In the lead-up to CES 2016, lots of new electronic products are being released. Cheero just brought out it’s high-power Power Plus 3 portable battery pack.
What It Is
The Cheero Power Plus 3 is a 13400mAh mobile USB Battery Pack. It’s meant to be carried with you to give you two USB power ports, for charging your mobile phone and other USB-charging electronics.
Who It’s For
This power pack is for the mobile professional who uses their phone and electronics hard throughout the day, and may need multiple charges throughout the day, need to charge multiple devices simultaneously, or may need to charge over the span of a few days. It seems great for traveling if the lightest weight is not a concern, or for mobile content producers who have lots of gadgets that need to be powered up.
First Impressions
The Power Plus 3 comes in a small, unadorned cardboard box, very much reminiscent of the Amazon “Frustration Free Packaging”. It’s easy to open and simple. Inside, the power pack is a small white square puck, almost exactly the size of 4 18650 batteries lying next to each other. The battery is slick and small, and remarkably heavy for its size. HIgh density. The package also comes with a good quality white Micro-USB Charging cable and user manual in Japanese and English.
Testing Methodology
I tested it by throwing it in my daily bag and using it to keep my iPhone, digital camera, and bluetooth headset powered up throughout the day. I also used it while traveling on a recent business trip.
Using It
Using the battery pack is simple and straightforward – charge it up with the Micro-USB port. Plug in your USB cables and attach your devices to charge, and click the button. The battery charges quickly and consistently – and it has a ton of power. On a recent trip, I used this thing with two phones almost every day, and it never skipped a beat. For its size, it’s surprisingly powerful, charging two phones at least twice every day.
Additionally, since the battery pack supports pass-through charging and has two output ports, I can plug it in to recharge overnight, as well as charge up two phones at the same time. The next morning both phones are completely charged, as is the battery pack. Perfect – and it only requires one usb power input to the battery to charge the battery and two phones simultaneously.
One other benefit of the large capacity, pass-through charging, and dual ports is energy buffering for less-than-ideal charging situations. For example, if I’m charging the battery from a solar panel and the sun goes behind the clouds (thereby dropping the panel’s output power), the devices I have plugged into the battery will still keep charging at their original speed, sipping from the battery directly.
The one subtle feature this battery is missing is a way to change the on/off behavior of the battery. Since the battery automatically turns off after a certain amount of time, and doesn’t turn on automatically when plugged into power, the battery won’t automatically start charging connected devices when it receives a charging current. This could potentially create issues in instances when I’m using the battery as a buffer from a solar input. Companies like Voltaic address this by adding a way to change from auto-off timer to always on, depending on the use case and what the user selects.
Good
For 13400mAh capacity, this thing is small! Seems like they got a great power density out of the Japanese 18650 cells they use inside. The USB ports are nice and tight, providing a good connection to your cable. The power button large and easy to find. The case is smooth and sleek feeling, and has a high quality look and feel to it. It’s flat on two opposing sides, so it stands up on end, which is kinda nice when it’s sitting on your cluttered desk. It charges with Micro-USB, which is the current standard for mobile charging (although I predict it will soon change to USB-C). Somebody made a custom leather case for it.
Bad
It doesn’t include a flashlight like most battery packs do – but in reality, I’ve never ever used the flashlight in any battery pack for anything. It just adds complexity. I’m glad they left it out of this. There’s only one high speed charging port – so one of your devices gets charged fast, and one slow – but if you’re charging an iPhone and a Bluetooth headset, it’s perfect. It doesn’t have USB-C, which I think is, or should be, the new universal data and power standard for electronics. Get rid of display port, usb-a, micro, mini usb, lightning, and just go with USB-C
Should You Buy It?
Buy it if you’re looking for a very high capacity in a relatively small size, only need 1 high-speed charging port, and don’t need USB-C. I’d tend to wait for the next round of battery packs to be release which support USB-C charging – which will be backwards compatible (with an adapter) to USB-A, and be able to charge up your new Macbook, Chromebook Pixel, or future laptops and gadgets which use the new and super-versatile USB-C spec. I’ waiting for one of those. I’m personally waiting to get my hands on a MOS Reach Go.
Specs
- [Built-in Battery / Capacity] Panasonic Lithium ion battery / 13400mAh 3.6V (48.24Wh)
- [Body Dimensions] 3.8× 3.1 × 0.9 inches (92 × 80 × 23 mm)
- [Body Weight] 0.5 pounds (245g) (8.6 oz)
- [Color] White
- [Recharging time] Approximately 8 hours *With use of 2A USB AC adapter
- [Usage Time] Approximately 500 Times
- [Input] DC 5V/2A Micro USB
- [Output] USB1: DC 5V/1A USB2?DC 5V/2.4A?Total: 3.4A?
- [Accessories] USB-Micro USB charging cable, user manual / warranty card (six months warranty)
- Note – I tested it, and this battery DOES support pass-through charging.
- Note – I tested it, and this battery does not auto-sense devices being plugged in. You must click the button to turn it on.