached when on-the-go. Unfortunately none of that worked. When I tried place the phone w/bank into the stand the power bank wouldn’t charge until I pressed it into the port. When I tried taking my phone with the bank it wouldn’t release from the port. Attaching/detaching the phone onto the bank is easy but those other maneuvers weren’t so effortless.
Smaller/Thinner Power Bank
I love not having to worry about my phone sliding off the charger or having to deal with wires but the power bank sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s way too big and bulky to fit in most pockets and it’s not very discrete either. So my hope is that the next version packs a lot more power but is much smaller, thinner, and lighter than today’s product.
Fast Charging
Perhaps my biggest disappointment is the lack of fast wireless charging. I believe it only emits a 5W or lower charge whereas most wireless chargers today do at least 10W. Now granted I have issues with slow Qi charging speeds anyway but I’m not waiting 3-4+ hours for my phone to charge. It may be fine if you need some extra juice while you’re working but it’s not very practical otherwise. I own several fast wireless chargers and I’d use any of them to charge my phone (overnight) over this one.
Pitaka MagEZ Juice: Final Review
Did I sound too harsh back there? Sorry but I only criticize products that way if I see huge potential in them. Overall I’d give the Pitaka MagEZ Juice 4 out of 5 stars. That’s right…despite all my criticisms I still think this device is worthy of high praise. Pitaka has excelled with its design yet again and their innovations are spectacular to behold. I’ve used the MagEZ Juice several times and it gives me that boost whenever I’m running low. It definitely is the right kind of emergency power bank and the seamless transition from desktop to portable is terrific. Would I recommend this item? Sure, if you love premium products that have a real purpose then you should absolutely try this item out! The pass-thru technology alone is enough for me to recommend it, and I think it’ll be a fantastic accessory for home & work offices where you’ll make good use of that vertical wireless & affixed desktop stand. It’s not a perfect product but it’s an amazing base to build on and I can’t wait to see where it’ll head next. The Pitaka MagEZ Juice is a luxurious, 2-in-1 wireless stand and power bank that 100% deserves that top creative design award. To learn more about Pitaka and their upcoming projects please check out their iPitaka website.
Your Thoughts!
Comments
Krzysztof Willman (author) from Parlin, New Jersey on January 16, 2020: Hi Slone, The product comes with a circular metallic sticker adhesive than can be attached to the back of any phone so you don’t need to buy a case to use it. Slone Hill on January 16, 2020: Quite cool device, can I use it without the case? Krzysztof Willman (author) from Parlin, New Jersey on January 16, 2020: Hello John, I agree that’s a big complaint of mine. I wanna be fair to Pitaka that the product was intended as an emergency power bank but 2-2200K mAh is still low in 2020. John Nadele on January 16, 2020: Love the design of this wireless charger, but I wanna get much bigger battery capacity.
