In my line of work, I travel a lot. It may be just a long day away from the office with local driving, or an 11-hour cross-country trip with three airplanes and two airports. I also do a lot of camping and fishing, which pose obvious power-availability challenges. No matter what, I have learned to have as many emergency power options as possible. But what if you could top off your phone’s battery with a regular alkaline AA battery?
That is exactly what Cellet offers with its emergency battery charger. For $14.95, if you find that you are in a situation where you need it, you would probably gladly pay twice that… as long as it really worked. I put it to the test. To find out if this is a flashy gizmo with no punch or an indispensable item anyone who travels MUST have, then jump on inside and read the full review…
Quality of build and construction
This charger is going to get knocked around. It will probably bounce around in a carry-on bag, a hiker’s backpack, or in countless pockets in between uses. It will have to be sturdy with a solid build. Cellet has certainly delivered on this point. The base is metal and the top is a very strong, dare I say impact-resistant, clear plastic. It is just a little over 2¾ inches tall, making it very easy to fit in any pocket. The power cable to connect to your phone is sturdy and at 4 inches is the perfect length for the device. The cable will work with any phone that has a mini USB port.
Performance
I have a Sprint Touch Pro, which could be considered a bit of a power hog. The Cellet emergency charger does do a good job at helping to maintain current power needs. But it does have a harder time actually recharging the phone’s battery.
I totally drained my battery and connected the Cellet emergency charger to my Sprint Touch Pro. After 30 minutes it was about 8 percent charged. The emergency charger does get warmer than I would have guessed, but it worked just fine.
Summary
The Cellet emergency charger is well-built, easy to carry, and mostly meets what can be expected from a single AA emergency charger. It by no means is a source for regularly or fully charging your phone. But when needed, it is able to save the day and give you that last bit of power for those last few phone calls or emails until you can get your phone properly plugged in. Even though it can do both, it seems best used to help prolong your battery life when it is running low versus recharging a battery after completely running dead. This is one gizmo that I will be keeping in my carry-on bag and backpack from now on.
