Develop Bugs

External battery charger available for Universal battery?

I mean a for an extra battery out of the unit.
Where would one order one of these?

This may be a better solution : http://www.expansys.com.au/product.asp?code=122711
Socket Mobile Power Pack (5-Pack)
No power outlet available? Carrying too many AC adapters? Socket’s got the solution!
Now you can re-charge your portable electronic devices where ever you go. From coffee shops to train stations, on the plane or on the road Socket’s Mobile Power Pack is your essential power companion.
The Mobile Power Pack replaces multiple charging adapters with a hi-capacity, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that allows you to power up your devices multiple times on a single charge. It’s easy to carry and has the flexibility to charge mobile phones, media players, PDAs, digital cameras and more! Circuit protection ensures that there are no over or under voltages that may harm your device as well a light meter that let’s you know when the battery is 90% depleted. It features a USB plug for devices that can be charged through a USB port.
The Mobile Power Pack eliminates the hassle of carrying around charging adapters, extra batteries and travel converters. Just plug your PSP, mobile phone, Smartphone, Pocket PC, palmOne device, BlackBerry, GPS receiver, Bluetooth headset, Socket products or MP3 player into the Mobile Power Pack with an adapter and experience the convenience.
Package Contents:
- (5) Socket Mobile Power Pack
- (5) Apple iPod Charging Cable (For the newer Mini iPod, iPod Shuffle and iPods with color)
- (5) 6 volt Booster (Nokia Phones & other 6v devices)
- (5) Palm Charging Cable for Treo 650, T5 and LifeDrive
- (5) Retractable USB Cable
- (5) 2.5 mm Barrel connector/adapter to USB (BT Heads, LG, Kyocera)
- (5) 3.5 mm Barrel connector/adapter to USB (Nokia Phones, Cameras, Garmin)
- (5) 4.0 mm Barrel connector/Cable to USB (Standard for Pocket PCs)
- (5) Travel Pouch - (Helps to keep all the pieces together)
- (5) A/C Adapter for USA, Europe, UK and Australia

No that is not what I meant. I am looking for an external charger for a Universal battery so I can recharge a second battery out of the unit. I have seen pictures of it somewhere on this forum.
BTW, Expansys said what you suggested was $1089.00!!!! I bought the same thing about a year ago for about $120.00.

im also looking 4 a stand-alone extra battery charger 4 d HTC univ. any info would b appreci8ed. tnx.

Its criminal what these companys are starting to charge for there gear ....... its disgusting and insulting

I have been selling them for a while now, still got one left, price is expensive but it is worth it at £30 delivered uk recorded delivery. e-mail me at [email protected] for pictures.

Re: External battery charger available for Universal battery
myklm said:
I mean a for an extra battery out of the unit.
Where would one order one of these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They look like they're available on ebay from HK, but I'm skeptical.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3200mAH-Batte...3QQihZ019QQcategoryZ75446QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I've bought from reputable sources from HK before, and never been ripped off, but obviously our electrical safety guys in this country won't have checked these units - who knows how reliable they are, if they exist?
Anyone bought similar?

Well, I just bought one. I really only wanted the external battery charger, but I guess I can always put one more battery into the rotation.
I suppose it will arrive within a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the link.

BillB said:
Well, I just bought one. I really only wanted the external battery charger, but I guess I can always put one more battery into the rotation.
I suppose it will arrive within a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome.
Now, do I buy now, or wait until yours arrives?
EDIT: With Push Email on all day, and with a bit of Bluetooth music use, the batter dies at 9pm. Time for an upgrade I think, feckit, it's only a £20 risk.

Looking at the pics of the charger it seems to me that you just stick your own external charger into it (or does that not look like a mini USB plug to amyone else?), so wiring standards shouldn't be a concern. Its pretty hard to make 6.5V dangerous no matter what you do to it, other than using it to detonate something I suppose.

BillB said:
Well, I just bought one. I really only wanted the external battery charger, but I guess I can always put one more battery into the rotation.
I suppose it will arrive within a couple of weeks.
Thanks for the link.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bill, please keep us posted when you get it. Provide pics if possible, I really want an external charger/extra battery as well.

DavidT. said:
Bill, please keep us posted when you get it. Provide pics if possible, I really want an external charger/extra battery as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got mine today:
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Fitted to case
Side on
Comparison face on
Side on comparison...
Seems tidy enough.

Hi,
I bought one, but seems that charge the battery only to 88-90%..

sensa said:
Hi,
I bought one, but seems that charge the battery only to 88-90%..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine definitely gets to 100%... not sure what went wrong there.
But hey, 90% of 3250 is better than 100% of 1650!

Very nice belfast-biker, many thanks for the pictures you provided. I really would like the extended battery but then my silicone case probably wouldn't fit it I'll just stick to the normal sized batteries for now.

DavidT. said:
Very nice belfast-biker, many thanks for the pictures you provided. I really would like the extended battery but then my silicone case probably wouldn't fit it I'll just stick to the normal sized batteries for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ebay seller does sell this bundle with regular sized batteries too. I've purchased one, will report back if I run into any issues.

sensa said:
Hi,
I bought one, but seems that charge the battery only to 88-90%..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you purchased the exact same charger. Are you finding these undercharge results on the new battery it shipped with (and is it a high or normal capacity battery) or on your pre-existing battery? If it's on the pre-existing battery, is it the original one purchased with your device and were you also experiencing the issue where the device shuts down without warning when the battery level gets to around 25-35% (there's a few posts about this issue)?

DavidT. said:
Very nice belfast-biker, many thanks for the pictures you provided. I really would like the extended battery but then my silicone case probably wouldn't fit it I'll just stick to the normal sized batteries for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see you got the motorola bluetooth headphones I got... - Bluetooth audio rocks, doesn't it?
Up until today, I used to have the exec as my main mp3 player - changed it today for the little nano here (my first ipod!) and am hoping the next video ipod comes with bluetooth...
Fair size difference.... hhehehhe....

Hey I have a Nano too, infact you can see it in the picture of my signature (It's got the sync cord attached to it in the background). I rarely use it, no A2DP lol. I've been wanting to buy a A2DP gateway for it but that would defeat the purpose of it's small size.

Bonus
And this one is a bonus... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
just kidding bro .... dont be angry..
cheersss

Considering the best alternative for extra juice for my galaxy note

Hello,
there are days that I'm away from power source for a long period of time and for the peace of mind I would like to have an emergency power considering the 3 alternatives (I always carry a small bag):
1. have a replacement battery - the downside is the fact that android doesn't respond well for battery swapping (statistics) and the performance of the batteries may be reduced.
2. put a 4500-5000 Mah battery with a replacement back - the downside is not only the SGN is very big why give it an extra thickness.
3. get a charging battery like this one
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that i found on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/280789761553 - the downside is it very awkward to use the device when in charge.
what is your recomendation?

I would recommend an external battery because you can use it also to charger other devices and with your phone. External batteries have also often a much higher capacity. So you can charge your phone serval times.
But that s only my opinion ;-)
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App

I recommend either HyperJuice Micro 3600mAh or Mini 7200mAh external battery.
I had the mini since summer 2010 when they are call HyperMac.
The battery still hold lots of charge over a year and half, I use it mainly for hiking trips to charge ipad and phone.
You just need a retractable USB cable with interchangeable heads for different mobile devices, those can be found for cheap on ebay.
The battery is not the cheapest but for the quality, its well priced. The only downside is it can only charge 1 device at a time. I'm not sure if you can use a USB splitter to charge two devices.
P.S. added couple of pics to compare with the Note.

New Trent iCruiser IMP1000 11000mAh External Battery
I have been using the New Trent iCruiser IMP1000 11000mAh External Battery for about 10 months now. I bought it for a trip to Italy for my wife and I to use while out and about as well as on the plane. We have two Nexus One GSM phones. It also charges my sister's iPad, my Galaxy Tab 10.1, and my Motorola stereo S10 headphones with no problems.
This external battery will charge my N1 about 6 times. It is easy to carry in a jacket pocket but wouldn't fit comfortably in pants pocket. I would say it is about an inch wider and taller than a post-it note and bout an inch thick if that helps. I carried it primarily in my backpack and used a longer USB cable connected to my phone to charge it.
The only negative that I have for this device is that I have to carry ANOTHER charger around with me. I need to figure out what iGo tip will charge this battery and I'll be golden.
Like some users have noted, it will take 12+ hours to charge. As a plus, the charger (as with most AC->DC chargers) works fine on 220V/50Hz if you have the physical plug changer.
Amazon
New Trent Website
Anyway, I can't recommend this enough. Best $80 I ever spent.

thanks everybody. so its an external battery. i'll check it out and choose one for myself

I also got myself MyTrent 11000 mah battery pack and used for few weeks. So far so good and can charge the Note around 4 times before the pack need to recharge.
But i found later, that are smaller one Anker Astro 5600mAh £25.99:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-5600mAh-External-flashlight-Motorola/dp/B005NFOA0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326262034&sr=8-1
Would rather try out Anker one, its smaller and cheaper.

adidie said:
Hello,
there are days that I'm away from power source for a long period of time and for the peace of mind I would like to have an emergency power considering the 3 alternatives (I always carry a small bag):
1. have a replacement battery - the downside is the fact that android doesn't respond well for battery swapping (statistics) and the performance of the batteries may be reduced.
2. put a 4500-5000 Mah battery with a replacement back - the downside is not only the SGN is very big why give it an extra thickness.
3. get a charging battery like this one
that i found on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/280789761553 - the downside is it very awkward to use the device when in charge.
what is your recomendation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro, I ordered this... http://www.ebay.com/itm/170731777597?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 Its a 3 battery + solo battery charger combo, cost $15 no tax.. no shipping. Took about 2 weeks to get and every battery works flawlessly. They all come with 66%charge. The charger even charges my stock battery. All batteries have a cut off switch built in like the original that doesn't allow overcharging. The charger has a led that is red when charging and blue when charged. I have not noticed any difference in battery life when I switch to another battery. At night I can charge one in my phone and one in my new charger. I take two with me and just leave em In my car or my e5 easy case. Never run out of battery, don't have to be plugged in constantly, I use my phone heavily and some days I need 3 full charges. Even if i use 3 batteries in one day, by the time i finish the 3rd the first is charged. I only ever have to charge 2 at night when I'm asleep. The next day I wake up with 4 fully charged (3 spare + 1 original) but iv never used all 4 in one day.

Hi, im also one of the external battery guys. i started with the neofree (4400mah) battery years ago and it never let me down at all. i have done inlineskating (Flämingskate for those who like to explore) trips of 50-100 km a day and dont need to switch off my device to change the battery. just do a continuously gps tracking, and taking pictures, thats great. also i can extend the use of any device with it, that have at least some kind of mini/micro usb connector. I use it also to enhance the runtime of a contour+ camera.
so buying one of these things may be more expensive then simple batteries & charger but you cant go wrong with it.

My alternative to a conventional external battery

I've just switched from one of those standard Energiser XP jobs (which I think I got in an airport somewhere). It did the job, but only one USB port, and needed separate charger which was a pain.
What I've switched to is this:
http://www.intl-outdoor.com/double-usb-mobile-device-charger-318650-xml-t6-flashlight-p-365.html
Essentially, it is a stupidly bright flashlight (up to 800 lumens) with a couple of USB ports on the back.
It uses 3 x 18650 batteries (which I've learnt are very common Li-Ion batteries) - I bought the 3100mAh ones (http://www.intl-outdoor.com/panasonic-ncr18650a-3100mah-liion-batteryone-p-213.html) so it'll charge my note from flat about 3 times (or it'll charge an iPad from flat to full).
Quick side note here, if you do buy a batteries from the same store, don't buy the protected ones - the torch has protection circuitry in it, and the protected batteries are a little bit long (so you'd have to trim the battery springs to get them in). Fortunately, Hank spotted this before they shipped, changed my order and refunded the difference.
There is a lot of stuff on various forums about these 18650 batteries. A couple of places suggested that 'Redilast' ones might be good as well - I really don't know and wanted to order everything from the same place.
I really love it, in fact, I liked it so much, I just bought one for my father's birthday, and, think I will get the same for a friend of mine whose birthday is coming up.
Pros:
It has 2 USB ports on it
One of the USB ports is high capacity (10 Watts/2 Amps?) so my note charges really quickly (much faster than when connected to my laptop)
It charges over USB
It is a pretty damned good torch in its own right (with 3 power levels on the one I got, but there are other options at ordering time)
It stores a bucketload of power
The store I bought it from (linked to above - the guy's name is Hank) had really great feedback and customer service
Very solid build, would be hard to break (except for maybe muck getting into the USB ports)
It uses its internal batteries in parallel for even charge and discharge (which probably happens in most battery packs anyway?)
As battery capacities increase, I'll be able to swap out the old 18650s for higher capacity ones
Will charge note 3 times to full from flat
Will charge iPad to full from flat (which is useful to me )
Cons:
It is a bit chunky (fine for a bag, but too much for a normal pocket)
The port you charge it through is mini usb, not micro usb, so that's one more cable to carry (a hell of a lot more convenient that one more charger to carry though)
When you are using it to charge something, the LEDs on the back are lit up like a Christmas tree
I've not yet tried taking it through as hand luggage at the airport
Wishlist:
I wish it was waterproof and had a screw on waterproof cap for the end with the switches and USB ports
It'd be nice if there was a way of turning the LEDs off, while it is charging (maybe one click for on but flicker every 5 seconds, one more click for on, and one last click for off in the same way the the different power settings for the torch work on the main switch)
I also, separately, bought the following tough little cables to go with it. I keep them in a gridit, but a couple of rubber bands would keep them with the torch. I also recommend these. The microusb one I only use for charging the torch and the dog's GPS
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Griffin-GC1...KXJQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1339193117&sr=8-2
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Now I'll try and link in to the pictures on the website I bought it from.
Very curious to see what others think.
Kent.

i really am struggling to understand - is the torch actually useful to you or are you just using it as a portable usb charger?

A fair question. I primarily use it as a portable, easily recharged, usb charger. The very solid casing makes it a very robust portable USB charger. The extremely bright torch is just a very cool bonus (and it doesn't add *that much* weight or size

the one i would use is:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Trent-I...MP50/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1339194487&sr=8-3
how would that compare in terms of mah and weight?

I seriously considered one of those:
Price:
Trent vs USB torch with 3x3100 batteries
£37 vs about £50 (torch includes shipping, so probably add a fiver to the Trent)
11000mAh vs 9300mAh
Charges via extra charger vs Charges over USB mini
So, the Trent wins on price and capacity, but carrying an extra charger drives for each device drives me mad. The torch also has 2 USB ports - not a huge deal, but handy.
But - the torch feels very solid. I've never seen the Trent in the flesh so don't know. I'd be surprised if it was that tough though.
The torch makes things light up in the dark and gives me little nerdgasms whenever I get it out

looks like a good comparison - excellent choice

Im still sticking to my 2 year old Sanyo mobile booster...
have 2 x usb slots..
5000mAh...
for torch y not use apps for it?
cost around $65SGD here as currently there is a PC show going on.

I plan to use one of these
Basically a box for 1-4x 18650 batteries. It should provide about 8000mAh on standard laptop cells, but I would expect it to be a bit lower with 2nd hand cells.
I have loads of these cells from dead laptop batteries. 4-6 in a pack.
Usually its only 1 or 2 bad cells in a pack, with so at least a few should still be usuable. I have about 12 lying around, with another 3 laptops with dodgy batteries!
The box provides 1Amp current at 5v. Perfect for charging Big Smartphones.
It can handle 2amp input for a quick charge, or lesser for a slower charge. You could use the standard Note charge with a female micro to male miniusb adaptor.
Plug it in a usb socket for a slow charge, hack a microusb cable and connect it to another 5v PSU, or directly to your computer PSU. Red and Black is 5V.
The electronics seem advanced enough to avoid over charging, under voltage of cells and overvoltage protection for the output. I am going to get one and will report back on exact outputs but it will take a few weeks from China.

Hyperion Extended Battery

Ordered this a few days ago and it came in the mail today, it says for the i9300 (international) but I took the chance and it works great for my AT&T version.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008BVIV06/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00
It's a Hyperion 4000mAh extended battery. Its about the double the thickness of the stock battery and has a new back cover to come with it. On the card included with it, it suggested a 12 hour initial charge and then 4-5 cycles to reach full potential. I will be following up on the thread periodically over the next few days with some screenshots and other thoughts on how the battery is working out for me.
However, initial impressions are good. The back cover is good quality, however very slick compared to the stock one. The thickness with the added battery isn't terrible, and will definitely be worth it if it doubles the battery life like it should.

On the amazon site it looks enormously thick, like a half of an inch or so, can you measure it for exact thickness please?

obender said:
On the amazon site it looks enormously thick, like a half of an inch or so, can you measure it for exact thickness please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5/8" thick total. Like I said, it makes it quite a bit thicker but double the juice... You gotta put it somewhere lol. At least it looks a lot better than the Note extended batteries did, those looked atrocious. There was just a bump where the battery was but behind the camera was stock thickness and it looked horrid.

Does the battery have the NFC antenna?

No nfc and bulky on a rather sleek n sexy phone...no go here. Plus the battery life on this thing is SICKKK, why the need for the extended batt? I could reason with an extra battery.

Well to add to my review, the back panel breaks VERY easy. My phone took a 2 ft tumble off my bed and it took a chunk out of the battery panel that came with the extended battery.

I was thinking of either getting an extra battery it just buy one of those battery packs that recharges the phone. Friend has one of the Energizer packs for his iPhone and it appears to work really good, that he bought an extra one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

I bought one of these a year ago and it works awesomely
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875993507R
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I use my own AA rechargeable batteries (instead of alkaline disposables, which also work fine)
(I don't charge the AA's with its included AC plug, though, I have a better charger I use)
hard to beat $8

Beakerzor said:
I bought one of these a year ago and it works awesomely
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875993507R
I use my own AA rechargeable batteries (instead of alkaline disposables, which also work fine)
(I don't charge the AA's with its included AC plug, though, I have a better charger I use)
hard to beat $8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, $6 shipping.
Looks nice though with an equivalent storage of approximately 2000mAh with 4 NiMH's in it @ 5v or 10Wh (minus whatever conversion losses, probably about 10% so 9Wh). Original battery is about 7.8Wh capacity.

if you want a good external battery pack goto amazon. serach for vaas battery. get the $28.99 shipped one with the 2.1 amp output
sadly its mini usb not micro to charge but at least its STANDARD and not proprietary. it charges up my S3 just fine should be able to get 2 full charges out of it or run the phone for DAYS if you use it while the phone it already fully charged.
it is by far the best battery pack I have purchased yet I would not by anything else.
they have a cheaper one. SAME battery but less amps on the output. if you buy 2 to avoid shipping its under $16 a pop ($15.70 each) but I am not sure if it has enough power to charge. I know the 1amp outlet on my unit does NOT properly charge my S2/S3 (trickle charge) I have to use the 2.1 amp outlet.

Stock charger for the S3 is 700mA so a 1A charger should be more than enough. Some dual port chargers list 1A but limit each port to 500mA. I sometimes wonder if using higher capacity chargers (I've been using some HP Touchpad 2A chargers) might have thermal issues shortening battery life. But, I like the quick charge.

my stock s3 charger is 1A ??
there is "port" differences. I have a VAAS battery pack I use (6 of them I power a lot of stuff) and the 2.1 amp port charges the S3 fine but the 1A port is "slow" (trickle??)

Anyone having problems with this? Fit, finish and signal?
I just got the Hyperion Extended battery with the dark colored back. I also got their case to fit it.
All was well when I put the new battery in and covered it up with the new back cover. I then installed the case and left it to charge. That took about 3 hours to go from 58 to 100.
When I picked up the phone, I noted that there was no telephone signal (at home it was on wifi). I checked the settings (not in airplane mode) and then turned it on and off again and it was still no telephone signal. So, I took the case off, put the old battery back in and all was OK. I switched back and the signal is now good.
I noticed that the back cover was dirty. I thought I had gotten some kind of smudge on it so I wiped it off. The smudge just got bigger. The cheap coating of paint was coming off.
Earlier, I had noted that the charger plug didn't feel quite right. When I looked closer, I saw that the small top part of the opening for the plug didn't quite fit. We're talking a millimeter or so, but it doesn't quite fit. It is so thin that I cannot consider cutting it.
My first inclination is thinking that Hyperion is junk. Since I have been considering getting a new, bigger battery almost since I got the phone a couple of months ago, I don't want to give up.
So, what are your experiences with this company's products? If I send any part back, I have to send it all back. The battery came with the big cover so if I send back the cover, the battery goes with it. If I send those back, I don't need the case.
Where do I go from here?

I just bought the Hyperion as well. So far, so good. I did get the Hyperion case as well. The power and cooling buttons are really hard to push. Can anyone suggest another case that will fit the Hyperion?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

No issues with mine so far. No signal issues like other member mentioned. The back cover fits very well. Charger plugs up with no problems.

[REVIEW] Anker Astro Mini 3200mAh External Battery

This is a review of the Anker Astro Mini 3200mAh External Battery. The product's official page can be found here. It is for sale in the US on Amazon.com and is currently $19.99 with a list price of $39.99.
Before I get started, I was provided a sample by Anker and asked to give my unbiased thoughts on the product. You should know that I absolutely love Anker products, but that does not mean I am going to love everything they make.
I also own 3x of the Anker E5 16000mAh External Batteries, their E1 5200mAh External Battery, and some of their other 5x and 2x port USB wall chargers. I have also owned external batteries from other manufacturer's as well.
For my testing, I tested throughout the week with my Samsung Galaxy S 4 phone with the stock OEM battery. I currently have OmniROM Nightlies on it, and while it is good on battery life, stock ROMs may have different results.
The product box is a cute 4.25"x4.5"x2.5" cube. As with most if not all Anker products, the box is lightweight cardboard with a paper slip cover.
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Some other unboxing and size comparison photos below:
As with most Anker products I have unboxed, the feeling I get with their products even before using the actual product is that the packaging is very well designed and thought out. Their graphics design team has a great eye for presenting their product with integrity. I really enjoy the documentation they include, which includes a simple card with contact/support info if you aren't happy with the product, as well as social media links suggesting you follow them and review their product on Amazon. With tons of similar products on the market, it is often these little things that keep consumers (including me) coming back for more. In fact, if you read the product features, one of them is "friendly customer service". The warranty on this product is 18 months, which is great for such an inexpensive battery.
The unit feels very well made. It doesn't feel like there is any wasted space. I was provided a gold colored sample and print is all white, which is hard to read. I can't tell if the print is laser etched or a light silk screen. That said, it is probably more attractive than big, bold black text on the unit. At 80g / 2.8oz, this thing is light!
The included mesh bag is similar to those that other Anker products include, but it measures 5"x2.5", which seems large on this tiny battery. It looks like this bag was designed for another product but included with this one. In fact, it appears to be the perfect size and shape for my Anker E1 5200 mAh battery that didn't include a mesh bag. These bags are great because it gives you a way to store the cable with the battery without leaving the cable plugged in, potentially damaging the cable and port while in your bag or pocket. The included cable is white and is approximately 28" in length. One thought I had is that if this battery is marketed to iPhone and Android users alike, why is only a micro USB cable included? Granted, it is certainly cheaper than an Apple Lightning cable, but keep in mind that the product page only shows an iPhone with a cable plugged in, so that could be misleading.
I generally use external batteries of at least 5,000 mAh. Given the Galaxy S 4 internal battery is 2600mAh, if I'm on the go for a day and really active on the phone using GPS, Internet, music, etc, I'm always afraid these little chargers aren't going to last me very long. That said I put this in my pocket for the day and made myself use it exclusively. The first time I used it, I'll admit, I did not charge it first. I wanted to see how it would behave and how I would react to not knowing how much charge was left in it. The unit has one LED and one button. There is no gauge for capacity remaining other than the LED will flash twice if the charge is less than 2%. Not much of a warning here. So on the first discharge from the unit, I got about 45 minutes until the battery just shut off. And that was it... as expected. With other batteries that feature gauges, there is often a 4-5 segment meter indicating percentage ranges of capacity left. This is a feature that is hugely missing from this little 3200mAh charger, but given it's compact size, it is completely understandable. On this battery, once you plug in your device, you do need to press the button on the battery to turn it on and begin charging. An auto-current detect would be nice so you don't forget to press the power button and end up not charging at all.
I charged the unit using the Anker 20W Dual USB Wall Charger. I first attempted the charge through a PLX Devices Legion USB Meter to measure the charge current. This will vary between wall chargers and even the current draw from the battery. I tried this with the Anker charger and my Samsung Galaxy S 4 OEM Charger (2A) and got the same 0.85A-0.90A charge rate. The documentation says input current is 0.8A max, so getting 0.9A is a nice surprise. At 0.8A charge, and if the battery was drained to 3,000mA, we can expect a full charge to take approximately 4.5 hours.
After my first full charge, I measured charge current output to other devices. I charged my Galaxy S 4 with 50% battery left, and also tried charging an Anker E5 16000 mAh battery just for kicks. On the Legion Meter, I saw anywhere from 0.6A to 0.97A.
The specifications for this battery state it is capable of 1A max charge. This is where we get into the question, "Is this product right for my device?" It does have Anker's PowerIQ technology with claims to deliver the most efficient charge for your device. That said, my Galaxy S 4 ships with a 2A charger, and I can verify that it WILL charge at up to 2A. So, comparing this battery with a wall charger just isn't fair because, it won't charge your device nearly as fast. I noticed this while using it throughout the week too. If the phone is under heavy CPU load, the phone very well may drain faster than it can charge. However, I during testing I used the phone moderately and can say that the phone DID reach 100% charge without a problem.
Browsing Amazon.com, I noticed that RAVPower has a nearly identical device with almost the exact size, color options, and features. The differences I noticed include the RAVPower has a flashlight on the end, the warranty is only 12 months, and a travel pouch is not listed as included. The RAVPower unit is also $17.99 at the time of this writing. That said, I do not know if Anker and RAVPower are in any way affiliated with each other since these are nearly the same, and even their websites look nearly identical. Both only sell on Amazon as well. The Anker model is available in other countries whereas the RAVPower seems only available in the USA.
I know some consumers would prefer this "lipstick" style charger. It will fit nearly anywhere. However, I do not see the appeal other than size, shape, and color to choose this over the Astro E1 battery, which has 60% more capacity, a 4-segment LED showing capacity remaining, and charges at 2A current instead of only 1A. Both are currently $19.99 on Amazon.com as of this writing. If you want functionality, I'd go with the Astro E1. If you need tiny or a colorful unit, perhaps this 3200 mAh lipstick battery is for you.
I will continue to use this battery as another backup, and even hand it off to my girlfriend for some thoughts. I'll update this post with new information as I gather it. If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.