As we steadily demand more from our electronics, the batteries on or devices are becoming less and less capable of meeting the rigors of daily life. Very few users I know get through a day without needing to seek out power in one form or another.
Luckily for mobile workforce manufacturers like Cygnett have not only power banks, but power banks capable of charging a range of high wattage devices like tablets and laptops. We’ve got or hand on the ChargeUp Pro which is a 27,000 mAh power bank which can put out 60 watts – as a combination that’s huge.
It can charge a MacBook pro from dead flat to fully charged 1.3 times, a phone (depending on battery capacity) between 4 and 6 times over. This makes the ChargeUp Pro particularly useful if you’re on the go a lot is the capability to charge 3 devices simultaneously provided you don’t exceed the output capabilities of the pack.
The battery itself is a similar (about 85%) size of a standard paperback novel, consisting of a soft touch plastic and well labelled output ports. The ports are a USB type A putting out 12 watts, a USB type C putting out 12 watts and the third port capable of either charging the device via a 30 watt Type C input, or a whopping 60 watt output which is more than sufficient grunt to charge the vast majority of the current generation of laptops.
It’s worth noting though that some of these will charge very slowly at 60 watts, in reality needing 85+ to charge the battery at a useful rate but you can quite functionally keep your battery from losing charge of top it up when your laptop isn’t in use.
The issue that users may face with the ChargeUp Pro 27,000 unit is that it takes a very long time to charge. I discovered this on an afternoon when I ran out of battery (I failed to plan ahead well enough) and needed to charge it up. An hour later and only around 25% charged I had to roll the dice and head out but knowing I still had enough to charge my phone at least once over, i was OK with this.
In days gone by, I fought the need to carry a power bank with me. I’ve accepted in the last 12 – 18 months that it’s no longer a luxury items but a necessity as users demand more from their electronics but there’s also a bonus to this. I’m not carrying 2 or 3 chargers, I’m carrying 1 battery and the cables I need. The weight is slightly more than carrying several chargers but it is more space efficient in my bag so i’m happy with the trade-off.
The reality is that this is a beast of a battery with a price tag to match coming in with an RRP of $179.95 which isn’t cheap, but if you’re an on the go tech junkie with some big power needs, this is without a doubt – worth the investment particularly if you’re heading away on a trip as it will be the only battery you need to take with you thanks to its huge capacity and matching versatility.
If this is sounding promising (don’t forget Christmas is just around the corner) then Cygnett have excellent coverage through Australia via their website and retail at JB HiFi. But keep your eyes out for a bargain rolling into Christmas as it’s highly likely that we’ll see discounted prices – Currently $143.96 at JB HiFi.
What features does your power bank offer that you can’t do without?
And I thought that the 15,000 mAh Kaiser Baas power bank I bought at DSE in the New Years sales in Jan 2015 was high capacity.
27,000 mAh though, dang.
If I had more gear that could be charged on the go, and the Kaiser Baas was failing, I’d definitely grab one of these 27,000 mAh Cygnett power banks.
Can you weight it? I can’t see it anywhere. Should be around 450-500g?