The Cairns Post

A phone for 50 days

Energizer’s new device offers huge battery life but is so thick

- NICK WHIGHAM Photo: Emilio Morenatti

IT’S a familiar name, but it’s certainly not a familiar look.

Well-known battery company Energizer has branched out into the smartphone world and is bringing some interestin­g-looking devices to market.

The phones are made with French telecoms company Avenir, but Energizer has slapped its famous name on them.

And to really drive home the point, it has made battery life a major focus of a particular concept device.

Among the line of phones on show at this year’s Mobile World Congress is the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop. And it’s certainly something to behold.

The 18K in the name is a nod to the fact that the handset is basically a solid 18,000mAH battery with a smartphone stuck on it.

Because who needs the option of a portable power pack when you can just have one permanentl­y embedded in your phone?

All that extra junk in the trunk means a seriously bulky finish for the Androidpow­ered phone. The P18K Pop is 18mm thick, which makes it nearly as fat as three iPhone Xs.

It’s advertised as being able to get two days of video playback per charge and up to a whopping 50 days of standby time. However, a full battery charge reportedly takes eight hours, and that’s with fastchargi­ng support.

It goes without saying there are trade-offs when it comes to the practicali­ty of the design. Even if you were desperate for more battery life, it pretty much makes tight jeans with equally tight pockets out of the question.

The phone includes 128GB of storage, 6GB of RAM and a triple camera system with a modular camera unit that pops out of the top.

The company expects to launch in mid year and the price take will be about $A900.

It’s highly unlikely to be a popular item given its unusual size, but might appeal to those who suffer from pangs of anxiety when their battery drops below 10 per cent.

The reaction to the Power Max P18K Pop has been mixed, with some not quite sure what to make of the thick device while others seem amused enough to almost like it.

 ??  ?? BIG BATTERY: A worker holds a new model of the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona.
BIG BATTERY: A worker holds a new model of the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona.

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