Aukey PB-N30 3600mAh

Aukey’s 3600mAh External Battery Charger is the first power bank to charge from Lightning rather than Micro-USB, making it a must-have for iPhone users who don’t want to carry both cables.

We say iPhone users; it will charge any phone, tablet or other USB-powered device, you just need to supply your own USB cable. But the Aukey refills its own battery over a Lightning rather than MicroUSB connection, and we know of few Android- and Windows Phone users who have one of these.

Lightning was introduced by Apple in September 2012 with the iPhone 5, fifth-generation iPod touch and seventh-generation iPod nano. A month later, the technology was added to the fourth-generation iPad and original iPad mini. Older iOS devices use the 30-pin dock, but if you have any of these or later iOS devices then the Aukey’s 3600mAh battery charger is worth a look.

Particularly the iPhone. Aukey doesn’t state its battery’s efficiency, but with most offering around 70 percent (some is lost through heat generated and voltage conversion), you can expect around 2500mAh. That’s not enough to completely fill an iPad’s battery, but it would fill an iPhone 5 (1440mAh), 5c (1507mAh) or 5s (1570mAh) around 1.7 times, an iPhone 6 (1810mAh) around 1.5 times, and it would give a 6 Plus (2915mAh) just under a full charge.

The LED will go through various colours while charging to show you how much power remains: white means more than 60 percent; green is between 20- and 60 percent; and red is below 20 percent.

The battery tech inside this power bank supports auto-on/-off, too, so you can plug it in and leave it be: it’ll automatically switch off when either it or your iPhone’s battery is full, with no wastage.

Note that this Aukey power bank will charge your iPhone faster

than it will fill its own battery. That’s because it has a 7.5W output and just a 5W input. Apple’s own iPhone charger is rated at just 5W, but if fast charging is what you need then you should note that some power banks offer up to 12W via USB. (Charging your iPhone at more than 5W won’t hurt its battery.)

Leaving the tech aside, Aukey’s charger is a nice-looking device. It’s built from matt black plastic, with rounded edges and a very slim (12mm) and light (85g) design. There’s just a single output, but at this capacity a second output would be pointless.

Verdict

Amazing value at £9, a Lightning charging port and 3600mAh capacity make this power bank the perfect accessory for the iPhone 5, 5s, 5c and 6.