myCharge UnPlugged Wireless Portable Charger REVIEW

Thanks to the iPhone X I have really jumped onto the wireless charging game. I have one almost in every room of my house and even one in my truck. Recently I started playing with portable batteries that have wireless charging built into them. Finding a reliable power bank can be difficult, but I found that myCharge, a company that specializes in creating charging solution for mobile device users, is consistently developing products that provide power safely for users. This is why I decided to give the UnPlugged Wireless Portable Charger from myCharge a try.

DETAILS

The UnPlugged Wireless Portable Charger is a power bank that provides portable charging for wireless devices as well as ones that connect through USB-A. The charger comes in four different capacities — 10K, 8K, 5K, or 3K mAh. I have the 10K version for testing. This wireless charger is compatible with the Qi charging standard and also meets Apple and Samsung Fast Charge standards. It will deliver up to 10W of power to ensure the quickest charge on the market.

In addition to the wireless charging pad, the UnPlugged charger has two USB-A ports that will allow you to charge up to three devices at the same time. The power bank recharges using a Micro USB cable (provided). The charger is easily transportable only weighing 0.4lbs and measuring 2.8 in x 0.8 in x 5.8 in. The USB-A ports deliver 5V/2.4A (maximum).

MAIN FEATURES

• Smart-sense: ensures complete device compatibility
• Hyper-charge: ultra-fast charging of your devices; up to 65% faster than competitors
• Power-stay: maintains battery power for up to 1 year
• Max-power: maximum power transfer from power bank to device
• High-density battery: the smallest and lightest power bank
• Safe-cell: provides the highest level of battery safety
• Rapid-recharge: power bank recharges up to 50% faster than competitors
• Pass-Through Charging: will charge the power bank and connected device simultaneously

USER EXPERIENCE

The UnPlugged Wireless Charger came packaged in a myCharge branded box. The cover lifts open to reveal the power bank through a clear plastic covering. The box indicates that the power bank should be pre-charged and there is a diagram on the back of the box outlining the features of the charger.

One of the first things I noticed about this battery was that it was ‘not’ pre-charged. I’ve used other myCharge devices that are pre-charged (usually with 50% battery available), but this one only had one bar of charge (approximately 25%) indicated by the LED indicator lights. There are five LEDs, but only four of them indicate the battery’s charge. The fifth LED is a Wireless charging indicator. It lights up when a device is charging wirelessly.

The battery has a soft feel to it, which adds to the luxury design of this piece. Since the battery was only partially charged, I immediately pulled out the Micro USB cable and plugged it in to charge. This was a little difficult as the cable would pop out of the port every time I tried to plug it in. I don’t like to shove cables into ports but I did have to use a bit of force in order to get the ‘click’ indicating that the cable would be secure. It seems to have gotten easier to plug it in since I’ve used it a few times now, but at first, it was sort of like the port and the plug was out of alignment. In addition to this issue, I wasn’t very happy to discover that myCharge decided to go with a Micro USB cable for recharging the UnPlugged charger. I would much rather see this be a USB-C connection.

After I dealt with the plug issue, I left it charging for a couple of hours. The battery had three LEDs illuminated (approximately 7500 mAh) and I decided to start using it at that point. I did note that the side of the charger where the ports are seemed to be very warm from the charging. I used an Infrared Thermometer to check the temperature and it was around 106 degrees. The battery seemed to cool off quickly, but be aware that when recharging it, the port side might warm up. As far as testing goes, I used the UnPlugged charger a couple of different ways. I used it to charge my iPhone X wirelessly, an iPhone 7 plugged into one of the USB-A ports, and my AirPod Charging Case.

First, I charged the iPhone 7 alone. After 18 minutes of charging, the iPhone gained 14% battery power. That equates to 0.77% battery power per minute. Next, I added the AirPod Charging Case onto the UnPlugged charger. After 15 minutes, the iPhone 7 gained 14% battery power and the AirPod Case gained 30%. The main reason I did this type of test was to see if the iPhone 7’s charging efficiency when a second device was added to the charger. As it turns out, the phone’s charging was more efficient gaining 0.93% battery power per minute.

Over the course of 2.25 hours, I charged my iPhone X using the wireless charging pad of the UnPlugged. I started out the charging session with 50% battery power and charged it until it was at 100%. The iPhone X has an estimated battery capacity of 2,716 mAh. This means that a full 10K UnPlugged charger will be able to recharge the iPhone X three full times and still have some power left. At 50%, I only ended up pulling about 1,300 mAh from the charger. When I was done charging the phone, all three of the LEDs that I started with were still illuminated.

CONCLUSION

The myCharge UnPlugged Wireless Charger is a fine product for charging multiple devices — including wireless ones — while you are on the go. I did find that this particular item had a few quirks, but they were so severe that I wouldn’t use the charger. The power bank successfully and efficiently charged my iPhone X and when I was done, I still had power left to spare. I can recommend this charger for those who want to power their wired and wireless devices while they are out and about.

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Originally published at macsources.com on August 1, 2018.