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Review of Anker Astro Slim2 4500 mAh External battery w/pics!!!

This is a review of Anker Astro Slim2 4500 mAh dual output External battery (5V 1A Input, 5V 1A dual output with built in hideaway cable for one of the output ports): http://www.ianker.com/product/79ANS4552-BA
Every time I start to think about extended battery, I run into a big question of what am I going to do with all my cases that no longer going to fit the phone. That is why I decided to explore external battery solution. I don't trust no-name ebay brands because those have overly exaggerated capacity rating. So I turned to a trusted brand, Anker, since so many people in this forum had a lot of positive things to say about their products. In comparison to our stock 3100 mAh battery, this Slim2 external battery is not over the top with its 4500 mAh labeled capacity. If you take into consideration all the conversion factors between external lithium battery, USB port transport, and back to phone's battery, we are talking about final capacity which could realistically be closer to 3100 mAh (and actually stated in the manual as 30% internal power consumption due to losses). What makes the battery stand out is it's unbelievable slim form factor and all the design details that go with it.
When you first take it in your hand you can't believe how light and slim it is. We are talking about 10mm slim! I actually took exact measurement with my digital caliper and found it to be 4.97" x 2.52" x 0.41" (126.34mm x 64.08mm x 10.64mm) and weight to be 4.1 oz (116g) which also includes built-in micro-usb cable. I can see that a lot of thought went into it's design. The case of this external battery is made out of tough plastic with a matte finish and sides have a rubbery finish for a nice grip. The form factor is very slick, something that can go easily into your pocket or purse or even carried in one hand attached externally to your phone. The unit has one micro-usb input port which is cleverly covered by hideaway micro-usb output cable/connector, and another regular usb output port. Pretty much it eliminates a need to carry any external cables since the one you need for your Android device is already built-in. The cable for that external micro-usb connector is flat, flexible, and just long enough to wrap around the end of the battery pack, and it should be sufficient to connect to any phone or tablet. As part of the accessories that come with Slim2, you also get usb-to-micro-usb extension cable with additional mini-usb adapter and Apple 30pin adapter. This second regular usb Output port also comes very handy for another important reason. If you look at the pictures I took, you can see that hideaway micro-usb connector has trapezoid shape. It should work fine with most of the slim or rugged cases that have silicone or tpu inner shell/bumper surrounding micro-usb port opening. With my UAG case is was a very close call where I had to push it in with some force. This hideaway port will not work with Defender case due to its inner plastic shell suited and standard rectangular port opening. That's where 2nd usb output port comes in handy to use external usb cable with a regular micro-usb connector.
There is no power button, instead you have auto on/off capability and display of battery capacity using 4 led lights partitioned in 25% increments. Every time you plug/unplug power cable those lights lit up to show you capacity level or charging level. Also, auto shut off reassures that you will not overcharge the battery once it reaches 100%. I charged this battery to 100% (indicated by 4 solid lights), and used with my Note 2 which was down to 55%. To my surprise charging time was very fast considering it has 1A output, and I was able to get my phone back to 100% within 1.5 hour with 2 led lights remaining thus indicating that battery still had 50% of charge left. That is consistent with my assumption of battery capacity to be around 3100 mAh.
Overall, I'm very pleased with Slim2 as an emergency battery pack. It's slim, easy to grip, light weight, small footprint, NO need for external cables (unless if you have a case like Defender), and ability to charge 2 devices simultaneously. Furthermore, if you remember my mod with clip stand from a car mount, I actually found it to fit together really well which is great, for example, while watching a movie and charging your phone up at the same. Everything is captured in pictures below!
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With a clip-stand:

awesome, gonna get one

initial_k said:
awesome, gonna get one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind, you will get about 3100 mAh of actual charge, these external batteries actual rating is 30% down from the label due to usb 5V conversion factor.
This one is not the highest capacity, but it's the slimmest one for sure. It actually saved us a few times when our Nexus 7 tablet was drained and I just sticked it in between book-cover case and was using a tablet while charging it up (with 1A output you get a relatively decent charging speed).

vectron said:
Keep in mind, you will get about 3100 mAh of actual charge, these external batteries actual rating is 30% down from the label due to usb 5V conversion factor.
This one is not the highest capacity, but it's the slimmest one for sure. It actually saved us a few times when our Nexus 7 tablet was drained and I just sticked it in between book-cover case and was using a tablet while charging it up (with 1A output you get a relatively decent charging speed).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Need to get something for my kid's Droid DNA. It doesn't have a lot of power for a day traipsing in the wilderness, and won't take a larger external. This might fit the bill.

drnihili said:
Need to get something for my kid's Droid DNA. It doesn't have a lot of power for a day traipsing in the wilderness, and won't take a larger external. This might fit the bill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.

vectron said:
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No astro 4 is better 13000mAh
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

vectron said:
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He'd like both.
We live (or soon will) in 70 acres of forest and he likes to go off wandering most of the day. Between camera, gps tracking and the like that can be a challenge for the DNA, especially if he's forgotten to top it off first. I'm really looking for something he can just toss in his pocket/daypack to be sure he has enough juice to get through the day. Looking at the 5600mah also. It may be more pocektable. He's never gone over multiple days unless I'm' with him, and I've got the ZL9300, so no worries there. I'll have a look at the 3E and the 4 to see how much bigger they are. Certainly they'r a better value per mah, but the key is finding something that's very easy for him to take. As with cameras, the best external battery is the one you have with you when you need it.
EDIT: I like the form factor of the 5600 and 8400 better, but I like the included cable of this model. An external battery is of no use if you don't have a cable, and you know how 14 year olds can be ...

5600 and 8400 from Anker are the old models.
Btw, I just received and charging Astro Pro 14400 mAh - that one is a monster with two usb ports and a separate 9V/12V DC outputs. Will have review in a day or two

Will the attached micro usb fit the case mate tough?
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app

vr_nguyen said:
Well the attached micro usb fit the case mate tough?
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should. With both UAG and CaseMate Tough cases the opening around micro-usb port is tpu material to that connector can wedge right in there. Tough port opening is wider than UAG, and I remember I had no issues wedging that micro usb connector right into UAG, so it should work with Tough as well.

I'm trying to think what's the advantage of this over an extra battery. It would make sense for those who carry several devices and does not want to carry several batteries. I for one only carry one device at a time, so I guess this would be useless for me.
Can you guys point out any other scenarios?
TIA
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app

vr_nguyen said:
I'm trying to think what's the advantage of this over an extra battery. It would make sense for those who carry several devices and does not want to carry several batteries. I for one only carry one device at a time, so I guess this would be useless for me.
Can you guys point out any other scenarios?
TIA
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you're at home that's pretty much primarily use now the reason why the slim is more portable hence you can bring out on the road
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

The reason to use this ultra-slim battery is very simple, you can hold it connected to the phone while actually using the phone.
This is a picture from Anker webpage. So for example you are facing a scenario where your phone went dead or you are on call or browsing and down to 2% - but you have to continue using your phone and don't have time to wait for charging. This is the only battery that will allow you to do that because you can actually hold it physically together with your phone (and use built-in cable) and it will be charging your phone while you are using it.

I just purchased this for powering my phone and other equipment when away from chargers.
I really like the form factor and the micro-USB cable is very clever. However this battery has a glaring problem (in my opinion): you cannot charge your phone from the battery while charging the battery. When traveling light and grabbing an all-night recharge this would be a nice feature to have to not have to carry two chargers and cables.
- Juha

kuikkaj said:
I just purchased this for powering my phone and other equipment when away from chargers.
I really like the form factor and the micro-USB cable is very clever. However this battery has a glaring problem (in my opinion): you cannot charge your phone from the battery while charging the battery. When traveling light and grabbing an all-night recharge this would be a nice feature to have to not have to carry two chargers and cables.
- Juha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This feature disabled on purpose. I know some other vendors enable it, but it actually not good for the battery. You have two connections, from battery to a phone for charging of the phone, and from wall charger to a battery for charging of the battery. If you have both connected at the same time you will need a way to bypass charging of the battery until phone is charged up first - that pass will be extremely inefficient and it will take you almost twice as long to charge the battery due to all conversions. Then once you done, you will need another mechanism to stop charging of the phone and to switch to charging of the battery, and while you are doing that phone will be discharging so you will have to pick up it's charge as well. Too complicated, too inefficient, and complexity of control circuit will work against reliability of the device. At night it's much easier to charge phone from one outlet and battery from another, just need to get dual usb wall charger, like one of those 2A/1A ones. Charge the phone from 2A output and charge the battery from 1A output.

vectron said:
This feature disabled on purpose. I know some other vendors enable it, but it actually not good for the battery. You have two connections, from battery to a phone for charging of the phone, and from wall charger to a battery for charging of the battery. If you have both connected at the same time you will need a way to bypass charging of the battery until phone is charged up first - that pass will be extremely inefficient and it will take you almost twice as long to charge the battery due to all conversions. Then once you done, you will need another mechanism to stop charging of the phone and to switch to charging of the battery, and while you are doing that phone will be discharging so you will have to pick up it's charge as well. Too complicated, too inefficient, and complexity of control circuit will work against reliability of the device. At night it's much easier to charge phone from one outlet and battery from another, just need to get dual usb wall charger, like one of those 2A/1A ones. Charge the phone from 2A output and charge the battery from 1A output.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, the feature would make the design slightly more complex due to increased logic, unless the used charge IC supported something like that internally. It would not necessarily have to be inefficient as you can bypass the charger and just feed the input directly to output. Could be as simple as a switch controlled by the battery full information of the charger.
But I digress. For most people this is not an issue, I just like to travel light. :cyclops:
Would you by any chance know of a battery pack or vendor that would have this feature?
- Juha

kuikkaj said:
I agree, the feature would make the design slightly more complex due to increased logic, unless the used charge IC supported something like that internally. It would not necessarily have to be inefficient as you can bypass the charger and just feed the input directly to output. Could be as simple as a switch controlled by the battery full information of the charger.
But I digress. For most people this is not an issue, I just like to travel light. :cyclops:
Would you by any chance know of a battery pack or vendor that would have this feature?
- Juha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have reviewed so many Anker external batteries, already lost a count of everything lol!!! I think they had one that was charging both phone and charger, but they wouldn't recommend it. Or maybe that was one of the NewTrent batteries (NT70) I have reviewed in the past.
Btw, Anker is releasing AstroSlim3 in a week or so with 6000 mAh capacity (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEZJT2E) and new Astro 3 with 12000 mAh (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEZBKTO) with led indicator for capacity and no power button, activated by shaking it. Don't know the pricing yet, and hopefully will get both of these units for review as well.

Review of Anker Astro 3E 10000 mAh external battery w/pics!!!

This is a review of Anker Astro 3E 10000 mAh dual output port External Battery: http://www.ianker.com/anker-astro-external-battery-backup-charger/product/79ANS1052-BA
As I continue to explore the available options for external charging of our phone, I'm trying to find a product that pushes envelope of capacity while still offering a small footprint. At the current moment Astro 3E is one of the leaders in this category. With dimensions of 142mm x 71mm x 15mm and approximate weight of 240g, this is one pocket/purse friendly portable unit. With a piano finish shiny exterior and a round power button at the bottom, it might even resemble a certain early gen smart phone True, it's not exactly feather light, but with such a high capacity (10000 mAh @ 3.7V for a true 37Wh) and 15mm in thickness I found it to be very portable.
Astro 3E offers micro-USB port input capable of supporting fast 1.5A charging of this external battery unit, something which is very important so you don't have to spend the whole day waiting for it to charge up and can get from zero to 10k in about 8h-9h if you are using 2A usb AC adapter. Output has 2 ports labeled "Apple" and "Android". I found no difference where both of my Note 2 and Nexus 7 were able to charge from either port in AC mode. What makes this extremely flexible is that either of these ports can supply up to 3A of current. You don't have to worry about one port being capped at 2A and the other at 1A. You will get super fast charging from either of the ports. You can also charge from both of the ports simultaneously but a total current draw can not exceed 3A. So if you have two Note 2 phones or Note 2 and latest iPad - the internal circuit of this device will go into auto-shutoff to prevent it's damage. A really great feature to safeguard your external battery and charging devices.
Once you press power button, you get 4 neat blue led circle indicators each one corresponding to 25% battery increment. While you're charging Astro 3E those leds indicate the progress and will turn off when charge cycle is complete (a safety auto shut off). When you are ready to start charging and connect Astro 3E to your device, you will need to press power button to start charging. While everybody is using regular usb to micro-usb straight wire cables, Anker supplied with their Astro 3E a very unique coiled usb cable with an adapter that can accept 4 included tips (micro-usb, mini-usb, 30pin Apple, and small round connector I have seen on some no-name tablets). These tips have a very secure attachment and you don't have to worry they will get disconnected while being pulled by a coiled usb cable. I actually found this coiled cable to be very unique since it helps resolve a clutter usually left by untangled cable. There is also a traveling mesh pouch which is great to pack Astro 3E along with the cable and the tips so you don't loose anything.
This is definitely a great product for anybody who is looking for external charging of your device when you are on a go and need to replenish your battery as fast as you can. Also, it's very portable for its capacity. Plus, Anker is a trusted brand name and they support this product with 18-month warranty where you can return it for replacement or refund for any reason under their unconditional return policy. I highly recommend this product!
Here are the pictures to get an idea of Astro 3E:
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One question that will come up is how this compares to the zerolemon 9300mah battery. They're different beasts to a certain extent, but my purposes would be served by either, assuming the mah ratings are at least close to accurate in both cases.
I know you don't have any experience with the zerolemon yet, but do you have any thoughts on whether Anker's rating is reasonably accurate?

Well, first of all we are talking about "external" battery which intended to be plugged into your phone to charge up your existing internal battery versus "extended" battery you carry with your phone Two different functions, not just different beast. If anything, they would complement each other by using Astro 3E to charge your ZL9300 when it gets low on juice. I do trust Anker in general, although didn't have a chance to run multiple charge cycles yet since I only got it yesterday. It was more than half full when arrived based on led status, and I just charged it up to full. Was able to charge my Nexus 7 twice, although not from empty battery level. Usually it takes a few charge cycles to calibrate led setting and get the best performance out of external battery to know it's true capacity. One thing for sure, Astro 3E has over 620+ reviews on Amazon with an average 4.5 star, and its #4 selling battery where, coincidentally, ZeroLemon for S3 is #1 battery followed by #2 and #3 original Samsung OEM batteries I'm switching between 3 different external batteries now, and with all this capacity it will take a little while before I can get multiple full charge cycles with each.

Does it worth to spend more money for Astro3 that theoretically can charge notebooks? Do you still recommend this one?

Ifiuse said:
Does it worth to spend more money for Astro3 that theoretically can charge notebooks? Do you still recommend this one?
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Click to collapse
If you are comparing Astro3 vs 3E, keep in mind that 3E will be charging from USB cable/charger while 3 will need a dedicated AC wall charger. I personally like to worry less about extra cables to carry around with me especially when I'm traveling. Plus, I'm not so sure if those laptop charging bits fit all the latest laptop models. In my opinion, 3E hands down. If you care about max capacity and do need to charge notebook, I would probably go with Astro Pro2 (20k mAh). Still, keep in mind that 10k mAh is not what you actually going to get. Anker is one of the few companies that very honest about it and disclose it in their manual that actual capacity will be 30% lower. That's how it is with every single external battery because of efficiency loss when converting from 3.7V to 5V-usb output interface.

Hey Vectron, as always, nice review!
You are causing me to buy all kinds of gadgets.
One question: what are your thoughts on this Anker Battery Pack:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...17145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00BQ6KMH8
Was just wondering why you chose the black 10,000 mAh unit instead of the 13,000 unit for only four bucks more? Did you just prefer the color, or was there some other reason? I'm leaning towards the larger capacity unit was just wanting your thoughts before I make a move.
Thank you!

Old MuckenMire said:
Hey Vectron, as always, nice review!
You are causing me to buy all kinds of gadgets.
One question: what are your thoughts on this Anker Battery Pack:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...17145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B00BQ6KMH8
Was just wondering why you chose the black 10,000 mAh unit instead of the 13,000 unit for only four bucks more? Did you just prefer the color, or was there some other reason? I'm leaning towards the larger capacity unit was just wanting your thoughts before I make a move.
Thank you!
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Click to collapse
It wasn't my choice. I usually approach companies with products I'd like to review, and request for review samples. Between 3E and E4, only 3E was available for review. But both are great, and as you correctly pointed out E4 is a better value although I'm not sure if it was a recent price drop. Sometime they do that to clear up the stock.
Btw, these batteries can come very handy. We were on a go today and my wife needed to use her Nexus 7 when we realized kids been playing with it and battery was completely drained, with no time to wait for recharging. I reached out for Astro Slim2 and stuffed it in N7 book-cover case, so my wife was able to use her tablet while it was charging up in parallel.

vectron said:
It wasn't my choice. I usually approach companies with products I'd like to review, and request for review samples. Between 3E and E4, only 3E was available for review. But both are great, and as you correctly pointed out E4 is a better value although I'm not sure if it was a recent price drop. Sometime they do that to clear up the stock.
Btw, these batteries can come very handy. We were on a go today and my wife needed to use her Nexus 7 when we realized kids been playing with it and battery was completely drained, with no time to wait for recharging. I reached out for Astro Slim2 and stuffed it in N7 book-cover case, so my wife was able to use her tablet while it was charging up in parallel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh ok that makes sense. Yeah on the Anker site it says they are running some kind of special offer so maybe that's why it's so close in price to the other. I'm having a hard time picking one: I love that coiled cable with the 3E! But I also love the extra 3,000 mAh that the E4 has. With the usual 30% loss this 13,000mAh device would most likely enable me to fully charge the Zero Lemon 9300 while the 3E I'm afraid would come up short. Decisions, decisions. I'll post here when I choose and alos post my impressions.
Great story about charging and using the Nexus 7. That's awesome! Thanks again man!

Old MuckenMire said:
Oh ok that makes sense. Yeah on the Anker site it says they are running some kind of special offer so maybe that's why it's so close in price to the other. I'm having a hard time picking one: I love that coiled cable with the 3E! But I also love the extra 3,000 mAh that the E4 has. With the usual 30% loss this 13,000mAh device would most likely enable me to fully charge the Zero Lemon 9300 while the 3E I'm afraid would come up short. Decisions, decisions. I'll post here when I choose and alos post my impressions.
Great story about charging and using the Nexus 7. That's awesome! Thanks again man!
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Click to collapse
That is right, 3E will only give you 2/3 of the charge. I run the test a few times, and in both cases I was able to fully charge N2 stock battery twice with 3E being almost depleted (that one looses more than 30%). So you better off with E4.

vectron said:
That is right, 3E will only give you 2/3 of the charge. I run the test a few times, and in both cases I was able to fully charge N2 stock battery twice with 3E being almost depleted (that one looses more than 30%). So you better off with E4.
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Click to collapse
Yeah I went ahead with the E4. Price ended up being $46.99 instead of $43.99...the promotion Anker is running requires the purchase of two Anker products to get the discount on the E4. Oh well, still a nice price.
Thanks for the heads up on these products/reviews, man.

Ok I just figured out why I was charged an extra 3 bucks....the black version, for whatever reason, costs $3 more. So if anyone wants in on the $43.99 Anker E4 deal make sure and get the white unit.
I'm going to go ahead and stick with black just because

Now I can't decide between the 4E and 3E, The 4E have more capacity, but compare to the 3E, the 4e is really ugly... I know I should prioritize performance and not the design, but...
Why is the 4E is that cheap? Could it be that is not as good as the 3E?

Ifiuse said:
Now I can't decide between the 4E and 3E, The 4E have more capacity, but compare to the 3E, the 4e is really ugly... I know I should prioritize performance and not the design, but...
Why is the 4E is that cheap? Could it be that is not as good as the 3E?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think its a matter of better or worse. They often run sales to clear up their stock in time for new models or replacement, or for stuff that is not selling as fast. It's all a similar product with similar cells in different capacity and in different packages.

Ifiuse said:
Now I can't decide between the 4E and 3E, The 4E have more capacity, but compare to the 3E, the 4e is really ugly... I know I should prioritize performance and not the design, but...
Why is the 4E is that cheap? Could it be that is not as good as the 3E?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second Vectron here . . . Anker supplies the same exact warranty (18 months) to the 4e as is given to all Anker chargers, so the company backs up everything they sell and they are a reputable organization in the world of phone accessories and batteries. I actually ordered the 4E a few days ago, so it should be here by tomorrow. I went with white because my USB cords are all white (as is the car charger I ordered). Plus, as already noted the price is $3 less for the white 4E as opposed to the black 4E . . . AND . . . if you order something else by Anker, say, the dual car charger that has received good reviews from Vectron as well as others, you get to take another 10% off the 4E. End result: I got the 4E for less than the 3E.
The way I see it is that this external battery is going to be kept out of site until I need it, so I opted for function over form. But it's a personal choice for everyone. Hope this helps and good luck.

Got my 4E today, too early for impressions other than there were a couple scuffs on the front of the gloss black and the instruction manual needs some work. I'll post back after I've spent a week or so with it. My real test will be will it fully charge the zerolemon.

That's fat! how does the size compare with the 3E?

I can't say myself as I don't have the 3E to compare to the E4

Thanks 4 the review​

i think that it would be a nice move if someone of the owners strip it apart in order to show us what batteries are inside this power bank.

3E vs 4E
I have both units. The 3E is much more flexible.
My tablets and phones are varied, and generally both will charge 95% of them. However, the 4E has 2 Amp and 1 Amp sockets. It cannot deliver 3 Amps from 1 socket like the 3E can. If you load it too much, it flashes alternate pairs of LEDs and will not charge. My 3E will happily deliver 3 Amps from 1 socket from full to empty.
The 2 devices of mine the 4E cant quite muster are a Ployer Momo20 Quad Core tablet and a Chuwi V88 quad core tablet. Both have 2.5mm barrel plugs, but I have a USB cable adapter which allows the Anker to charge it. My Acer A1-810 will charge from both, but it is MUCH faster to charge from the 3E, which points to a better power delivery. Charging with the devices powered off using the 4E is not much better. The Ployer will charge VERY slowly and the Chuwi will charge OK. The 3E will charge on or off, in use or not.
Both 3E and 4E devices are great. Just be sure the loads are not too high if you choose the 4E.....

Review of Anker Astro 3 (2nd gen) 12000 mAh external battery w/pics!!!

This is a review of Anker Astro 3 (new 2nd gen) 12000 mAh external battery: http://www.ianker.com/product/79AN7904-BA
*** The Review of the Updated version was posted here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=51836263&postcount=62
***
Yes, another external battery. No, this one is like nothing I have ever tested from Anker or anybody else. It's not a surprise Anker became one of my favorite companies to review new products from because they are constantly introducing something new and/or improved. That is the only way to stay on top of the game and to earn the top rating of your customers.
First of all, even with it's 12000 mAh capacity, this new 2nd gen Astro shrank up in size down to 110 mm x 83 mm x 26 mm which fits very comfortably and feels very nice with its soft touch rubbery finish in your hand. At close to 10 oz in weight you will feel it for sure in your pocket, although it's slick design is very portable and with included mesh pouch is easy to carry around in your bag/purse/backpack or even pants pocket, as long as you are not wearing skinny jeans In contrast to most of the today's external batteries with dual output, Astro 3 comes with 3 independent full size usb outputs that deliver a whooping 4A of combined current. I checked it by charging Note 2, S4, and Nexus 7 simultaneously and was able to confirm that right on a dot. N2 was charging at about 2A, S4 at about 1A, and N7 at about 1A as well. I was actually timing and monitoring the percentage of battery change, not just relying on Current Charge app. These 3 usb charging outputs are actually partitioned into one Smart output (intended for Apple devices and other android devices) and two Universal outputs which are specifically designed to charge Android devices at maximum speed. There is some custom circuit which determines max speed and optimizes output correspondingly. I also noticed the safety nature of this circuit prevented me from charging both N2 and S4 at 2A each from Universal outputs where N2 was charging at 2A and S4 at 1A, leaving 1A for Smart output, thus confirming it's not a bulk current sharing between all 3 ports. The input port, micro-usb, for charging Astor 3 is actually a fast 1.5A input which is great since it charges this external battery at 1.5x times faster rate.
While you charging the battery itself or using to charge other devices, another huge improvement in the design is a circular 10-segment indicator with granularity of 10%. You no longer have to rely on a typical 4-segment led. This one will give you a more precise reading, although it might take you a little while to get used to figuring out on a spot the exact percentage by counting segments before light times out. Once the light turns off, it's a clean surface design with no leds or buttons. So how do you turn it on or verify led count? Yet another cool innovation, just do a shake of the battery and indicator circle turns on to reveal number of active segments. I really like that motion activated switch, makes it very unique. But trust me, it's not the most unique part of this new Astro 3 design. As I mentioned in a number of my previous reviews, the labeled capacity of the battery is not what you actually get. It's the capacity of the cells inside of external battery when it has to be converted to 5V usb interface at the output and then back from 5V to 3.7V inside of the phone. During this conversion ALL external batteries loose anywhere between 30%-35% of its capacity. Well, this new 2nd gen Astro 3 is optimized to a much higher efficiency. I have tested it and can confirm it provides the actual charging capacity of 10,044 mAh, which means a loss of only 16%!!! Basically, the internal battery circuit has been optimized to provide a more efficient output. I have tested a lot of external batteries, and this is the first one I have seen at such high efficiency.
Overall, I was very impressed with a design and features of this battery, especially with how efficient it's output. Currently offered for $49.99 on Amazon its a great value where it provides the actual capacity output equal to other more expensive batteries labeled at around 14000 mAh. With a high output efficiency, 4A of total combined charging current, triple output, and motion activated 10-segment led indicator - I highly recommend it!
Here are the pictures.
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Someone just pointed out to me Anker has back 2 school sale, with Astro 3 now for $45.99. Here is a link: http://www.ianker.com/adpage.php?act=us
I also been asked if Smart port will charge iPad 4 at full 2.4A speed. I'm checking into this and will post an update as soon as I find out.

I got an anker too, but the e4. Seems like i can only reach 1.8A when i'm using the cable provided by Anker and not the Sammy OEM cable..

Ev0d3vil said:
I got an anker too, but the e4. Seems like i can only reach 1.8A when i'm using the cable provided by Anker and not the Sammy OEM cable..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you referring to 1.8A per Galaxy Charging Current app, that's an approximation anyway. Unless if you are rooted and using something else where in an identical setup where you exchange cables and see 1.8A in one case and 2.0A in another case?

Looks great. I would buy it in a second, if it was not so thick. I would not mind a longer wider power bank. A power bank that was 5.7 *4.5*.6 inches would have roughly the same volume as the 2nd generation Astro 3. In other words, the same thickness as the Astro 3E.
PS The volume of the Astro 3E is 9.41 versus the Astro 2nd generation at 14.52. The power bank increased in size more than in power. The Astro 2nd generation is 54 percent larger.

What cable are you using for the note 2? Now i'm not getting the 1800mah charge with the anker e4. Ugh.

Explore3 said:
Looks great. I would buy it in a second, if it was not so thick. I would not mind a longer wider power bank. A power bank that was 5.7 *4.5*.6 inches would have roughly the same volume as the 2nd generation Astro 3. In other words, the same thickness as the Astro 3E.
PS The volume of the Astro 3E is 9.41 versus the Astro 2nd generation at 14.52. The power bank increased in size more than in power. The Astro 2nd generation is 54 percent larger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it also increase in capacity and efficiency, so you can also look at it as volume per capacity E3 probably had a capacity of around <7k mAh (after 30% de-rating efficiency). With Astro3 you start with 12000 mAh versus 10000 mAh and have at least 80% average efficiency, plus get 3 outputs with one being smart output used for any iCrap including 2.4A iPad 4 (which btw is confirmed). Also, 10% indicator is way cooler. Just imho, a bit of thickness increase is OK because length is a deal breaker for pocket-ability. And yeah, I'm talking about batteries
If you want absolutely the slimmest possible battery, checkout review of Astro Slim3 6000 mAh I just posted here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2388894 - 12mm in thickness, that is insane!!! and you get 80% efficiency as well with a built in micro-usb cable.

Can't buy this thing on Amazon as it seems Anker for whatever reason has had all their products yanked. Anker sells it on Ebay in their Ebay Anker Store as well .....but they want $199.96 for it! They say it's that high because stock is low. Seems strange to me. I would love to know what is up between Anker and Amazon.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Anker-Astro..._Cell_Phone_PDA_Batteries&hash=item4d0f5d413d

Old MuckenMire said:
Can't buy this thing on Amazon as it seems Anker for whatever reason has had all their products yanked. Anker sells it on Ebay in their Ebay Anker Store as well .....but they want $199.96 for it! They say it's that high because stock is low. Seems strange to me. I would love to know what is up between Anker and Amazon.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Anker-Astro..._Cell_Phone_PDA_Batteries&hash=item4d0f5d413d
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I asked them the same question. Apparently something got messed up with US listing of all of their products and they are working with Amazon to fix it. I had someone from Canada asking me questions about Anker, and I see all of their products are listed fine on Amazon in Canada, UK, Germany, and everywhere else internationally. Something got messed up with US listing and I confirmed with Anker they are working as soon as they can with Amazon to fix it.

vectron said:
I asked them the same question. Apparently something got messed up with US listing of all of their products and they are working with Amazon to fix it. I had someone from Canada asking me questions about Anker, and I see all of their products are listed fine on Amazon in Canada, UK, Germany, and everywhere else internationally. Something got messed up with US listing and I confirmed with Anker they are working as soon as they can with Amazon to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just seems strange to me...Amazon is always very good about fixing technical issues and this has been going on for days. In any event none of that justifies charging 200 bucks for the Astro 3 on their Ebay store....low stock or not.
I've never had anything but good experiences with Anker, FWIW.

Old MuckenMire said:
Just seems strange to me...Amazon is always very good about fixing technical issues and this has been going on for days. In any event none of that justifies charging 200 bucks for the Astro 3 on their Ebay store....low stock or not.
I've never had anything but good experiences with Anker, FWIW.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree! But I actually seen someone else do that before. I forgot which product it was, but we had a reply here on XDA to one of the posts jocking they misplaced a decimal point. Then, someone else posted later they just jacked up the price to keep the listing "alive" while they were out of stock and obviously nobody would buy it for the price 100x higher than original. I guess just another trick...

vectron said:
I agree! But I actually seen someone else do that before. I forgot which product it was, but we had a reply here on XDA to one of the posts jocking they misplaced a decimal point. Then, someone else posted later they just jacked up the price to keep the listing "alive" while they were out of stock and obviously nobody would buy it for the price 100x higher than original. I guess just another trick...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I know for sure is that I would like to order this damn thing already. Have not been able to order anything from Anker thru Amazon for almost a week now.

vectron said:
I asked them the same question. Apparently something got messed up with US listing of all of their products and they are working with Amazon to fix it. I had someone from Canada asking me questions about Anker, and I see all of their products are listed fine on Amazon in Canada, UK, Germany, and everywhere else internationally. Something got messed up with US listing and I confirmed with Anker they are working as soon as they can with Amazon to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gotta say, I'm getting a little worried about this Amazon "problem" . . . we're heading into one week with no Anker products on Amazon and I just don't see a messed-up listing taking this long to remedy. I finally got through to customer service today because I need a bluetooth speaker and I wanted to pick up their BT 4.0 speaker before I head on vacation. They have no idea how long this is going to last and the CSR I spoke to said, in so many words, that I might want to purchase my speaker elsewhere. Understand, I informed her I was under a time constraint so that obviously affected her response, but Anker is getting excoriated on their FB page. I hope everything is rectified soon, because my experience with this company has been spectacular.

Thanks for the review. I'm torn between trying to wait for this one to become available again or to bite the bullet and order the old 3 for $5 more.

CocheseUGA said:
Thanks for the review. I'm torn between trying to wait for this one to become available again or to bite the bullet and order the old 3 for $5 more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, I just saw that all the Anker products are back online on Amazon!
But, I also see that Astro 3 (2nd gen) is on back order due to demand. In my opinion, wait until its available. Why buy old technology when you can get unit with a higher capacity, more USB outputs, better efficiency, and new indicator?
... UPDATE... It is sold out on US Amazon, but should be back in stock in 1 week.
In general, and this doesn't refer just to Anker but any other product/vendor I have reviewed. If anybody has a question for a vendor and can't get an answer right away - let me know because I receive review samples directly from their marketing department and can get in touch quicker to get you an answer.

Hi, i'm getting a really slow charge with the Anker battery. Are you rooted and flashed with Perseus? I can't seem to get a 1.8A charge on any power bank. Stock here btw.

Ev0d3vil said:
Hi, i'm getting a really slow charge with the Anker battery. Are you rooted and flashed with Perseus? I can't seem to get a 1.8A charge on any power bank. Stock here btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which battery and what usb cable are you using? I'm all stock, not rooted. Either Anker or any other brand I have tested, if they rate output to 2 - I always see 1.8A charging and can confirm it by timing and watching % charge. But I do use either oem usb cable or usb cable from my ue Boom or monoprice cables. No matter how great your battery, the cable will be your bottleneck if its not true 2A cable. Plus I have tested and can confirm that with a number of external batteries if you are charging from "apple" designated port or port rated at 1A - they put some current limiting to keep it capped.

vectron said:
Which battery and what usb cable are you using? I'm all stock, not rooted. Either Anker or any other brand I have tested, if they rate output to 2 - I always see 1.8A charging and can confirm it by timing and watching % charge. But I do use either oem usb cable or usb cable from my ue Boom or monoprice cables. No matter how great your battery, the cable will be your bottleneck if its not true 2A cable. Plus I have tested and can confirm that with a number of external batteries if you are charging from "apple" designated port or port rated at 1A - they put some current limiting to keep it capped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried with the cable that came with the phone, stock, sometimes the charge drops to below 1000ma on the 2A port. Tried with a HTC cable. Same issue. Also tried with the cable that came with the anker, same thing. Am using an Anker E4 so i believe their build quality is more or less the same right?
Which monoprice cable are you using? Can you give me a link on amazon? Guaranteed true 2amp cable?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003L18S0E/

vectron said:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003L18S0E/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! so the stock cable isnt a true 2 amp cable as compared to this? From what i see, its gold plated and ferrite?

Review of RAVPower wall charger for Note 2 batteries (incl ZeroLemon) w/pics!!!

This is a review of RAVPower wall charger for Note 2 batteries. http://www.amazon.com/RAVPower®-RP-UC03-Charger-Samsung-GT-N7100/dp/B00DGNMD4E/
I'm pretty sure by now we all got a number of OEM size, double extended size, and triple ZeroLemon size batteries for our Note 2. Most of us using our phone to charge these up, but it's probably the most inefficient way, and you need an external charger. For a slim OEM size battery its not a problem, those are available everywhere. Some will fit double extended batteries as long as charger doesn't have a cover, but how many times a question been raised in our forum about charging zerolemon battery which has triple size and capacity? I personally lost a count of it.
So what is the choice? Sure, you can look up Note 2 battery wall charger on ebay and will get a bunch of hits. The problem, there are two types of charges with a different battery layout. For a slim OEM battery it doesn't matter since you can flip it on either side. But with double or triple capacity - you can't. So first you have to be sure battery fits across the charger instead of sticking out half way. The next problem, and that is a big one - they confuse a hell out of you by writing a spec of 5V 1A charge. These wall chargers have usb output which can provide 1A of current, but the actual DC battery charger is only 350 mA which I tested in reality to be even less than 300 mA.
The solution? You need to get a specific wall charger that fits battery across and has a spec of 600 mA for DC port. That is the fastest available wall charger I have found so far. I have seen a number of vendors offering them bundled with their batteries, but nobody sells them by itself. If you already got batteries or your main concern is how to charge up externally your enormous ZeroLemon slab, RAVPower sells this charger by itself for $9.99 and it WORKS perfectly with either slim or Zerolemon battery. True, 600 mA of charging current will take you 3 times longer in comparison to your 2A charging from within a phone. BUT, it also twice as fast as buying any other cheap ebay 300 mA wall charger. Plus, convenience of charging it externally why you are using a phone with another battery has a big advantage. So until someone else release a wall charger with a higher charging current and capability to accommodate larger Note 2 battery sizes - this RAVPower wall charger is the way to go!
Here are the pictures.
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Looks good. Myt try it... I'll wait and see if my husband wants a ZL for himself then this will be a definite must buy
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

That looks pretty much like the one that ships with Anker batteries.

Phogg said:
That looks pretty much like the one that ships with Anker batteries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, looks exactly like the one that came with my 2 Anker 3100mah batteries.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4

Exactly, Anker sells it as well as a few other vendors. But they all sell it bundled with their 3100 mAh batteries. So if you are buying those bundles, you will get exactly the same battery charger. I was looking just for a charger without batteries. That was the only place selling 600 mA version of it separately.

Hmmmm...I recently ordered anker replacement batteries for my husband's s2... got 2 batteries and the wall charger.
Are you telling me that I could use that one for my zl?
Sent From My Ginormous Note 2

planetbeen said:
Hmmmm...I recently ordered anker replacement batteries for my husband's s2... got 2 batteries and the wall charger.
Are you telling me that I could use that one for my zl?
Sent From My Ginormous Note 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not just telling you, but showing you in the pictures

How long does it take to charge a zerolemon battery? Charged mine for around 12 hours and it was still showing a red light, so I was just curious.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium App

CJ225 said:
How long does it take to charge a zerolemon battery? Charged mine for around 12 hours and it was still showing a red light, so I was just curious.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
9300 mAh / 600 mA = 15.5 h With some variation, give or take, I would keep it on for about 16-17h for a full charge from empty. Also contacts in those chargers could be a bit finicky and sometime a slight move can make charging light toggle. Yes, this is not your fast 2A charging inside of the phone, but the beauty of this is to put it on the charger and let it sit there for a day while you continue using your phone with OEM or double capacity battery.

vectron said:
Yes, this is not your fast 2A charging inside of the phone, but the beauty of this is to put it on the charger and let it sit there for a day while you continue using your phone with OEM or double capacity battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately for the likes of us in Australia, we don't have such options easily available to us (Amazon, etc).
From this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgTdAUcT87U, it states that it can charge the battery at 1.7a (if the supplied note 2 charger is connected).
Only problem is the charging pins are on the opposite side, so you won't be able to plop the ZL or other larger capacity batteries in and charge, unless you modify the pins to accommodate it (and dismantle that flip lid)

Optimistic Pessimist said:
Unfortunately for the likes of us in Australia, we don't have such options easily available to us (Amazon, etc).
From this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgTdAUcT87U, it states that it can charge the battery at 1.7a (if the supplied note 2 charger is connected).
Only problem is the charging pins are on the opposite side, so you won't be able to plop the ZL or other larger capacity batteries in and charge, unless you modify the pins to accommodate it (and dismantle that flip lid)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is precisely what I did to that same model in the youtube video.. I removed the lid and transferred the charging pins to the other side. Coupled with my custom 3A charger and high amperage cable my ZeroLemon charges from dead to full in 5.5 - 6 hours. This setup has been working flawlessly for me for months now.....

evil510 said:
That is precisely what I did to that same model in the youtube video.. I removed the lid and transferred the charging pins to the other side. Coupled with my custom 3A charger and high amperage cable my ZeroLemon charges from dead to full in 5.5 - 6 hours. This setup has been working flawlessly for me for months now.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
could you share with some pics and also your custom 3 Amp charger ? Thanks

evil510 said:
That is precisely what I did to that same model in the youtube video.. I removed the lid and transferred the charging pins to the other side. Coupled with my custom 3A charger and high amperage cable my ZeroLemon charges from dead to full in 5.5 - 6 hours. This setup has been working flawlessly for me for months now.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive just bought the zerolemon charger, which is basically a copy of this ravpower one. I have two samsung desktop chargers too. Im not overly impressed with the zl/ravpower charging times so I am considering modifying one of them samsung ones.

evil510 said:
That is precisely what I did to that same model in the youtube video.. I removed the lid and transferred the charging pins to the other side. Coupled with my custom 3A charger and high amperage cable my ZeroLemon charges from dead to full in 5.5 - 6 hours. This setup has been working flawlessly for me for months now.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am interested in the custom 3 amp charger... how did you connect it ? wanted to do it also, that's why I wanted some pics.

evil510 said:
That is precisely what I did to that same model in the youtube video.. I removed the lid and transferred the charging pins to the other side. Coupled with my custom 3A charger and high amperage cable my ZeroLemon charges from dead to full in 5.5 - 6 hours. This setup has been working flawlessly for me for months now.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would appreciate if you could share ypur method. Ive taken in of my official chargers apart and without soldering I dont see how it can be modified. Id like to convert one for use with my zerolemon battery.

☆★

Hey gang, sorry for the delays. I have been asked about many of my mods, from the s-pens to the rugged case, etc., but haven't had much spare time to take photos and upload, etc. I have been crazy busy, but, will try to set aside time in the future to make posts on them.....
For this mod, basic soldering skills will be needed. First I desoldered the contacts from the circuit board. Then, I had to figure out the proper new location. I cut out a rectangular hole in the new location. Also, in the battery compartment, there are two little tabs on the sidewalls that won't let the battery sit right unless you modify them.The contacts were rewired and then epoxied into position. I wanted to make the charger as small as possible, so, I chopped off the whole front section that usually cradles the phone since I would never use it again because of the thickness of my phone with the zerolemon. I removed the lid and covered the holes where the hinges used to be with black plastic. Then, I repurposed part of the lid to make a cover for the cradle section that I had cut off. Next, I needed a way to know of the charging status. Unmodified, the zerolemon battery covers the status LED, rendering it useless. At first I was going to relocate the LED. Then, I figured out the exact location of the LED and then drilled a sight hole on the side of the housing. It works perfect and easily visible when charging the zerolemon. When I am able to make a full post later, I will show you pics of it visible while charging the zerolemon. To polish off the mod, I made labels. In the meantime, here is a pic.....
~ evil ~

100mA and 200mA ???
vectron said:
I'm not just telling you, but showing you in the pictures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok I am lost here because the specs on the two battery chargers are different...??? So they are NOT exactly the same? I dont know if the
"Imput 100mA" and the Imput 200mA makes a difference?
but they are not exactly the same? (and I have no idea if it matters? can someone help? Thanks!!

thebat1 said:
ok I am lost here because the specs on the two battery chargers are different...??? So they are NOT exactly the same? I dont know if the
"Imput 100mA" and the Imput 200mA makes a difference?
but they are not exactly the same? (and I have no idea if it matters? can someone help? Thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't matter what the input, just care about the output. Also, keep in mind that you have 2 output ratings, one for usb port (1A vs 0.6A) and the actual battery charging output 0.6A which is common in both.

thanks for the clarification!!!!
vectron said:
Doesn't matter what the input, just care about the output. Also, keep in mind that you have 2 output ratings, one for usb port (1A vs 0.6A) and the actual battery charging output 0.6A which is common in both.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THANKS SOOOO MUCH!!
I don't see the "thanks" button to click? but thanks so much!!!!!!

Review of Anker PowerCore+ Mini 3350 mAh lipstick battery w/lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of Anker PowerCore+ Mini 3350 mAh �lipstick� external battery. http://www.ianker.com/product/A1105011.
When it comes to external batteries, bigger capacity doesn�t necessary mean a better battery. Yes, we always look for the best price/performance/capacity ratio, but with batteries you need to figure out the capacity per need ratio. When you are at home and need a backup battery, get the largest capacity you can find � there is no need to drag it around so it could be as heavy as it comes. When you are traveling, maybe a compromise of a smaller capacity in exchange for a lighter weight is the better way to go. But for everyday portable use where you need an emergency backup � the smallest footprint with the largest capacity you can find is what you should be looking for. Even so Astro is already small and portable, it will be hard to beat Anker�s latest �lipstick� PowerCore+ Mini with 3,350 mAh.
I know some will say capacity of only 3,350 mAh?!? We get spoiled quickly with 10,000 mAh or 20,000 mAh external batteries, but when you take a look at this tiny 95 x 23 x 23mm (3.7 x 0.9 x 0.9in) size lipstick cylinder in a quality aluminum drop-tested shell with a weight of only 3oz � you will really appreciate size/capacity ratio. On top of that, it comes with Anker�s typical drawstring small storage pouch and a quality usb to micro usb cable. And since it�s available in a variety of colors, including some colorful pink and blue finishes, this battery can also be used as a �fashionable� accessory for the ladies.
The design itself is very minimalistic and elegant. I already mentioned about aluminum shell finish which feels very solid in your hand and gives you extra peace of mind if you accidentally drop it. The shell covers the entire cylinder in one solid piece, leaving only the top open where you have full size USB port to connect cable to your phone or tablet, micro USB port to charge this battery, and a small led/power button. To display the charging capacity, led has 3 colors to indicate: green 50%-100%, yellow 20%-50%, and red 5%-20%. It�s obviously not as accurate as Astro�s 10-led indicator with 10% increments, but considering this small footprint � it works fine. Plus keep in mind, most of the time you will probably get one or two full charges from this battery, so accuracy is not as important.
In terms of performance, Anker mentions it uses a premium Panasonic cell which is always a plus. The battery itself has a rather high efficiency of almost 92% (confirmed) which means you still get a solid 3,080 mAh of charging from this battery after internal 5V conversion through usb port. Most of the other lipstick batteries are typically in 80% efficiency range due to less efficient converters. The charging of the battery itself will not be lighting fast since input port is 5V at 1A, so expect a little over 3hrs of charging from empty. The ext charging port is only able to supply 1A of output power at 5V, though I actually confirmed it to provide 1.2A with my Note 4. It does offer PowerIQ intelligent charging current adjustment, but it doesn't matter since you are not going between 1A, 2A, or 2.4A charging speed. Most likely it will run around 1A-1.2A which is OK for emergency charging when you are on a go.
Overall, if you are looking for a super portable external battery for your phone or tablet, and need the smallest compact footprint to put it in your shirt pocket or a purse without adding too much weight, and still want to have enough capacity for emergency fast charging � this new Anker PowerCore+ Mini might be the one for you. 3,350 mAh is a pretty good capacity for on-the-go emergency charging, and if you factor in high efficiency, quality build with aluminum solid shell, included travel pouch and usb cable, and Anker�s 18-months warranty � this is one cool gadget to keep with you in a pocket for under $20.
Here are the pictures.
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I have two of these, neither achieves anywhere near that efficiency with either Galaxy S4 or Note 5, with the cable provided, which the phone entirely turned off.
Both provide around 2300-2500mAh effectively, that is efficiency net of battery, powercircuit, cable and phone charging circuit losses, or around 70%.
Anker officially also confirms an efficiency of around 70% or, quote: "an almost one full charge to a Galaxy S6" (< 2550mAh), respectively.
So I am not just making this up. I tested this with an inline USB meter as well as with Battery Monitor Widget.
In their English that is almost one full charge for my Galaxy S4, or about 3/4 charge for my Note 5 (phones off while charging, duh!)
This is still a handy little thing to have, but Anker is very shy to openly say how efficient their devices are. All about that sale and Amazon tags after all.

kaefers said:
I have two of these, neither achieves anywhere near that efficiency with either Galaxy S4 or Note 5, with the cable provided, which the phone entirely turned off.
Both provide around 2300-2500mAh effectively, that is efficiency net of battery, powercircuit, cable and phone charging circuit losses, or around 70%.
Anker officially also confirms an efficiency of around 70% or, quote: "an almost one full charge to a Galaxy S6" (< 2550mAh), respectively.
So I am not just making this up. I tested this with an inline USB meter as well as with Battery Monitor Widget.
In their English that is almost one full charge for my Galaxy S4, or about 3/4 charge for my Note 5 (phones off while charging, duh!)
This is still a handy little thing to have, but Anker is very shy to openly say how efficient their devices are. All about that sale and Amazon tags after all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure you are not talking about PowerCore Mini, rather than their latest PowerCore+ Mini? "+" is an updated version.

Yes, Anker PowerCore+ mini 3350mAh. I got one for my Note 5 thinking should be a full charge, but wasn't the case.
After that, I went to the reviews on Amazon and also http://www.ianker.com/support/A1104041, they actually say it's 70-80%, mine was more around 70-75% with the Note 5 off while charging.
It's not Anker-specific though, Anker is doing relatively well, Aukey 5000mAh is only around 65%...
Also, either way, for 10 GBP it's really not bad. Just love how 90% of customers incl myself buy something without knowing better b/c it's all in the fineprint.

The quote from ianker website:
The efficiency of this powercore is around 70%-80%. The internal circuit board is 92% efficient, accounting for power lost through circuit heat and voltage conversion, which is up to 5% above the industry average. Energy is also lost within the charging cable and the device being charged (approximately 15-20%). Additionally, the efficiency can be affected by the cable length and the age of the device being charged.
Where the efficiency of conversion under ideal condition is over 90%. They trying to be conservative saying overall it could drop to 70%-80% depending on your phone model, internal battery age, and the most important - cables which can overheat (if they are cheap thin with loose connection). In one of my reviews testing battery charge monitor and different cables I demonstrated variation of different cables which could affect efficiency as well.
But anyway. This lipstick battery is for emergency boost (not a reliable full charge, but a boost to keep you afloat ) and doesn't even allow a fast charging. If you really need a backup, get a higher capacity more advanced battery from Anker with PowerIQ chip.

vectron said:
the most important - cables which can overheat (if they are cheap thin with loose connection)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And what about a cable supplied with this device?

Bought one yesterday, did 2 full charge-uncharge cycles:
1) Razr Maxx XT910 +35% (65->91%) and Nexus 9 +12% (27->40%)
2) Nexus 9 +33% (27->60%). Charging current was 1.25A.
A chinese device showed that Anker got about 3200ma*h from power supply. And it delivered about 2200 ma*h to Nexus 9, which really looks like 33% of its 6700mah battery.

andray said:
Bought one yesterday, did 2 full charge-uncharge cycles:
1) Razr Maxx XT910 +35% (65->91%) and Nexus 9 +12% (27->40%)
2) Nexus 9 +33% (27->60%). Charging current was 1.25A.
A chinese device showed that Anker got about 3200ma*h from power supply. And it delivered about 2200 ma*h to Nexus 9, which really looks like 33% of its 6700mah battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what you got, but the review was for 3350 mAh lipstick battery from Anker, this model on Amazon. Not 6700mAh battery. Wonder if you got something fake?

vectron said:
I'm not sure what you got, but the review was for 3350 mAh lipstick battery from Anker, this model on Amazon. Not 6700mAh battery. Wonder if you got something fake?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, no! I mean that powercore+ mini managed to give additional +33% to Nexus 9's 6700mah battery.

andray said:
Bought one yesterday, did 2 full charge-uncharge cycles:
1) Razr Maxx XT910 +35% (65->91%) and Nexus 9 +12% (27->40%)
2) Nexus 9 +33% (27->60%). Charging current was 1.25A.
A chinese device showed that Anker got about 3200ma*h from power supply. And it delivered about 2200 ma*h to Nexus 9, which really looks like 33% of its 6700mah battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tested 3 of these.....
multiple charge/discharge cycles gave similar results....
My usb monitor shows. for full discharge (100-0)%....
Capacity: 1.657Ah ( @5v ) , 8.622Wh := 2.23Ah (@3.7v) ...or 2230mah
This is almost identical to what you got.
Charging(from usb power -->> anker mini ) : 15.858Wh = 3170mah .....from (0-100)%
also similar to what you got..... confirmation of your results ( and mine).
Yes, it's only useful as a partial boost......
(Note5 : 5% to 83% ... real world test)
......for todays high-end smartphones