Mophie Powerstation Go Portable Car Jump Starter REVIEW | MacSources
The Powerstation Go is a charging workhorse that should be available for any type of commuter. It’s a multipurpose power source that charges efficiently.
Never leave home without it.
Be prepared. It’s the motto of so many different scouting groups and it’s a good lesson for life. Always be prepared. I like to think that I am prepared most of the time — especially when it comes to power. In our daily lives, we have devices that run off of batteries. Those batteries drain. So what happens when you are on your daily commute and your phone dies just before an important conference call? You pull out your portable battery, right? Well, what happens when your phone, Bluetooth headset, laptop, and the car won’t start right before that important meeting? That’s when you need the Powerstation Go from Mophie.
DETAILS & SPECS
The Powerstation Go is a portable power station that can serve as a jump starter for your car, USB charger, wireless charger, and even provide AC power to devices. This portable charging device is designed to provide power to a variety of sources as well as be able to fit in your glove box. In addition to the charging options, the Powerstation Go also has a built-in LED floodlight for emergencies.
Tech Specs
- Input: DC 14V (0.85A)
- USB-A Output: 5V/2.4A
- AC Output: 116V 65W 60Hz
- Jump Start Output: 12V (400A)
- Wireless Output: 5V/1A
- Warranty: 2-year
- Weight: 1.64 lbs
- Capacity: 44,400 mWh
- Dimensions: 7.17 in x 3.82 in x 1.65 in
- Colors: black, cobalt blue, gold, rose gold, camouflage, blue/purple
What’s in the Box
- Powerstation
- Carrying pouch
- Jumper cables
- Charging cable (Micro USB)
- Quick start guide
USER EXPERIENCE
There are lots of battery manufacturers out there, but you want to make sure that you find one you can trust. I’ve had excellent experiences with Mophie’s products for years now so it’s my portable power source of choice. The Powerstation Go is a great option to keep in your glovebox. In fact, Mophie designed it to be the correct size to store in a glovebox. I wouldn’t suggest leaving it in the car 100% of the time — especially in extreme hot/cold conditions. Those types of climates can wear down a battery and decrease its effectiveness over time. But, if you are going to be in your car for long periods of time or you are taking a trip, grab the Powerstation Go before you leave the house.
The basic function of the Powerstation Go is, of course, charging devices. But, the fact that you can charge so much with one battery is the impressive thing. It’s a large capacity (44,400 mWh) battery. So, it can handle the power drain that several devices can cause. Each power output port is controlled by an individual power button that activates or deactivates the port. This is both a positive and a negative in my book. First, I love that each port has its own button because it means you have control over where the power is going. The downside is that if you pick up the battery in a certain way, you could accidentally tap one of those buttons without meaning to.
Aside from that, I really love the design/operation of this giant battery. When it arrives, it’s in a fairly plain, brown cardboard box. The top of the box has the product name/description included and the main features are printed on the side of the box. When you open the box, the battery is sitting on the top layer. When you remove it, you will see a section of cardboard with the Mophie brandmark cut out of the top. The cables, instructions, and carrying pouch are all stored beneath this cardboard. Mophie also included a thin piece of cardboard with “mophie loves you” printed on it.
To test out the battery, I did a couple of standard charging tests. I charged an iPhone 11 Pro using the wireless charger; I plugged a laptop into the AC port to see if the computer would be powered by it; I charged a set of AirPods and a 5th Generation iPad via the USB port; and, I tested the jump start feature on our riding lawn mower (both of our cars have new batteries). The Jump Start worked great with our riding lawnmower. The mower had been sitting in our garage for the winter and we decided to use the Powerstation Go to give it a boost so we could start it before using it this spring. When I first attempted to start the mower, it wouldn’t turn over. So, I hooked up the Powerstation Go and tried again. It started right up.
The iPhone charged easily enough on the wireless charger, but I did run into a little bit of an issue when it came to the charger connecting through a case. I had a fairly standard case on the phone (nothing too thick) and it wouldn’t start charging right away when I placed it on the wireless area. I had to move it around to find ‘just the right spot.’ If I took the phone out of the case though, it worked flawlessly. I also tried charging an iPhone 11 Pro Max with a minimal case on it and it worked.
When it came to charging the laptop, I plugged in a 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro using its original Apple power adapter and charging cable. I immediately heard the familiar charging ‘ding’ when I plugged it into the Powerstation Go. I then checked the System Information on the computer to see how it was being powered. Under the “AC Charger Information” area, the computer indicated that it was connected to an AC charger and receiving 60W of power. But it was not charging the battery. So, it seems as though the AC port may not have enough power to charge a laptop battery, but it does have enough power to keep a laptop running.
As for the USB charging ports, they seemed to charge the iPad and AirPods efficiently. The iPad charged at a rate of 0.3% per minute and the AirPods averaged a rate of 1.45% per minute. These rates track with other charging devices I’ve used in the past.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Powerstation Go is a charging workhorse that should be available for any type of commuter. I love the idea of this product even being provided for traveling positions (i.e. salespeople, recruiters, etc.) or anyone that spends a lot of time working remotely. While the cost of the device (around $160 at the time of publishing this article) is a little pricey, it’s not outrageous, in my opinion, considering how many features are built into the battery.
Originally published at https://macsources.com on March 5, 2020.
