Recommend a good portable battery pack?
November 14, 2012 4:57 AM Subscribe
Recommend a good portable battery pack?
I'm looking for a portable battery pack to recharge my Samsung galaxy nexus while I'm in the field. I would prefer something that I can slip into a pocket (slimness is a plus), that can hold its charge for a long time and that could give me 2 full recharges. Suggestions?
I'm looking for a portable battery pack to recharge my Samsung galaxy nexus while I'm in the field. I would prefer something that I can slip into a pocket (slimness is a plus), that can hold its charge for a long time and that could give me 2 full recharges. Suggestions?
Is where you are going sunny? If so, I would go for a small solar charger and battery pack from goal zero. The battery pack would charge all day from the panel(which you can hang from the outside of your backpack) and the battery pack will almost certainly give you two charges, even if you end up charging it off the wall at night.
posted by rockindata at 5:17 AM on November 14, 2012
posted by rockindata at 5:17 AM on November 14, 2012
A few choices:
1) Get an extended battery for the device. The default battery is 1750mAh. You can get a big-ass 3500mAh battery from, say, Seido or a 4000mAh battery from Mugen. This will make your phone bulge a bit, so it's not necessarily a svelte choice, but keeps everything in one unit. This is what I did with my Galaxy Vibrant.
2) Get a USB portable battery, e.g., this one from Anker, which appears to have good Amazon reviews. The Amazon page will also have other suggestions in the "Users also looked at these items" section. This is a bit more flexible, but it's kind of an extra brick. 5600mAh is 3 full charges of your phone, assuming charging is optimal. If that's not enough, you can find 10,000mAh units. This also appears to be the cheaper option compared to getting a big-ass extended battery.
I've ordered a Nexus 4, and will probably be looking seriously at #2 next week, depending on how I feel about the non-removable battery after using the device. I don't have particular experience with the USB chargers other than playing around with a Mintyboost before getting the extended battery. The Mintyboost was a bit disappointing, but then that's a hobby project rather than a retail item.
posted by chengjih at 5:30 AM on November 14, 2012
1) Get an extended battery for the device. The default battery is 1750mAh. You can get a big-ass 3500mAh battery from, say, Seido or a 4000mAh battery from Mugen. This will make your phone bulge a bit, so it's not necessarily a svelte choice, but keeps everything in one unit. This is what I did with my Galaxy Vibrant.
2) Get a USB portable battery, e.g., this one from Anker, which appears to have good Amazon reviews. The Amazon page will also have other suggestions in the "Users also looked at these items" section. This is a bit more flexible, but it's kind of an extra brick. 5600mAh is 3 full charges of your phone, assuming charging is optimal. If that's not enough, you can find 10,000mAh units. This also appears to be the cheaper option compared to getting a big-ass extended battery.
I've ordered a Nexus 4, and will probably be looking seriously at #2 next week, depending on how I feel about the non-removable battery after using the device. I don't have particular experience with the USB chargers other than playing around with a Mintyboost before getting the extended battery. The Mintyboost was a bit disappointing, but then that's a hobby project rather than a retail item.
posted by chengjih at 5:30 AM on November 14, 2012
I can only recommend one portable battery pack: the New Trent IMP120D. It's not as small as you require, but the build quality is nop notch: it feels safe and has two usb outputs (1x1A, 1x2A). It will recharge your Nexus 4-6 times.
I've used other small battery packs in the past, but they have been unreliable (intermittently charging), or the build quality was poor - not something I was happy with for something that might explode.
It would be nice if smartphone batteries were hot-swappable though.
posted by devnull at 5:36 AM on November 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
I've used other small battery packs in the past, but they have been unreliable (intermittently charging), or the build quality was poor - not something I was happy with for something that might explode.
It would be nice if smartphone batteries were hot-swappable though.
posted by devnull at 5:36 AM on November 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
I use the Tekkeon MP1580. I like it because it uses standard AA rechargeable batteries, I use the eneloops which do hold a charge for a very long time. This give me a power source and a charger for AA's that I can take on the road. Charges off any USB charger. Bring extra AA's and you have a compact, portable flexible power source.
posted by cosmac at 6:54 AM on November 14, 2012
posted by cosmac at 6:54 AM on November 14, 2012
Good timing. There was a post on Slickdeals today for one of these battery packs.
A perusal of the forum thread reveals several opinions on reasonably-priced alternative packs that may suit your needs as well.
posted by Th!nk at 8:12 AM on November 14, 2012
A perusal of the forum thread reveals several opinions on reasonably-priced alternative packs that may suit your needs as well.
posted by Th!nk at 8:12 AM on November 14, 2012
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posted by victory_laser at 5:01 AM on November 14, 2012