Review: Iceworks 5000mAh Dual Charger

Unless you have spent the last month hidden under a rock, you will be all too aware of the release of one of the biggest gaming phenomena in years, Pokemon Go. Like it or loath it, you can't argue that it has taken the planet like a swarm of wild Zubats (seriously, they're EVERYWHERE). Its a strange but slightly satisfying thing to see grown men stop dead in the street, swivel their phone around and give the tell-tale screen flick, followed by that sly little smile of success at catching that 37th Weedle. I actually saw a guy in a suit do a fist pump! Now if Pokemon Go is something you've tried for yourself, I'm sure you don't need me to point out the main downfall of the app... The dreaded battery consumption.

The solution? The humble portable charger. Being the geek I am, I can't help but take a sneaky glance at which power bricks are being used out there, and I have to say, I've been surprised at the range and varieties, but which is best? What we really need is charger with enough power to keep your phone running all day, that has a small enough form factor to fit into any pocket, whilst providing a nice clean cable management system to keep life as hassle free as possible. Well here at Y Gadget, we think we have Cracked it.

Enter Iceworks 5000mAh Dual charger. Bought from Amazon for £20.00 (admittedly more than I would normally spend on a relatively unknown brand), the charger arrived in surprisingly nice packaging, including a micro USB cable for charging, along with some brief instructions.

The first thing that struck me was the size of the pack. Measuring at 134 x 66.5 x 8mm, and weighing 90g, it isn't the smallest pack available out there, but it certainly isn't the biggest. The key aspect being the thickness at 8mm. The way I see it, if you have a phone and the charger in your pocket, it is the extra thickness that will make or break it, and having used it for almost a week now, could happily keep it in the same pocket as my phone. The soft plastic makes it ideal, as there is no threat of screen scratching.

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The charger itself looks and feels very premium. It comes in a nice granite grey finish, with a blue LED bar across the front. This LED bar is the charge indicator, which is one of the main reasons I picked this charger. The vast majority of chargers around this size come with no way of telling how much juice you have left. Not ideal, especially if used for short periods over a couple of days.

As for power, Iceworks boast a 5000mAh battery, which is what made me sit up and pay attention in the first place. After scouring the internet, I struggled to find anything offering more than 3000mAh in a similar form factor. Based on the fact that I generally carry more than one phone anyway, both of which have a battery capacity exceeding 3000mAh, this was crucial. After a week of constantly charging and draining the battery, it seems like the 5000mAh claim is about right. It can give at least one full charge to most phones, and three charges to an iPhone. It has an input rate of 1 amp, but can output up to 2 amps, so charging your phone/tablet is quick! I went from 60% to 90% on my Galaxy S6 in around 25 minutes.

The final ace in the hole is the integration of not only a micro USB cable, but an MFI Certified Lightning Charger, meaning you can charge both an Android AND Apple device at the same time. Both of these cables are hidden within the body of the charger, so carrying around a tangle of wires is not necessary. Unfortunately there is no stand alone USB port, so connecting a 3rd cable isn't possible, but as it is only a 5000mAh capacity, its unlikely you will have a need for this anyway (if you plan on charging three phones at the same time, over, and over, and over...may we suggest the EC 22,400mAh, an absolute charging goliath! Thank us later).

There are very few other options on the market that offer both Android and Apple functionality built straight into the charger itself .This, combined with the size, is what makes it the perfect portable charger for grabbing before you leave the house and sticking in a back pocket, just in case. Yes, there are bigger, more powerful packs out there, but they come at a compromise of extra bulk. Iceworks have come up with a great design in a small package, and we look forward to seeing what they can create next. You can buy the Iceworks 5000mAh Dual Charger at Amazon on the link below.

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