If you have owned a smartphone or other mobile device for more than a week or two, odds are pretty good that you have experienced the sense of alarm and frustration that occurs when the battery runs out of juice. There’s a very good reason that an entire industry exists just to make portable chargers you can take to refuel your device on the go. Recently, I had an opportunity to test out the Hubmax portable charge power bank from myCharge.
Form
FormThe Hubmax charger is a silver rectangle that fits in the palm of your hand—no matter which one you choose. It comes in a 10500 mAh model, and a more compact 6700 mAh version as well. The 10500 model is 0.9 x 2.8 x 4.6 inches and weighs 11.2 ounces. The 6700 model is 0.9 x 2.5 x 4 inches and weighs just 7.05 ounces.
Both models have the same basic design. They have fold-out prongs to plug into a wall to charge the device. They have a built-in Lighting cable and built-in USB-C cable and one USB-A port that you can use to connect whatever you wish—like a MicroUSB cable. There is a power button, and a battery indicator consisting of four lighted dots to let you know how much power is left in the device.
Function
There isn’t much to explain about the function. You connect devices to it and press the power button and it charges things. You just plug the device into a wall outlet to charge it up and off you go.
myCharge claims that the 6700 mAh model can charge an iPhone X twice, a Samsung Galaxy S9 twice, or an iPad Pro 90% on a full charge. According to myCharge, the larger 10500 mAh model can charge an iPhone X four times, a Samsung Galaxy S9 three times, or an iPad Pro one time.
My Experience
My ExperienceI have used a variety of portable chargers over the years. The problem I find with all of them is that they never seem to be charged when you need them. Batteries drain over time even if they’re just sitting idle, so if you haven’t remembered to charge your portable charger it will be little help when you also forget to charge your mobile device or when you need the portable charger most.
Another common issue with portable chargers is that you can’t find the cable you need. You might have a fully charged portable charger, but most just have a USB-A port for you to connect whatever charging cable you wish. If you aren’t also carrying the necessary Lighting, MicroUSB, or USB-C cable with you, having a portable charger won’t help.
What I really love about the Hubmax portable charge banks is that everything is built-in—with the exception of MicroUSB. If the device happens to be drained when you need it, at least you can just plug it in. As a bonus—you can connect your mobile device and charge both at the same time. If you need to charge your mobile device, the Lightning cable and USB-C cable are right there. And, even though it doesn’t have MicroUSB built-in, it at least has the USB-A port where you can connect a MicroUSB cable—or another Lighting or USB-C cable if you wish.
Last week I even used the Hubmax to charge my Surface Pro 7 when it was running low. I only had the 6700 mAh Hubmax with me, and it didn’t get very far before it ran out of juice—but I was able to get another hour or so of use out of the Surface Pro 7 because I had the Hubmax with me.
The Verdict
The VerdictThere are smaller and lighter portable chargers and there are certainly cheaper portable chargers, but they all suffer from the issues I have described. They are never charged when you need them to be and when they are you often can’t find the cable you need.
The 6700 mAh model is available for $39.99 on Amazon, and the 10500 mAh model is $49.99. The pricing is reasonable compared to similar sized chargers with built-in charging cables, and the Hubmax has the added bonus of the built-in prongs to plug into a wall outlet.
I like the Hubmax portable charge bank. I would recommend spending the extra $10 and get the 10500 mAh. The extra money and the little bit of extra bulk may come in handy when you need it most.
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