Review: EasyAcc 10400 mAh Powerbank

This review represents my personal and unbiased view on EasyAcc Powerbank 10400 mAh. In this test I  evaluated everything I think is important for consumer – consumer experience.

What's in the box:

-          10400 mAh Powerbank

-          2x micro usb cable

-          User manual (read it!)

First impressions: Item was delivered in secure package. Powerbank itself is great looking device. It's made of aluminum body, which gives powerbank very high-end feel. It's very compact built and it fits nice in the hand. The dimensions of the powerbank are: 90x77x21.5 mm. The unit is also fingerprint –resistant. On the front of the unit, there are power button, 2 USB output ports (1x1A, 1x2.1A) and micro USB input port. There are also four indicators, that represents battery capacity. Each indicator stands for 25% of the battery power.

How it works: Powerbank is really easy to use. When you plug device in, powerbank starts charging it automatically. If you want to check battery level, just press power button. Indicator will go automatically off in few seconds. Powerbank must have above 5% of power capacity to charge your device. The powerbank has under 5% of the power capacity when one indicator is flashing. Because there are 2 output ports (1A and 2.1A), you can charge 2 devices simultaneously. I recommend charging tablets with 2.1A USB output port. It will charge them more quickly.

Test:   

• Battery efficiency: with first fully charged powerbank I charged 50% of Nexus 10, 30% of ipad mini retina and 36 % of nexus 7 (2012). All of them were charged separately.  Battery efficiency with first full discharge was 72%, which is great. It takes few battery cycles, before powerbank reach its full potencial of battery efficiency.
•  Charging time: powerbank was fully charged (0-100%) in 6 hours, using desktop charger with 2.1A of output power. This means approximately 1730 mAh in one hour.     
• Charging speed: In one hour, powerbank  was able to charge Note 4 from 13-63%. This is approximately 1610% mAh in one hour.
• Compatibility: I haven't had any problems charging any device I put in the powerbank. Beside already mentioned devices I also charged bluetooth headset, bluetooth speaker, Samsung Galaxy S4, Nokia Lumia 520, iPhone 5S, ipod nano and garmin gps watch.     
• Simultaneous charging: it is working properly, I had no problems charging two tablets simultaneously (ipad mini 1gen, ipad mini 2gen).    
• Overheating: no overheating problems, even when charging two devices simultaneously. When charging battery itself, I also haven't noticed any change in temperature.

Conclusion: I am really satisfied with this powerbank. It's the best powerbank I used to date. Powerbank is great designed and with great performance. I am especially satisfied with charging speed of the powerbank, which is really fast. I most definetly recommend this powerbank to anyone, who looks for beautiful and powerful powerbank. 

Review: Levin 12000 mAh Solar Charger

This review represents my personal and unbiased view on Levin 12000 mAh solar charger. In this test I will evaluate everything I think is important for consumer – consumer experience.

What's in the box:

•  12000 mAh solar charger
•  Carabiner
•  Micro USB cable
•  30 pin Samsung adapter
•  User manual (read it!)

First impressions:

Solar charger is very nice looking device, with rubberized edges which protects charger from accidental drops. Solar charger is also water – resistant. On the front there is 1.7W monocrystalline solar panel, power button and four led battery indicators. Every indicator represents 25% of power capacity. On the side there are 2 micro usb output (1A) and one input (1A), which are sealed with cap, to ensure water – resistant structure. Powerbank has also built in led torch. Led torch has two different modes: normal and flashing light.

How it works:

 There are two ways to charge this powerbank, via built-in solar panel or via external power source, using micro usb cable. Powerbank is really simple to use. Plug in device you want to charge and click on power button. If you want to use led torch, press power button twice, and if you want flashing light, press power button one more time. To turn it off, double press power button again. When battery level on solar charger is low, one blue indicator starts to flash. If you charge it via solar energy, one indicator turns green.

Test:

•  Solar charging: I placed solar charger under sunlight for 5,5 hours. It is December, so the sun isn't as powerful as it is in the summer. From 5,5 hours I was able to get 510 mAh  of power. That means it would charge iPhone 5S around 25%.
• Charging time from 0 -100% via 2.4 A external power source was around 7.5 hours.   
• Battery efficiency: From one full charge, I was able to charge my ipad mini retina from 38 to 100%, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 from 0-100%. Battery efficiency with first full charge was 61%. Here is important to mention, that solar charger automatically shut off, although there is still some battery juice, in order to protect its battery from deep discharge.
•  I have no problems charging two tablets at the same time (ipad mini retina and nexus 7).
• Overheating: There were no overheating problems, even when charging two devices simultaneously.

     Compatibility: I have no problem charging: nexus 7, nexus 10, ipad mini retina,  Samsung Galaxy Note 4, bluetooth speaker, sony headset and Garmin GPS watch.

Conclusion: Very satisfied with the product and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for dust and shock proof, water resistant powerbank. But if you want to use it just as solar charger I don't recommend it, because solar panel will charge powerbank slowly.  You have to look at this solar charging as an extra feature, which provides you with some battery juice for those emergency situations. For people who want to charge their devices via sunlight only, I recommend looking for  higher efficiency solar panels (10W or more). Also I would like to see, that micro usb would be built in powerbank as an extra feature.

Review: Levin Lightning cable

This review represents my personal and unbiased view on Levin lightning cable. In this test I will evaluate everything I think is important for consumer – consumer experience.

Lightning cable is very quality build and is MFI certified. In my opinion this cabel is better buy than original lightning cable by Apple.

Reasons: 

 -8 pin connectors are the same (both made of single piece of metal, smooth connectors, grey faceplate);

- a hold, just under lightning boot,(look at the picture) which goes around the cable is thicker and more durable. A lot of original lightning  cables break quickly, often the reason is  very tiny hold around the  cable. I have already broken 2 original lightning cables;

- have no problem charging and syncing with this cable. Using ipad mini retina (ios 8.1.1);

- works with the latest iphone 6 and 6 plus and with all ios versions;

- price comparison: £8,99 for this cable vs. £15 for the original cable.

Conclusion: I had no issues with this lightning cable and I totally recommend it to anyone, who are looking for a cheaper, yet better alternative to Apple Lightning cable.

link to the product:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-MFI-Certified-Lightning-Charge/dp/B00PC0YW16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418319900&sr=8-1&keywords=levin+lightning

Apple lightning cable on the left, Levin lightning cable on the right

Review: Levin 3 USB Port Car Charger

This is my review of Levin 3 USB port car charger in which I intend to provide you with information that matters most – consumer experience.

First impressions: Car charger is quality made, with style in mind. The connectors are high quality and responsive. Charger has  1x 1A USB port and 2x 2.1 A USB ports. At the top of the USB ports, there is LED light, which turn blue, when car charger is correctly inserted in car 12 volt receptacle.  

The product is 7,3 cm long and the side where are USB ports is 4 cm width (at most).  I have no problems charging devices with next cars: Renault and VW. I think there should be no problem using car charger with other cars for European market.

First test: I charged my iPhone via 1A USB port, and it was charging with full speed (equal to charging via wall socket), as mentioned in the product description. Car charger had no overheating problems whatsoever. 

Second test:  Charging 3 devices at once to see, if there is any charging speed decrease.  For this test I charged Nexus 10 (2012), iPad mini 2 and iPhone 5S simultaneously.  Charging three devices at once had no influence on charging speed. Charging time in first and second test were the same. In this test I also didn't notice any overheating problems with car charger, despite using all thre USB ports at the same time.

Conclusion: I am very pleased with high charging efficiency of the unit and had no problems with it during my test. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have high quality and powerful car charger. And for that price, buying this unit is a no brainer.

Review: EasyAcc 3000 mAh Battery Case for iPhone 5/5S

I have been using power case with my iPhone 5S for the past week and this is my review – consumer experience.  In the box you get: powercase, micro USB to USB cable, headset plug and user manual (read it first!).

First impressions: powercase is made of glossy plastic and feels compact in the hand. On the top of the case is button which serves for opening the powercase. You have to pull the button to the left to open the powercase. This button also serves as power button for iPhone. On the left side of the powercase you have a hole to access do not disturb button on iphone and buttons for volume rockers. On the bottom is headphone jack, micro usb plug and button for powering the battery case on. When you press button once, it shows you battery level with four indicators, each indicator represents 25 % of the capacity. Inside the powerbank is lightning connector which is MFI (made for iphone) certified. I compared it with original apple lightning cable and I didn't noticed any difference between connectors (rounded contacts, white piece is rounded in the corners). Buttons for the power button on iphone 5s and buttons for volume rockers are very responsive.

Using the powercase: Usually I have to charge my iPhone 5S daily. Using iPhone 5s with this powercase (both 100 %) I got three days, before I had to charge my iPhone. When your iphone is running low on battery, just press button on the bottom for a few seconds and it will start charging your iphone from the powercase. With this case iPhone gets pretty bulky. FYI: iPhone itself measures: 123,8 mm x 58,6 mm x 7.6 mm . But when you are using it with this case measurements are: 146,0 m x 66,0 mm x 16,00 mm.                                                                                                     Charging empty powercase to 100 % took 3.5 hours.

You can also use this powercase as a stand, which is pretty gimmick. When you want to use it as a stand, just press the top button to the left and at the same time hold a finger on iPhone, to separate iphone from the frame of the powercase. If you don't do this, iPhone stays in the frame and if you push too strong, lightning connector  could break (lightning connector isn't fixed to the frame).

Dislikes: If you want use headphones with the powercase, you have to first remove iphone from the case and then insert the headset plug.  Another thing I don't like is that you can not charge your iphone with powercase, when  you are charging the powercase.

Conclusion: Overall, powercase is very solid device. It's great for the emergency situations, or when you are going somewhere for a weekend and don't have access to wall charger. I also recommend it to people who don't like to carry additonal  powerbanks for charging. 

Review: EasyAcc 15000 mAh Powerbank

This is my review of EasyAcc® 15000 mAh Powerbank. In this review I will provide you with the things that matters most when we are talking about gadgets  - consumer experience.

In the box you get: powerbank, 2 USB to micro USB cables and user manual (read it first!).

Powerbank is quality build and the surface is covered with black rubbery - smooth plastic (similar to Nexus 10 rear side).It's fingerprint friendly (no fingerprints left on the device). On the front side of powerbank, there are 4 USB output ports for charging your devices. On the edge of the smooth plastic surface are four indicators for battery level. Each indicator represents 25 % of power capacity. Using powerbank is very easy, just connect device you want to charge and it will start charging automatically. If for some reason doesn't start to charge, just press the power button. During charging, indicators show you how much battery power is left in portable charger (4 indicators for 75 - 100%, 3 indicators for 50-75 %, 2 for 25-50 % and 1 indicator for 0 -25 % of battery level).

Firstly I fully charged powerbank and then take it to the first test. In this test I evaluated the efficiency ratio of the powerbank. In the first discharging cycle I charged separately : iPhone 5S from 20-100 %, Nexus 10 from 15-100% (airplane mode) and iPad mini Retina from70 - 100% and first generation ipad mini from 50 - 72 %. Both ipads were on airplane mode. After that powerbank ran out of power.

Device battery size:

iPhone 5s: 1570 mAh

Nexus 10: 9000 mAh

ipad mini retina: 6471 mAh

first generation ipad mini: 4490 mAh

80 % of iPhone 5s battery represents 1256 mAh, 85 % of Nexus 10 battery represents 7650 mAh,30 % of ipad mini retina battery represents 1941 mAh and 22 % of first generation ipad mini battery represents 988 mAh. Combining all mAh together, we get 11 835 mAh.

Efficiency ratio for powerbank is 78,9 %. This efficiency ratio is very good, especially if we know that this was only the first fully discharging cycle. Battery will probably be even better after few discharging cycles. I have no complaints over efficiency ratio, on contraryI think it's great.

Even if you aren't charging devices, you know when powerbank is empty. Just press the power button and 1 indicator will start to blink. This means that battery level is below 5% and you can't use it for charging.

Charging time for EasyAcc Powerbank from empty to 100 % was 9.5 hours, using EasyAcc Desktop Charger with 2.4 A output.

In first test I charged devices separately, one by one. There were no overheating problems, actually there wasn't any noticable change in temperature (like it is,when powerbank is off). With the next test, my intention was to evaluate, if there are any overheating problems, when you are charging four devices at the same time. For this test I charged three tablets and a smartphone. It was the same story again.When I was charging four devices at the same time, there wasn't any change in temperature. Powerbank charged all four devices with no problem whatsoever. During test I also noticed that charging speed decreases when we are charging four devices simultaneously. iPhone 5s needed 2h and 10 minutes (30-100%). When I charged just iPhone 5S it took 1h and 40 minutes. For me it's quiet understandable that powerbank will charge with decrease in speed, because it has a lot of capacity to charge from four USB outputs simultaneously.

Conclusion: Overall powerbank is a great device.I recommend this powerbank to anyone who are going on camping for a weekend etc. and don't have access to wall socket. This powerbank will have you covered. I am also very satisfied with effieciency ratio of the device (almost 80% with the first cycle). Many times we buy some powerbanks with huge capacity, but when you charge the devices you get only half of that supposed capacity power. That's not the case with this charger.If you want to stop charging devices for a moment just press power button. When you want to continue charging, press power button again. Would like to see some included pouch for carrying the device.

Review: EasyAcc 6 Port Usb Desktop Charger

In this review I am sharing my consumer experience with the EasyAcc® 6 – port USB Desktop Charger. Three features provided from EasyAcc®: Super Portable, Ultra – Powerful and Extremely Protective.

In the box you get:

-desktop charger;

-AC Power Cord (UK 3 pin wall plug)

- User Manual (read it first).

Desktop charger is lightweight, compact built and smaller than I expected. Desktop charger is made from  high quality materials, which are accordingly to EasyAcc® product description fire and high temperature resistant. Because unit is square shaped, you can use it in different positions. On the front side you have 6 USB port (2 ports for 2.4 A output, 2 ports for 2.1 A output and 2 ports for 1 A output).

After first impressions with the desktop charger I plug it in the wall socket and decided to charge 6 devices at the same time. At the same time I charged Nexus 7, Nexus 10, iPhone 5S, iPad mini retina, 3000 mAh portable battery pack and Sony bluetooth DR - BTN 200 headphones. All devices were charging simultaneously.  Probably I will never charge 6 devices at the same time, but I just want to check that all 6 USB outputs were working simultaneously. Six cables plugged in desktop charger produce a mess. So some cable management is recommended. During charging of all six devices, desktop charger became fairly warm, however I with phrase fairly warm I don't mean overheating in any way. It's understable that desktop charger became warm, because it can provide a total of 50 Watts of power. I have seen in the comments that some people noticed some noise from desktop charger, but that's not the case with my desktop charger. I can't hear it, even from 15 cm (0,5 feet).

In my next test I intended to check if you lose any charging speed, when six different devices are charging. For this test I charged my iPhone 5S from 30 – 100 %, together with iPad mini retina, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, 15000 mAh portable battery pack and bluetooth speaker. Result: Charging time of iPhone 5s from 30 – 100% was 1 hour and 40 minutes.  In comparison, charging time with included iPhone wall charger was exactly the same as charging with EasyAcc Desktop charger (1 hour and 40 minutes). On the basis of this test I can confirm that there is no difference between charging devices via fully loaded EasyAcc desktop charger and charging devices via included official wall charger.

Beside devices I mentioned above, I also charged Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia J, Nokia Lumia 520, and ipod shuffle with no charging issues whatsoever.

For charging tablets at full speed I recommend using 2.4 A and 2.1 A USB output. I also recommend using original Apple or MFI lightning cables and high quality micro USB cables.

Conclusion: I am very satisfied with desktop charger, it does exactly what it says in product description. I would recommend it to anyone who has a lot of gadgets, because you can simultaneously charge 3 tablets and 3 smartphones at once, which spares a lot of your time. The unit would be even better if there was included (at higher price) or sold separately some kind of docking station for charging all this devices and which could also served as cable management organizer. 

Review: RAVPower Luster Mini 3000 mAh Portable Charger

For the past few weeks I've been using another portable charger from RAVPower. In the opposite of the previous 15000 mAh portable charger, this is the review of lipstick-sized portable charger.

What you get in the box:
- power bank
- USB to micro USB cable
- manual
- warranty card
- a clip.

Charger is cylinder shaped and covered in aluminium. Device is quality build and it looks very premium. Charger has one input USB port (5V), output micro USB port (5V) and button for a flashlight. Yes, it has flashlight built in. Flashlight has 3 different modes: high, low light and strobe. I used flashlight multiple times for connecting cables to the back of a TV and  a computer.

I was able to fully charge my iPhone 5S. I also charged Samsung Galaxy S4 from 12 - 93 % before battery ran out of power. Efficiency of the powerbank is approximately 70 % Would like to have some battery indicator on the power bank.
Charging powerbank from 0% to 100 % with 5V wall adapter took approximately 3.5 hours. Powerbank is fully charged when blue light appears on the side of the battery charger.

Conclusion: Very affordable (I got it for 8,99 pounds), nice looking device, which give you enough power for situations when you don't have access to wall charger. Register your device on ravpower.com to gain 18 months hassle - free warranty.

Review: RAVPower 3rd Gen Deluxe 15000mAh External Battery Pack

Here is my review of RAVPower 3rd Gen Deluxe 15000mAh external battery pack:

I have received  external battery pack in nice eco - friendly package.

In the box you get:

- battery charger (black or white color)

- 2 USB to micro USB cables

- 2 connectors (mini usb, 30pin)

- travel pouch

- manual
- warranty card

My first impressions were : high quality – compact design, bright led lights indicating battery percentage, matte design, no fingerprints on unit and pretty small for 15000 mAh of power you get. I like the thing, that battery pack has dual usb ports for charging two devices at the same time.  And there is also fully functioning flashlight, which you can turn it on by pressing  button for the 1-2 seconds.  I am also very pleased with all the accessories (usb cables, connectors, pouch) you get in the box.

Out of the box ravpower bank had 3 led lights on (50-75% of battery). I decided to fully charge it first. There are 4 led lights and each one represents 25 percentage of power left in the unit.  I plugged it in, using included micro usb cable and my ipad usb-wall adapter and charged it to 100%.

With first full charged battery pack i charged my ipad mini with retina display, from 0-100 % in airplane mode, my iPhone 5s, from 35-100% and Nexus 10 (airplane mode)from 46-77 % . After that battery pack ran out of power.  I was pretty impressed with its capacity,with awareness that battery pack needs some cycles before it will reach optimal capacaity. Battery pack didn't feel warm for a second. This is great!

Charging ipad mini retina and iphone 5s from battery pack took about the same time as charging from wall charger. But charging nexus 10 with battery pack was about 2x faster than charging from wall charger. 

Charging the battery pack from 0-100 percentage was about 10 hours (with 10W ipad wall charger). It is a lot, but don't forget you get a lot of power in that small-sized unit. When device was charging I noticed one useful feature. When unit is charged over 25 %, one led light stop blinking, the other three led lights continue to blink. The same is when unit is over 50 % and 75% charged (only 2 led lights blinking, only 1 led light blinking, respectively). This feature tells you approximately how much battery is already charged or  how much battery have yet to be charged. When battery pack is fully charged, led lights automatically switch off. Battery pack doesn't overheat during charging, I mean it's not even warm.

After that, i tested charging two tablets at the same time. It works flawlessly as mentioned in the product description.

With battery pack I also charged the following devices: bluetooth speaker RAPOO, Nexus 7 (2012), Sony DR-btn200 wireless headphones,  Garmin GPS watch, ipod shuffle and Samsung Galaxy S4.  Battery pack charged every device I tested.

Conclusion: I am very satisfied with the product and would recommend it to everyone who is looking for a lot of power in small unit size and don't want to spend a fortune on battery pack.  After you buy any of Ravpower products, I recommend to register a product to gain 18 months of warranty protection. 

Link to the product:  http://tinyurl.com/myx4v8o