Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsComparing to an older 2019/2020 Model
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
This is a comparison of an older model that I bought around late 2019 or early 2020.
My photos include bothe the large and small options, but this review is my experience with the larger one only. I will update after I try the smaller one, which my husband chose for himself.
PROS:
● Digital battery readout.
● Can plug into a normal wall outlet or power strip.
CONS:
● I predict that the "convenient" attached cord will eventually break. It would be better for my needs if it was removeable & replaceable. I just don't trust it will last as long as the battery.
● The cord isn't long enough. If I want to use my phone while it's charging, I have to have it in my lap and hold my phone low. I can't set it on a table right next to me, etc. I feel like this also increases the stress on the permanent cord.
● While NOT using the phone, the battery life of the charging brick seems to drop a percentage with each percentage that the phone increases. So, I imagine the battery life of the charging brick drops at a much faster rate than it can charge my phone if I am using the phone. Based on this alone, I can tell this new design lasts nowhere near as long as my older charging brick. My old one could easily recharge my phone from empty to full, while I'm using it, 4 or 5 times. I can tell because this is how I usually use it, and the battery life on the older model is shown by 4 lights. It typically goes down one light of battery life with each charge. I rarely need to recharge the charging brick. I'm not sure this charging brick can even get my phone to 100% before it dies, and it's the large of the two options. Is this why they made it "so convenient" to plug it in while you charge your phone? I already have a much cheaper basic cube & cord for that method...
Would I still like to have this in my bag for when my phone is nearly dead and I'm not near a wall outlet? Absolutely. But the older model is far superior to this one and I am not sure how this is supposed to be an updated improvement, just on the basis of what it's primary function is - charging without a power source.
It's disappointing.
Like it was plugged in, fully charged, 100% power... and it's down to 65% after I wrote this review. My phone increased only 30% battery life while it lost 35%, and most of that was not using the phone, because I was just watching for a while to see how well it worked if it was just sitting on a table.
I bought these to send my husband on a work trip with a charging brick, and he chose the smaller one for portability, but now I feel like I should send him with the older model that will last longer without needing to be charged.