Review: Eggtronic Power Bar can charge all your devices

Tech review: Eggtronic Power Bar can charge all your devices

Back in September of 2017, Apple showed off a new product called AirPower, which was a wireless charger that could power three devices at once. Apple showed the AirPower charging an iPhone, some AirPods and an Apple Watch all at the same time.

Since I owned all those things, I couldn't wait for Apple to release the AirPower, but alas, I'm still waiting.

About a year ago, Apple released a statement that said, "After much effort, we've concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards, and we have canceled the project."

When I got an email asking if I'd like to review the Power Bar from Eggtronic, I thought, "Gee, that looks familiar."

The Power Bar ($149.99) is a that uses a 10,000 milliamp-hour to charge up to four devices at once—and up to three of them wirelessly.

Fast charging

As a reviewer, I've tested more than a few external batteries. I've even tested a few with a wireless built in.

The Power Bar is the first external battery I've tried that can charge three devices wirelessly at the same time.

The top of the Power Bar has two Qi-compatible wireless charging spots and a dedicated charger for an Apple Watch. The Power Bar's two wireless charging spots can provide 7.5 watts of , which is as fast as Apple devices can charge.

The two spots are a bit too close together to charge two iPhones at once—my iPhone XS Max took up too much room on top. I was able to charge my phone and AirPods Pro at the same time.

Watch charger

The Power Bar has a dedicated 5-watt charger for an Apple Watch.

The watch charger can be pulled up about half an inch to make charging easier for watch bands that are not very flexible.

The Power Bar's instruction sheet said to "lift up the push button until the spot rises up."

I spent a good five minutes trying to get the watch charger to pop up.

I finally realized that you have to physically pry up on the circular charging spot and pull it up. Grab it on either side with a fingernail and pull it straight up.

The watch charger pulls up easily after you've done it a few times.

USB-C

The Power Bar has a 30-watt Power Delivery USB-C port on one end that serves as the input to charge the internal battery and as an output to charge any that can be charged from USB-C, like my 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The Power Bar includes two charging cables—a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to Apple Lightning iPhone/iPad charging cable. The cables are sturdy and braided.

Eggtronic does not include a USB wall charger, so you'll have to provide your own.

Limitations

I was a little bummed that the capacity of the Power Bar's battery is only 10,000 mAh.

I have external batteries not much bigger than the Power Bar that have more than twice the capacity.

I understand that a larger battery would make the Power Bar bigger and heavier. I suppose portability was more important than maximum capacity.

The Power Bar has four charging spots, but the battery is too small to charge all the devices from empty to full. It simply doesn't have enough juice.

It's a great charger for the iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. A fully charged Power Bar can keep those devices charged for a weekend trip.

Adding a MacBook Pro to the mix will drain the Power Bar in just a few hours.

Easy to use

The Power Bar was easy to use. Power it up, and when you're ready, set your phone or AirPods or Apple Watch on top and press the power button to start the juice flowing.

It is certainly more convenient than packing a wall charger and cable for each of your devices.

You'll want to pack a charger for the battery to keep it topped off if you will need to use it for more than a day or two. If you use a wall charger that can provide 30 watts of power, you can charge the Power Bar in just a few hours.

You can keep it plugged into the wall and use it as an everyday charger, which is what I've been doing on my nightstand.

Pros: Two Qi charging spots, plus watch and USB-C charging.

Cons: The battery capacity could be higher.

Bottom line: This is the best multi-device charger I've found, and it runs on a for charging on the go.

©2020 The Dallas Morning News
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Citation: Review: Eggtronic Power Bar can charge all your devices (2020, June 3) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-tech-eggtronic-power-bar-devices.html
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