The answer behind why so many look the same is remarkably simple: batteries only come in so many shapes. With limited options on battery shapes, the shapes of battery packs are also limited. From there, manufacturers will do whatever they can to differentiate their product, which is why you’ll see some with multiple LEDs indicating charge status, or an LED flashlight built in. The extras are just extras, though. What really makes on charger better than another comes down to the quality of the batteries inside. Soh told us that there is a pretty wide variance in quality of lithium-ion cells.
“Based on our experience in using batteries, the best lithium cells out there are those that come from Japan, like Panasonic and Sanyo. You know Tesla Motors? Tesla specifically only uses Panasonic battery cells on their
For that reason, iBattz uses Panasonic cells in its high-end chargers. But those cells can be expensive, and companies like iBattz are interested in saving consumers – and themselves – money where possible, which is why many of iBattz’s products will use very good Korean-made cells, like Samsung’s, in some of their more affordable products, yielding both high performance and value.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to figure out what cells are actually hiding underneath those cases, so it often comes down to professional and user reviews to determine which makes and models are performing the best and the most consistently.
Forget about memory
Memory or “memory effect” refers to a battery’s susceptibility to diminished capacity due to undercharging or prematurely charging. Back in the day when NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries were common, this was a real problem: if you routinely pulled your device before it was fully charged, then it would tend not to charge past that point, diminishing capacity.
Good news: Lithium-ion batteries do not suffer from the memory effect whatsoever. You can charge as little or as much as you want. That doesn’t mean that the battery will act as new for its entire life, however.
Batteries won’t last forever
Generally speaking, a lithium-ion cell has about 500 charge cycles in it. After that, the battery’s capacity becomes severely diminished. Anyone who has owned an phone for more than two years can attest for this. In time, the phone’s battery capacity goes down, lasting for shorter and shorter periods of time between charges.
With that said, we’ve noted that most chargers start taking longer and longer to charge the more frequently you charge them. For instance, the iBattz Battstation we’ve used for the last six months used to take just six hours to charge full up from under 10 percent. Now that same charge can take nearly 10 hours.
Sometimes it’s the little things
Most portable chargers will come with some charging cables, though since they all function off USB, you can always use the charging cables you already own. Still, if you’re going to get new cables, they might as well suit your needs. Check out the cable length to see if the portable charger offers short cables (best for purses and pockets) or longer cables (ideal for desktop charging).
Also, check out the little extra features. We like having a built-in LED flashlight on our iBattz charger for those times when we’re caught walking home in the dark after a night out. Also, an LED battery indication system of some sort is always welcome, and the more granular, the better.
DT recommends
Now that you’re up to speed on how chargers work, what makes them different, and what to expect from them, we suggest you get going with some research and see what consumers have to say about their favorites. So far, DT has had good luck with portable chargers from
iBattz,
Anker and
Mophie.
Image courtesy of Digital Trends
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