We’ve reviewed quite a few USB chargers here on TruTower, because nothing can make a trip — overseas or otherwise — more frustrating than losing power on your mobile devices. And nothing makes this even more frustrating than finding yourself stranded in an area with no way to power said devices.
Enter Lax’s Power Up Portable USB Charger. This is one Li-ion battery charger you don’t want to leave home without. Its 2600mAh capacity ensures that you’ll be able to charge most devices to at least three-fourths capacity, and it’s also extremely portable, measuring at only about 3.5″ x .75″ in size, with a thickness of about .75″. Here are some highlights and specs of the device:
- Capacity: 2600mAh
- Portable Power back up for your Smartphone
- Charge whilst on the go – easily ýts into your bag or pocket
- Intelligent circuit design with over charge protection
- LED Power indication, so you know exactly how much power is left to charge your device
- Re-charge the LED Power UP from any PC, Laptop or USB wall charger that comes with your cell phone
- Battery cell type: Li-ion Battery
- Input: 5V/1A Max
- Output: 5V/1A Max
- Compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows Phones, among other 5V digital devices.
We got the opportunity to receive one of these devices for review and were quite impressed with the quality as well as the sheer capacity of the charge.
I spent a week with the device, utilzing it instead of my regular wall-charging routine. Granted, you’ll generally use wireless chargers a lot less than this, but I felt it was necessary to make sure the experience was consistent with each charge. After a week, I was still impressed with the little device.
Before I get into the review, let’s first explore what you get right out of the box when you order the device. You get the LED Power Up 2600mAh Portable USB Charger, of course, but you also get a USB Charge Cable — the cable is very short, so you’ll likely want to get an extension or a longer cable if you’re planning on comfortably using your smartphone or tablet while it’s charging — and a user manual.
Using the device is very simple, so I found the manual just a bit excessive. Pressing the power button on the Power Up Charger is not necessary to charge your phone or tablet, but serves as a way for you to see what percentage of battery power you have left. Pressing it again will turn off the LED, but your device will continue to charge until its unplugged. For best results, you’ll want to make sure the LED is displaying 100 percent capacity before you try using the charger. If its not at full capacity, plug the portable charger into a wall outlet to make sure it’s fully charged and ready to go before you leave.
We were given a lighting USB cable by Lax for charging an iPhone, but the cable did not connect at all to my iPhone for some reason, so I instead utilized a spare lightning cable I had lying around. I also tested the Power Up Charger with my Kyocera Hydro Elite Android smartphone as well as my Lumia 635 Windows Phone and my Toshiba Encore Windows tablet. It seemed to work most consistently with the Windows Phone — the phone was at 100 percent charge from a dead battery each time while the Power Up USB Charger always had quite a bit of juice left — but worked very well on every device I tried.
The charges seemed to get a little less consistent as the Power Up USB Charger got below 40 percent, with the discharge happening a little faster. Also, it does take awhile to recharge so if you’re planning to travel or even if you just use it at work and you’re not always near an outlet, you’ll want to make sure you plug it in overnight so you’re ready to use it the next day or give yourself an hour or two beforehand to charge (perfect time to have a coffee!).
If there’s one thing I had to choose that I loved most about the Power Up USB Charger (aside from its sexy, sleek appearance, of course), it’s its portability. If you’re the type of person who always has their phone on a belt clip, you can plug your phone or MP3 player into the Power UP USB Charger while you’re out for a run and it’s sitting in your pocket. If you’re a business person who keeps your phone in your suitcase and it’s suffering from a case of dead battery, you can plug your phone into the Power Up USB Charger while it’s in your suitcase and it’ll be charged for when you need it.
These are just a few of the applications that the portability of the Power Up USB Charger enables you to experience. Be sure to share a few of your own uses in the comments below.
Overall, the Power Up USB Charger is a high quality, well-built, sturdy device with a powerful enough battery to keep your digital life alive and kicking for hours longer. Its easier to pack and deal with than an extra battery (and who says you can’t get multiple Power Up USB Chargers for extended outings?), and it just looks good. At $49.99, it’s not too hard on the wallet either. Be sure to check it out for yourself on the LAX website.