- Ultra High Capacity, 6000mAh, extend 35 hours of talk time or 15 hours of video play back time for iPhone 4.
- Compact, portable and stylish Design. Convenient to carry in your bags. With imbedded Micro-USB, No Cable to carry for Android Phones.
- Samsung Grade A cells high quality Lithium-ion battery ensures reliability; 500 + recharge cycles over the life of the battery
- Output: 1 USB port + 1 Micro USB for fast triple charge: Max 1 Ampere(Shared by1A port and Micro USB Cable) ; 4 LED indicators reveal the battery level; Convenient flashlight; Input: 5V 1A, PGMPP6000 can be recharged via standard USB or AC adapter (not included); Dimensions: 4.15 x 1.83 x 0.88 inches
- Package includes: PGMPP6000 White External Battery / 4 connectors for most phones / 2 USB power wires (27inches and 7inches) / 1 user manual
I am attaching a collage of 2 photos labeled with number 1 & 2 under customer photos that I will be referencing in this review.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the package is that brick looks slick and well made. Its dimensions are 4.15" length x 1.83" width x 0.88" thickness. A photo of the unit is included in both photos I posted.
The box contained two USB cords 7" and 27" and adapters to fit different devices (Nokia 2mm round, Playstation Portable 4mm round, mini USB, two micro USB). Photo #1 shows the entire content including all adapters. The adapters are a weak point of the design, they feel a bit flimsy and it is easy to loose all the small pieces. The minimum configuration for my devices is two connectors: one that goes into the AC plug to charge the external battery and the second (mini USB) that goes into the devices for charging.
A big button on top of the unit turns the unit on and off (hold it for a few second to turn off). The blue lights on the sides of the button indicate the level of power in the battery: 4 lights indicate full charge, 3 lights indicate 75% and so forth. The power pack also has an LED light, which generates a pretty good bright light and can be used a flashlight.
The 6000mAh PowerGen has one USB outlet. I tested my four electronic devices using both my own USB cable as well as the manufacture cable+adapter. In the documentation booklet PowerGen states that PowerGen cables provide better performance for non-Apple devices on the 2Amp (Apple port) and I wanted to see the difference between the cables.
The provided adapters fit Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone, Nexus 7 tablet and Sansa Clip MP3 (as they take regular USB-to-micro USB cable) but none of the provided adapters fit Galaxy Samsung 7.7 Tablet.
I used Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.
The key findings:
================
(1) The power pack worked well with Nexus devices,but did not work at all with Samsung Galaxy 7.7 tablet. The documentation states that it does not work unless you have a tablet USB adapter. But even with this adapter the Battery App showed that the tablet was 'discharging'.
(2) Using PowerGen cables vs generic cables made a postive difference for the phone but not for the tablet (note that I used a generic charging cable, not a data cable)
Difference between a power cable and a data cable:
Charging cables short the two data connections together (rendering them useless for data transfer), but this fools devices to see them as an AC power connection, and thus accept the higher current of the charging source. Both my generic cable and PowerGen cables used in my tests are charging cables.
Description of my tests:
I tested each devices charging them for 10 minutes using PowerGen cable and using my own charging cable.
The table below summarizes my findings.
Nexus 7 Tablet (photo #1)
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generic cable .... AC source .... 1% charge in 10 minutes
Powergen cable ... AC source .... 1% charge in 10 minutes
Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone (photo #2)
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generic cable .... AC source .... 3% charge in 10 minutes
Powergen cable ... AC source .... 4% charge in 10 minutes
Samsung Galaxy Tablet 7.7
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generic cable .... discharging
PowerGen cable -no adapter, cannot be used
SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player
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generic cable ...... works
PowerGen cable ..... works
The MP3 player recognized the charger on both outlet, however it behaved differently than charging from the charger it came with.
When I charge Sansa MP3 with a standard AC charger, the MP3 player goes into charging mode, displaying the charging animated icon. When it was plugged into the PowerGen external battery it continued to play the content. I listen to books on my MP3 player so this caused me to move forward in my book and I had to manually reset my position by a few chapters to get back to where I was when I started charging. The positive side of this, is that is possible to continue listening while MP3 is recharging. This is very handy for Sansa MP3 player since it has built-in battery that cannot be swapped for a charged one. I used to have to stop listening to have it recharged and now I can continue to listen while it re-charges. I was very happy to have this feature during hurricane Sandy when I lost power and my books on MP3 player were my only source of entertainment.
To summarize:
I liked:
-----------------------------------
1. Good behavior with Nexus devices.
2. Solution for MP3 player with built-in battery
3. Looks sleek, feels solid, is compact
I did not like:
-----------------------------------
1. Does not work for Galaxy Tablet 7.7 (with my own adapter, no PowerGen adapter)
2. The multiple piece connectors are flimsy and easy to loose. I prefer a one piece charging cable I bought as a replacement.
3. Labels and documentation are hard to read: 2A and 0.6A labels are white on white and are hard to read.
I received 6000mAh external battery pack for testing from the manufacturer to write an honest and unbiased review and you will find both pluses and minuses of my experience in this review.
Overall, I am pleased with this unit and recommend it for the devices I tested with the exception of Galaxy Tablet.
Ali Julia review
I purchased this unit because I needed a back up charger for my Samsung Galaxy S2 smart phone. I happen to browse the internet a lot using 4G and my phone dies rather quickly. I opted for this unit because of the solid reviews and also because it has imbedded micro USB cable in the instance that I forget my USB cable at home. Also it has the capability to charge other devices as well.
The imbedded cable feels a little flimsy, so I would only use this in emergencies if I forget my short USB at home. It's still nice to have though as a backup. The unit comes with a bunch of adapters -Micro USB, Mini USB, iPhone/iPad/iPod/iTouch, and other size adapters. I'm not too sure why it has a flash light built in, but it's there if you ever need it.
As for the charging, it charges my phone from about 5% to 100% at least 2 times. It could possibly charge more, but I never had to since 2 charges are good enough for me. It charges the phone fairly quick.
This unit is in line with other external battery packs out there, but so far this unit has been very solid and the price is just right. With the imbedded micro USB cord (used if I forget my USB cord) and other positive reviews, this unit is a solid choice.I have a droid smartphone that loses power rapidly. This PowerGen keeps its own charge a long time, and provides an easy way to keep my smart phone charged..
USB battery packs keep your power-crazed smartphone or tablet satisfied while on the go. Super handy. Many brands to choose from. Prices are bouncy and coming down.
About this PowerGen 6000 mAh model -
It charged my iPhone 4S 2.45 times. Larger smartphone batteries will get fewer charges. Tablet users should get something larger.
The imbedded Micro-USB cable is a big plus. Save space. No tangle, mess, or leaving behind. I use it with my iPhone, thanks to a Lenmar Micro-USB-to-Apple-30-pin Converter Tip (see Note 1).
PROs:
* Imbedded cable eliminates multiple hassles
Generous capacity for smartphones (see Note 2)
Fit and finish: Impressive. Looks and feels like quality.
Size and shape: Very nice to hold, very pocket-able
Plastics: Seems like quality unbreakable plastics
Power-in: Standard Micro-USB connector (see Note 3)
Other PowerGen products have been highly rated
OKs:
12 month warranty (Anker has 18 months; New Trent has 6-10 months)
High gloss finish attractive, but subject to fingerprints, scuff marks and sliding around
Comes with a 7-piece interconnect system for most devices (see Note 4).
Energy efficient. Does not seem to heat up at all.
CONs:
None yet
Alternatives -
PowerGen 9000 mAh (imbedded cable)
Anker 5600 mAh (18 month warranty)
PowerGen 5200 mAh
Anker 3200 mAh (imbedded cable, 18 month warranty)
Many others...poke around
Pricing -
You can save money by waiting for dips. Low tide is around 30. There's an "Online Price Alert" that will email you whenever this or any amazon product dips below your target price. Google it. It's nicely done. Or try camelcamelcamel, which also shows price history.
Disclosure -
The manufacturer gave me this product for review. I believe my review is impartial.
Notes -
Note 1: This tiny $5 adapter works with the imbedded cable to get my iPhone charged at full speed (same as Apple wall charger).
Note 2: 2.45 full charges of my iPhone 4S (1432 mAh battery). A Samsung Galaxy S3, for example, has a 47% larger battery so it'll get about 1.67 charges. All the USB battery pack makers do a little funhouse mirror trick when reporting mAh (milliamp hours) capacity. The "6000 mAh" is battery output @ 3.7 volts. The stepped-up 5 volt USB output is at most 75% of that (4500 mAh).
Note 3: Micro-USB power-in connector The most common connector type. Share cords. Use cords of any length. Some other brands have a round power-in jack with a dedicated AC adapter -more stuff to bring...or forget.
Note 4: 7-piece interconnect system includes USB-mini, two USB-micro, 2mm round (Nokia), and 4mm round (PlayStation Portable). Plus special 7" and 27" cables. (Contrary to description and box/user guide info, mine also had an Apple 30-pin connector.) The cables and connectors are of reasonable quality. I prefer using regular cables (no chance of losing small pieces) or the imbedded cable. But the PowerGen connectors supposedly optimize charging speed of non-Apple devices (data pins are connected).
~~~ Comments & questions welcome ~~~
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It charges my iPhone 4s at most thrice with its full charge. It functions the way it's supposed to.However, the flashlight functionality may be an inconvenience at times when the button is pressed in your bag. A lock switch/button is needed so it can be controlled. Also, sometimes the phone indicates it's fully charged but the percentage is not 100% so I would have to disconnect and reconnect the cable so it'll continue charging.
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