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Best portable battery?

Hi all,
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with portable battery packs. I don't mean extended batteries either. I mean the universal usb charger kind that packs several thousand mAh.
I'm looking to get one for a nine hour flight, and I want to know what is a good brand.

Luuthian said:
Hi all,
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with portable battery packs. I don't mean extended batteries either. I mean the universal usb charger kind that packs several thousand mAh.
I'm looking to get one for a nine hour flight, and I want to know what is a good brand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't answer your question, but a lot of planes have a USB/charging input now. I know when I fly Air Canada, they have it.

I have had an Energizer XP18000 for about 3 months now and it has surpassed my expectations.
It holds 18000 mAh of power and will charge my Gnex and my Xoom at the same time (need to order a special tip for the Xoom/non standard device). I use it for long train rides to keep my phone topped up.
When watching HD video over 4G my battery level will drop about 1-2% every half hour, so it is not charging as fast as the wall charger, but it is enough to keep you from having a dead battery when you get to your destination. With my usage I can go 3 to 4 days and never need to look at a wall outlet.
The size is about as big as a external hard drive. There is also a wall charger that has a good size power brick in the middle of it. You can remove it when you don't need the wall charger, but I keep everything in one small bag so all I have to do is set it down next to an outlet and top up the external battery, then fold the cord into the bag and pull out what ever cord I need when I am on the move. It works just fine with the original Samsung usb charging cable.
I picked mine up from Amazon but you might be able to find a better deal if you look hard enough. They make a smaller model too that is only 8000 mAh.
I always keep it in my bag and it works so well for me that I don't even need the extended battery and leave 4G on all the time.
http://www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/xp18000/

Beautiful. Thanks Dante. And yeah, I heard some planes have USB chargers now. Unfortunately I'm not flying with them. I live near YVR, but Air Canada is having a bunch of problems with their workers right now. Last thing I need is flight delays or bad service.

I did a ton of research before buying mine. I wanted a pocket sized one, that had large capacity (enough to fully charge the phone twice), and could charge a device at a full 1 amp. After much research, I bought the original version of this one:
http://www.newtrent.com/store/iphone-external-battery/iphone-battery-imp50d.html
Mine has less markings and I believe both ports on mine are 1 amp, where as the new one has one 500mA and one 1A port. Mine was also like $55, this one is on sale for barely over $40, an even better deal.
It is very powerful - 5,000 mAh will charge the phone 3+ times - much bigger than other "pocket batteries", fits in a pocket nicely (I wear cargo pants) because it's skinny, like a deck of cards. Fairly light too. Only complaint is that I bought it before MicroUSB became the new standard, so it charges with miniUSB instead.
I carry a retractable mini-usb cable, and a retractable microUSB cable, in an altoids tin, in in my pocket with it. Works great, can charge my friends phones at the same time as me. Had it for 2 years, still going strong!
There are newer designs they have now too if you look at their website.
It does take a long while to charge - 8 hours to charge fully or so if you charge off a 500mAh USB port, because it's a huge battery! a lot less maybe 4 hours if you charge off a high speed 1A charger.

i was looking at this one http://www.amazon.ca/Anker-8400mAh-...UTF8&coliid=I3IVVC4G6YETK&colid=1ILTNQ88L4FE5
it has a 2amp 5v port, this can charge a transformer prime with the screen off.

I got this one recently:
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-SlimTal..._1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1335035472&sr=1-2
Its (much) smaller than my Nexus, has a built in micro-usb cable, and charges via micro-usb as well. While it doesn't have the capacity of those listed above (only 3200mAh), it was only $20 and the size really does let you take it everywhere.
It can fully charge it the phone from dead about 1.5 times.
I bought mine due mainly to the fact that it includes the micro-usb cable that hides away when not in use. It has a standard USB port as well for charging other items, but the appeal of only having to carry one item and no extra cable sold me.
My only complaint is that the built in cable could be a bit longer.
It has a flashlight too... lol

Been researching this topic lately and found that Anker's 10,000mah external battery is looking the best
Sent from my i9250 (GSM) Galaxy Nexus.
[email protected]

I use the Veho Pebble and it's fine for my needs. I get 2 charges out of it.

after hours of my own research I also bought the Anker Slimtalk. I dont travel enough to need one that is huge and can charge my phone 8 times. This seems small enough to toss in my pocket and not bother me since its so thin and light. For $20 and the convenience of having its built in micro usb cable sounds like a perfect little invention to get me through the day.
If I traveled more I would of probably got the Energizer XP8000. Their tip program is awesome. Free tips for life but really its $2 shipping each. if you want this device to charge a whole bunch of things it can. My Acer netbook, EVO 3D, girlfriends RAZR, 3DS, bluetooth, iPad 2, Nook, and the list goes on. I've been trying to ask New Trent for almost a week if their products would be compatible with the Energizer Tip program but found that contrary to what I've read their customer support is terrible, but their prices are better than energizer. So they loose out on the sale since over the last few times of researching has allowed me to find the Slimtalk which for the price and for my needs is perfect.

Curb71 said:
after hours of my own research I also bought the Anker Slimtalk. I dont travel enough to need one that is huge and can charge my phone 8 times. This seems small enough to toss in my pocket and not bother me since its so thin and light. For $20 and the convenience of having its built in micro usb cable sounds like a perfect little invention to get me through the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly why I went with it. Even while traveling I'm generally within range of a car or home charger, especially now that pretty much everyone without an iPhone has a micro USB charger somewhere.
I just wish it had a built in AC adapter as well but I'm sure the size would increase by quite a bit. Someone (iGo maybe) makes one like that but it only has about an 1100mah battery if I recall.

I found something here in the Netherlands, and I'm not quite sure if you guys in the US have the same thing..
The thing this has going for it is it's portability. It fits in your pocket, and if you don't mind a big lump in your pockets, it even fits together with your phone.
Click over there <<< to check out the dutch website of duracell. It basically is a battery with a socket plug on it, and 2 USB outlets.
Tech. info:
Output voltage: 5 volts DC
Input voltage: 5 volts DC, max. 1 amp
Capacity: 1800 mAh
Offcourse, this is the dutch version, with the dutch socket plug, but maybe there's an US version as well?

Thanks for all the info here guys. I have that crappy Black and Decker Pocket Power from a few years back, that well, isn't living up to the charge these days, so I need something else.
Still a bit too many options, but I'm sure I'll find one that works the best.

What is your power bank?

Hi All! So this is my first time starting a new thread so I hope I'm doing this right. I couldn't really find a thread specifically for battery banks or battery backups so I thought I'd start one.
I was wondering what is everyone's method of backing up/recharging your battery for your cellphones? For me, the battery that comes with my phone is enough to get me through the day usually and I just charge it every night while I sleep. If I go on trips, I use the Rav Power 10000 mah battery bank. I find this a bit bulky but it works great and lasts many charges before I have to recharge again.
Everyone's taste and preferences are different so I'm seeing what other options are out there that may be lighter in weight. I'm thinking of getting their smaller one, the 5200 mah, and have this in my backpack or car for just in case.
Any mini reviews of what you have would be great :good:

Wow, cool gadgets, I need to get a bank for just-in-case emergencies. Thanks Currently i use a solar powered charger, which is really slow and somethings doesn't work as desired. Looks similar to this http://www.amazon.com/External-Univ...=8-4&keywords=solar+powered+cellphone+charger

Ive bought one at sunsky from china battery about 4000mah, but it was year before, now there is a better.

I used to have a bank that looked like a GBA SP, with foldable screens. In the screens were two solar panels, which charged the battery of, I think, about 2000mAh or something like that. The thing is now broken though. Still looking for a nice (affordable) replacement

Mine is Anker 5600

I use the Belkin 4000, size similar to a ext HDD and look nice, pocketable too
http://www.techhypermart.com/belkin-f8m160ak-portable-battery-pack-4000.html

Charger considerations
Hi,
I need advise for the following:
Charger A (Li-polymer battery) output : 5V, 1A
Charger B (Li-polymer battery) output : 5V, 500mA
Device input: 5V, 750mAH (Li-ion / Li-polymer)
When using Charger A, some people comment that it will limit the current of 750mAH for the device and the device's battery should be fine since both the charger and device are at 5V. However, some people comment that this will shorten the battery life of the device since it will perform a 'quick charge' using 1A.
When using Charger B, some people comment that the device will draw more current than it can deliver and causes it to heat up and reduces the charger's life. However, some people comment that Charger B will extend the battery life of the device since it performs a 'slow charge'.
I also read that USB pins on the charger denotes if the charger is a PC or a dedicated charger. If it is a PC, the device will limit the drawing current. If it is a dedicated charger, the device will draw more current to charge itself.
I am confused as to who is right and which charger should i be using.
Can someone enlighten me ?
Thank you very much.

bought this one from Ebay, has not yet arrived, therefore I cannot tell if its good or not.
but for its price its quite a good bet, 12000mAh for 33 bucks (on sale until tomorrow)
not able to post links, just type w ww. before the following
ebay.com/itm/12000mAh-External-Power-Bank-Battery-Charger-iPhone-3-4S-iPad-3-2-Blackberry-/280947027345

Zagg sparq 2.0 highly recommended
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I recommend Anker 5600 is very good for that stuff.

Hi, I use choiix power fort 10Wh http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/product.php?product_id=3001 it have 2700mAh and it's small and looks very nice. It can give one full charge for my SGSIII

I went on a trip this year and searched for a good bank, and this showed up.
http://www.sayes.co/20-powerbank.html
I tried it and it was really good, it has lots of adapters and it's cheap =P

I was able to order a RavPower 5600mAh on sale a while back ago, that was posted on slickdeals. here. I am pretty happy with the performance of the little backup, it defiantly gets the job done. My only complaint is that the body gets scratched up easily.

I was comparing the Ravpower and the Anker 5600 and they both look exactly the same except that both are branded with their logos. So I'm wondering if they're from the same manufacturer. Going to have to do some more research. However my current Ravpower power bank I do have is working great and I love this thing for trips.
I'm also thinking of getting a solar one for my 3day emergency/bug out bag. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Green Ranger said:
I was comparing the Ravpower and the Anker 5600 and they both look exactly the same except that both are branded with their logos. So I'm wondering if they're from the same manufacturer. Going to have to do some more research. However my current Ravpower power bank I do have is working great and I love this thing for trips.
I'm also thinking of getting a solar one for my 3day emergency/bug out bag. Thanks for all the suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, can someone please let me know if they are the exact same manufactuers, except for the company logos on them? I am deciding between the two. Also, what do you guys think of their 2600maH stick version? Which manufactuer would you go for over the other and why? I am very interested.

I'm using a "Scosche SolBAT II Solar Powered Backup Battery and Charger" which I bought off Amazon for something ridiculous like $15 last year.
I bought it for hiking mostly as an emergency charger. I use a Huawei phone as a GPS out in the wilderness, and the GPS app (Androzic) is quite power intensive. I have also used the same device on an iPhone and an iPod touch. The Huawei phone will receive a full charge from this battery, but the iDevices will only go to around 75%.
The solar cell on the back of the battery isn't all that efficient and will take about two days to charge the internal battery, but having it there gives you more options should an emergency occur while in the wilderness. A half hour charging in full sunlight would provide enough power for a short call or a couple of texts to family or emergency services.
The device comes with suction cups and a small carabiner, so it can be stuck to the inside of your car window or clipped to the back of your rucksack. The device is lighter and smaller than the average smartphone and can be fully charged by USB in about three hours. Interestingly, the device has a LOT of bad reviews on Amazon, so maybe they simply sent me a good one.
I also have a very cheap and nasty handcrank USB charger from dealextreme which can be used to add a bit of juice to the solar battery pack at night or in cloudy weather or can directly charge the phone in an emergency. It's a little flimsy and takes a fair bit of cranking to get enough juice for even one call, but it weighs nothing, cost about $2 and is cheap insurance out in the boonies.
My list of power equipment for the phone/GPS and the iPod Touch for a multi-day walk are as follows:
Short Micro USB cable x 1
iPod USB cable x 1
Scosche SolBAT II battery/charger with alloy carabiner
DX hand crank battery charger
Total weight is less than 200 grams

nottellingeither said:
I'm using a "Scosche SolBAT II Solar Powered Backup Battery and Charger" which I bought off Amazon for something ridiculous like $15 last year.
I bought it for hiking mostly as an emergency charger. I use a Huawei phone as a GPS out in the wilderness, and the GPS app (Androzic) is quite power intensive. I have also used the same device on an iPhone and an iPod touch. The Huawei phone will receive a full charge from this battery, but the iDevices will only go to around 75%.
The solar cell on the back of the battery isn't all that efficient and will take about two days to charge the internal battery, but having it there gives you more options should an emergency occur while in the wilderness. A half hour charging in full sunlight would provide enough power for a short call or a couple of texts to family or emergency services.
The device comes with suction cups and a small carabiner, so it can be stuck to the inside of your car window or clipped to the back of your rucksack. The device is lighter and smaller than the average smartphone and can be fully charged by USB in about three hours. Interestingly, the device has a LOT of bad reviews on Amazon, so maybe they simply sent me a good one.
I also have a very cheap and nasty handcrank USB charger from dealextreme which can be used to add a bit of juice to the solar battery pack at night or in cloudy weather or can directly charge the phone in an emergency. It's a little flimsy and takes a fair bit of cranking to get enough juice for even one call, but it weighs nothing, cost about $2 and is cheap insurance out in the boonies.
My list of power equipment for the phone/GPS and the iPod Touch for a multi-day walk are as follows:
Short Micro USB cable x 1
iPod USB cable x 1
Scosche SolBAT II battery/charger with alloy carabiner
DX hand crank battery charger
Total weight is less than 200 grams
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a nice list of equipment. How is the solar powered charger coming along?

tgmeyer said:
Yeah, can someone please let me know if they are the exact same manufactuers, except for the company logos on them? I am deciding between the two. Also, what do you guys think of their 2600maH stick version? Which manufactuer would you go for over the other and why? I am very interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly i went with pricing. I assume if they look the same they are from the same vendors/manufactures but different brand/company. Reviews for both sound very good too. Ravpower had a promo going on a while back and i tend to see them pop up from time to time on slick deals. The stick might give you one charge but since it looks smaller than the rest, it may be the easiest and lightest to carry around. I say get a decent sized one. Anywhere between 5600mah to 10000mah so you can go through a few charges without needing to charge again.

I have a 6600 mAh(well, in my experience it's not true, more like 4-4.5k), but I rarely use it after I bought a tablet with a fullsized usb port in it.

solar charger
I was looking for a solar charger. I bougth one but it crashed in two days. Therefore I returned it and now I am waiting for another one. In the place I live there are few options

Charging while camping

An interesting new USB charger on Indiegogo uses butane lighter fluid with a thermocouple to charge your cell phone.
I'm thinking this would be great for those overnight multi-day camping trips. It charges at a 1A rate, so it should be good enough for most Android phones.
More info at http://igg.me/at/smartcharger/x/1655370

This is a great idea. Will certainly be funding this. Thanks for this! The party in Istanbul is kinda weird though

I had good luck with a $100 solar panel this summer camping for two weeks at a time. There are nice solar panels on Ebay with built in 5V USB ports as well as the ability to charge any 12V battery (which I use for ham radio too).
This is the like one I purchased.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281144218614

ziodure increasingly
they also make a basi powercell thats good for 8000mah or more that is like a bigger battery you plug into it usb for 30$ or so

Would you want to enable fast charge while you're using something like this? Or would it matter?

id628 said:
An interesting new USB charger on Indiegogo uses butane lighter fluid with a thermocouple to charge your cell phone.
I'm thinking this would be great for those overnight multi-day camping trips. It charges at a 1A rate, so it should be good enough for most Android phones.
More info at http://igg.me/at/smartcharger/x/1655370
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a mobile bank?
How about its capacity?

Marcus Loud said:
It is a mobile bank?
How about its capacity?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you mean by mobile bank "is it a battery"? No, it's a generator. It doesn't hold a charge, it only creates electricity from butane directly.
Capacity from the Q&A section:
Q- How many refills can you get from a can of fuel?
A- A regular can of butane is 300ml. And the fuel tank inside the device is ~60ml. That means, you can refill The Smart Charger 5 times with a can of fuel.
Looking at the trend line for this project, I doubt it will make its target and won't be produced. Neat idea though.

id628 said:
If you mean by mobile bank "is it a battery"? No, it's a generator. It doesn't hold a charge, it only creates electricity from butane directly.
Capacity from the Q&A section:
Q- How many refills can you get from a can of fuel?
A- A regular can of butane is 300ml. And the fuel tank inside the device is ~60ml. That means, you can refill The Smart Charger 5 times with a can of fuel.
Looking at the trend line for this project, I doubt it will make its target and won't be produced. Neat idea though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's really a smartcharge as you say.But 300ml is it a little bit? Can become bigger?

I would go with something like this:
ebay itm/Opteka-4000mAh-Solar-Power-Battery-Mobile-iPhone-iPad-iPod-Android-Phone-Charger-/370665663271#vi-content
Its a solar power charger, of course it will only charge in sunlight, but it should contain a battery which will hold a charge for additional night time charging.

nixfu said:
I had good luck with a $100 solar panel this summer camping for two weeks at a time. There are nice solar panels on Ebay with built in 5V USB ports as well as the ability to charge any 12V battery (which I use for ham radio too).
This is the like one I purchased.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281144218614
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks good, has it been reliable?

id628 said:
An interesting new USB charger on Indiegogo uses butane lighter fluid with a thermocouple to charge your cell phone.
I'm thinking this would be great for those overnight multi-day camping trips. It charges at a 1A rate, so it should be good enough for most Android phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a very cool project, I hope it succeeds. For now, there's the BioLite camp stove. It's a bit bulky, but runs on wood. I'm currently trying to justify the bulkiness for backpacking... A butane charger would be much nicer, though!

Portable Power Lantern-Lantern with a Cell phone charger all in one-Check this out
PortablePowerLantern.com is a lantern, flashlight, work light and a mobile charger all in one. The battery is recharble over 3000 times
Save money on batteries. Can charge amost any electronic devices. The lantern can be charged in 3 ways: standard ac/dc outlet, car charger or solar panel. Makes a great emergency kit for back up power and light or camping lantern as it is light weight (only 1.5 lbs)
Go to PortablePowerLantern.com and use promo code: SOLAR (all caps) in the check out to get 10% off order.

ultra slim power on the go

the unit was shipped on time and comes with very nice box (nice gift for techi) and the unit even has a very nice soft cloth carrying case. also in the box is a nice/easy to read and understand owners manual and a usb charging cable. This power bank has a capacity of 8000mAh which took me 6 hours to charge to full and using it to fill my GS5 from 6% to full was very simple and i got 3 full charges with the unit still having power left over. the powerbank is slim and compact (14.5cm x 7cm x 1cm) and light for a unit of this capacity at 170g (6oz) and that was nice for carrying around or just on the go. unit has a single output ports 2.1A and charges most any device with usb cable given or you can use your devices cable.unit also has 4 small LEDs to indicate charge level (each led means 25% of the battery's capacity) that are easy to read in daylight and another factor i liked about this powerbank. i gave this unit a 5 star rating for many reason, the look and feel of the unit is very slim and compact and the ease of use was also very simple.build quality was very sturdy yet very low weight making it easy to even fit in your pocket if needed and best feature in my opinion was the price, under $30 for such a "must have" product is very low and i highly recommend this powerbank.
http://www.amazon.com/Amzdeal®-Moving-Life-Ultra-Slim-Smartphones/dp/B00J2KQYU4/ref=cm_rdp_product

dodocool Portable 12000mAh Power Bank External Backup Battery Backup Charger

we all need extra battery power and the dodocool Portable 12000mAh Power Bank is a perfect choice for your phone/tablet needs. As the owner of a nexus 5/6 as well as a galaxy S4 and a nexus 9 tablet i needed a "all in one" power bank capable of charging a phone and tablet at same time and im happy to say this unit does. At 12,000 mAh theres plenty of power to go around and this unit looks and feels as good as it works with a flat black finish and a chrome bezel around the outside of the unit. there are 4 LEDs that illuminate blue showing how much power is left in the unit and each LED represents 25% so its very easy to see how much juice is left. There are 3 ports at one end and there are clearly marked on bottom of the unit and are 1.0 AMP/2.1 AMP (both output) and in middle of those 2 is your 1.0 AMP input for charging the unit. At 1 AMP the unit charged from 3% to 100% is roughly 13hrs but charging with 2 AMPs i was able to cut that time almost in half and i have used this method for years of charging power banks and never has a issue. In the box was the power bank/owners manual and a 40in usb cable and the weight of the unit is 9 3/4 ounces and has Samsung 18650 Lithium batteries that in my opinion are the best and i have never had a issue wit these batteries in other powerbanks. Unit also has full protection against over-charge / over-discharge / over-current / over-voltage / short-circuit, etc. so that also was a big selling point for me. Here is why you need this unit, i was able to charge my LG Nexus 5 with a 2300mAh battery Three times + 55% remaining on unit and my Galaxy S4 with a 2600mAh battery Three times + 15% remaining on unit so that is impressive.Im very happy with the overall look/feel/price and performance of this dodocool Portable 12000mAh Power Bank and was given this unit for a fair and honest review so with that i see in Amazons product description "3.Build-in white LED Flashlight By long pressing the power button, the flashlight is turned on (Long-press again, off)." and i have other units with this feature and find it very useful but this unit does NOT have this feature and i have contacted dodocool to get confirmation on this and maybe im not seeing it so if needed i will update my review. I gave this unit 5 stars for price and performance and dont think flashlight statement was a error on dodocools end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EyREn-ndd8
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1RHF74N215QIG/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
i was just given this promo code for 15% off for xda users, not sure when it runs out but here ya go.
15% off Promo code ：ZGTDKD95