This review is from: Anker® Astro 5600mAh Backup External Battery Pack Charger with built-in Flashlight for Apple: iPhone 5 4S 4G 3GS 3G, iPad, iPad 2, iPod; Most Android Phones: Motorola Triumph, Verizon Droid Razr, X2, Bionic / Samsung Galaxy S3 S III I9300, all Samsung Galaxy Series Smartphones / HTC One X, One S, Sensation G14, ThunderBolt / LG Optimus / Nokia N9 Lumia 900 800; GoPro – [18 Months Warranty] (Electronics)
I’ve done an extensive research on this product before buying it. I’ve also read many feedbacks here.
I purchased this item along with Anker’s 1700 mAh battery for Droid Incredible. Now, if you do simple math and consider this product to fully supply 5600 mAh to your battery you will see that I’m suppose to be able to fully charge my phone 3 times with this charger; 1700+1700+1700=5100 and the charger is still suppose to have 500 mAh left. That’s after I fully charge the charger using the AC power adapter. However, when my phone has a few percents of battery left and I connect this charger to it, it takes the charger 2 and at times 3 (out of 4) blue lights to charge up my phone. Be advised that before I do so I fully charge the charger using the power adapter supplied and while it’s charging my phone I’m NOT using my phone. When my phone discharges almost completely and it’s time to charge it up again, the charger wouldn’t provide the full charge because it has only 1-2 blue lights left after the previous charge. It doesn’t make sense. How come simple math doesn’t apply here? The charger can’t even provide 2 full charging cycles. However, it take about 5-6 hours to fully charge it up. I don’t understand this. Besides, the charger came with no instructions. I mean, you don’t have to have a PhD to figure out how it works, but at least some hints on how this device is suppose to work properly would’ve been appreciated.
By the time of writing this I have fully discharged the charger twice thinking that maybe it should take a few full (dis)charging cycles in order for it to perform at its advertised (5600mAh) level just like with many phone batteries but again there were no instructions with it so I don’t know. Puzzled and disappointed. If someone could give me some hints I’d be greatly appreciative.
UPDATE, APRIL 13. HTC REZOUND with 1620 mAh battery.
Initially I gave this product 2 stars. I am adding 1 star for the exceptional service of the seller. They offered me a new replacement and I received it in 2-3 days after they got the bad unit from me. I am adding another star for the usefulness of the product. If it’s fully charged (or even if not, as long as it’s calibrated!), it can really save you if you’re away from the wall charger. I’m adding the fifth star because the replacement unit works as explained to me in the comment to my original review. I wasn’t aware of the 30% attrition power thing and therefore I didn’t know that in reality this backup battery wouldn’t provide 3 full charging cycles to my phone battery. However, I still stand behind what I wrote Laptopmate in my email that when people read the product description and see “5600 mAh” hardly anyone would consider that the attrition power factor here would decrease the actual charging capabilities of this battery. Naturally, people would do a simple calculation and assume that a 1700 mAh battery would be charged 3 times with this external battery. Hopefully, people would read everything that I wrote here so that they are not misled. As for Laptopmate, I am still strongly suggesting you to mention the attrition power nuance in your description wherever you’re selling your backup batteries at from now on. Don’t expect that people would be aware of this technical detail. You will save yourselves a lot of time from having to explain the same thing to each dissatisfied customer (and maybe you’ll have less returns that way too!).
Other than that, 5 stars. Also, if Laptopmate doesn’t mind, I decided to copy-paste their response to another “dissatisfied” customer as it clearly explains the 30% attrition factor.
“Sorry to hear that this external battery does not satisfy you. The input from AC or laptop to external batteries is 5v, while the output from external batteries to phones is 5.3v. Boosting from 5v to 5.3v and the external battery itself consumes power (about 30%). Therefore, the actual power that can be used to charge other devices is 70% (5600×70%=3920mah). So, this external battery is supposed to be able to charge a 1700mah battery for two times and a little more.”
P.S. Don’t forget to fully calibrate the external battery! Discharge it completely and charge it up to the fullest. Repeat this step 4-5 times and only then you’ll see the usefulness of this product.
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|5600mAh?? More like 2300mAh. (READ THE UPDATE AS WELL),
I’ve done an extensive research on this product before buying it. I’ve also read many feedbacks here.
I purchased this item along with Anker’s 1700 mAh battery for Droid Incredible.
Now, if you do simple math and consider this product to fully supply 5600 mAh to your battery you will see that I’m suppose to be able to fully charge my phone 3 times with this charger; 1700+1700+1700=5100 and the charger is still suppose to have 500 mAh left. That’s after I fully charge the charger using the AC power adapter.
However, when my phone has a few percents of battery left and I connect this charger to it, it takes the charger 2 and at times 3 (out of 4) blue lights to charge up my phone. Be advised that before I do so I fully charge the charger using the power adapter supplied and while it’s charging my phone I’m NOT using my phone.
When my phone discharges almost completely and it’s time to charge it up again, the charger wouldn’t provide the full charge because it has only 1-2 blue lights left after the previous charge. It doesn’t make sense. How come simple math doesn’t apply here? The charger can’t even provide 2 full charging cycles. However, it take about 5-6 hours to fully charge it up. I don’t understand this.
Besides, the charger came with no instructions. I mean, you don’t have to have a PhD to figure out how it works, but at least some hints on how this device is suppose to work properly would’ve been appreciated.
By the time of writing this I have fully discharged the charger twice thinking that maybe it should take a few full (dis)charging cycles in order for it to perform at its advertised (5600mAh) level just like with many phone batteries but again there were no instructions with it so I don’t know. Puzzled and disappointed. If someone could give me some hints I’d be greatly appreciative.
UPDATE, APRIL 13. HTC REZOUND with 1620 mAh battery.
Initially I gave this product 2 stars. I am adding 1 star for the exceptional service of the seller. They offered me a new replacement and I received it in 2-3 days after they got the bad unit from me.
I am adding another star for the usefulness of the product. If it’s fully charged (or even if not, as long as it’s calibrated!), it can really save you if you’re away from the wall charger.
I’m adding the fifth star because the replacement unit works as explained to me in the comment to my original review. I wasn’t aware of the 30% attrition power thing and therefore I didn’t know that in reality this backup battery wouldn’t provide 3 full charging cycles to my phone battery. However, I still stand behind what I wrote Laptopmate in my email that when people read the product description and see “5600 mAh” hardly anyone would consider that the attrition power factor here would decrease the actual charging capabilities of this battery. Naturally, people would do a simple calculation and assume that a 1700 mAh battery would be charged 3 times with this external battery. Hopefully, people would read everything that I wrote here so that they are not misled.
As for Laptopmate, I am still strongly suggesting you to mention the attrition power nuance in your description wherever you’re selling your backup batteries at from now on. Don’t expect that people would be aware of this technical detail. You will save yourselves a lot of time from having to explain the same thing to each dissatisfied customer (and maybe you’ll have less returns that way too!).
Other than that, 5 stars.
Also, if Laptopmate doesn’t mind, I decided to copy-paste their response to another “dissatisfied” customer as it clearly explains the 30% attrition factor.
“Sorry to hear that this external battery does not satisfy you. The input from AC or laptop to external batteries is 5v, while the output from external batteries to phones is 5.3v. Boosting from 5v to 5.3v and the external battery itself consumes power (about 30%). Therefore, the actual power that can be used to charge other devices is 70% (5600×70%=3920mah). So, this external battery is supposed to be able to charge a 1700mah battery for two times and a little more.”
P.S. Don’t forget to fully calibrate the external battery! Discharge it completely and charge it up to the fullest. Repeat this step 4-5 times and only then you’ll see the usefulness of this product.
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