Before Hurricane Sandy made landfall, forecasters in my area warned of prolonged power outages that could possibly last a week or longer. Thankfully, my area didn't take the brunt of the storm, but it got me thinking about what I would do for communications during a prolonged outage. I have a couple external, rechargeable batteries I could use to charge my iPhone, but what would I do once they were dead? Solar chargers are available, but the technology doesn't seem to be quite there yet and most reviews indicate they can take up to a week of clear, blue skies to recharge fully.
The Energizer Instant Charger is a practical choice. Although it comes with single-use Lithium batteries (expensive), you can use any brand rechargeable AA NiMH batteries in it (I personally like Rayovac's Hybrid AA batteries, which can be found for under ten dollars for a 4-pack at many stores). This allows you to keep as many backup batteries on hand as you like in the event of a power outage (you can use alkalines as well). So if it comes down to it, you could keep your phone charged with batteries from your remotes, clocks, etc. And for times when you don't need it, you can use the batteries in your Wiimotes, digital cameras, and other devices, so you don't need to keep batteries specifically dedicated to this charger.
PROs
+ Three NiMH batteries can take my iPhone 4S to a full charge.
+ The charger only turns on when it is connected to your phone, so you don't have to worry about it accidentally turning on and draining in your pocket
+ When your phone hits 100%, this charger automatically shuts off. You can override this by hitting the power button on the charger if you want to "trickle" charge your phone.
+ No internal battery to worry about eventually "wearing out" from too many charge cycles. Simply buy new AA rechargeable batteries if the ones you have start to wear out.
CONs
Connector is flimsy, so you probably don't want to carry your phone around while it's charging for fear of the connector bending and breaking off
I know it's only a matter of time until I lose the cap for the connector
It uses the Apple 30-pin connector, so it will not work with the new iPhone 5 or any Android phones (however, I believe this is also keeping the price of the device fairly low at the time of this writing)
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On a set of 2650 mAh (milliampere-hour, a measure of battery capacity) rechargeable batteries, I was able to bring my iPhone 4 from a charge of 52% to 100%. That's more than I was expecting to get out of 3 AA batteries, so I'm satisfied.
Now, Energizer recommends AA Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries (non-rechargeable, and comes included in the package), but you CAN use alkaline or rechargeable batteries. Take note, however, that alkaline and rechargeable batteries have lower charging capacities than lithium batteries.
If you plan on using the charger regularly as your primary power source to power your device, think again. This charger is best used as a backup power supply in an emergency (since lithium batteries are expensive, and alkaline/rechargeable batteries won't fully charge the iPhone). Personally, I take it along on my hikes because I use an off-road GPS app on my iPhone. Having this charger with me gives me the peace of mind of knowing that if my iPhone battery runs low, I can still keep my GPS app going by powering it on a few AA batteries (I always bring loads of spare AA batteries with me as backup power for my flashlights, geotagger, and other devices).
● Construction
The construction is pretty descent, although the charger looks and feels a bit on the cheap side. Still, I think it will hold up quite nicely, as long as you're not putting it in your back pocket or anywhere the charger might get banged around. The iPhone connector doesn't jiggle, like a few people claimed in their reviews. I wouldn't leave the charger dangling on the iPhone however (or vice versa). It's best to hook up the charger to the iPhone and set both on a flat surface.
● Function
The 3 included lithium batteries can recharge a dead phone (i.e. 0% charge) to 100%. The batteries are pretty much spent after that. NiMH rechargeable batteries can add 50% charge to your phone. I haven't tried alkaline batteries, but I reckon the charge capacity of alkaline batteries to be between that of lithium batteries and NiMH rechargeable batteries (75%). The phone takes about the same time to charge on the Energizer charger as it does on the USB port on my computer.
The charger comes with a cap for protecting the connector on the charger (cap not shown in the picture on the product page). After you remove the cap to access the connector, you can pop the cap on the other end of the charger, where it will stay on securely, so you won't lose the cap.
The battery sliding cover allows you to quickly and easily change out the 3 AA batteries. The sliding cover cannot be removed, so you don't risk losing it.
● Portability
The charge is compact, measuring only 3-7/8" x 1-7/8" x 3-1/4" (Length x Width x Thickness). It weighs 1.6 oz without batteries, 4.8 oz with rechargeable/alkaline batteries, and 3.7 oz with lithium batteries.
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This charger does exactly what Energizer says it will do on the product page. It gives the iPhone 2 times the run time when the charger is used with lithium batteries (i.e. after you've run down a fully charged phone, this charger will fully charge the iPhone once. The charger thus helps to double the run time on the iPhone).
However, this charger when used with alkaline/NiMH rechargeable batteries won't fully charge an iPhone whose battery is fully depleted (It's not the Energizer charger's fault. 3 alkaline/rechargeable AA batteries SIMPLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH POWER to fully recharge an iPhone. It's a wonder they work to charge the iPhone at all). And the recommended lithium batteries are expensive.
But the charger serves as a very practical backup power supply for your iPhone in an emergency. Recommended as long as you don't have unrealistically high expectations of this charger.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Will charge iphones and ipads with old style dock connector
Does not work with new lightning connector
Iphone 4 will charge once from 10 to 100% on three normal alkaline aa batteries in about an hour
Ipad 2 went from 10% to 87% in two hours on three fresh alkaline aa batteries
The included lithium batteries have a bit more energy than standard alkaline and will last forever in the drawer
Keep this in your emergency bag or the bottom of your briefcase for emergency use only. If you want an everyday portable charger get one of the rechargeable versions
The construction is very flimsy. Almost feels disposable
This is already outdated. Apple seems to be using the lightning connector on all new products and this is incompatible.
Honest reviews on Energizer Instant Charger Made for iPod/iPhone
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program If you have an iPhone 4S or earlier, and you wish to prepare for disaster, this is the charger for you. It accepts alkaline disposable, NiMh rechargable, and lithium disposable batteries. Energizer thoughtfully provided a set of its own lithium disposable batteries. This type of battery is great for disasters because they will wait happily for 10 years or more for the disaster to start.
Being able to accept alkaline cells is also great. Personally, I hate alkalines because they frequently leak on me. But in an extended disaster, you will want to be able to use whatever battery type is available. Alkalines are available everywhere.
No cable to lose, and the protective cap grips reasonably well.
I like the "slide out" battery tray. When you change batteries, you do not disassemble the charger so you won't lose any pieces. Well, except for the protective cap. Watch that one.
Durability seems OK. It looks strong enough to survive a fall of a few feet. If you sit on it, you'll probably smash it.
The only negative I can find is that this charger might be too specialized for some people. It will only charge Iphones and iPod Touches, and is not compatible with the latest models such as iPhone 5. The fact that there is no cable means that your iPhone and charger form one very long and slightly unstable unit while connected. That's the trade-off for having no cord to lose.
If you do not have landline telephone service at home, then it would be useful to have this charger at home. Change the batteries every 10 years or so, and don't forget where you stashed it.
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First, I bought the non-iCrap version, so there's an industry-standard micro-USB coming out the top of it. I can charge my phone, heart rate monitor, tablet, TV remote control, and Lord knows what else has a micro USB on it these days. For its intended purpose, it works great! I haven't bothered to measure how many mA it puts out, but it gets the job done. Unlike earlier AA battery -> USB chargers from Energizer, this one does NOT require the lithium batteries to function. I use mine with Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable batteries and it works fine with their lower voltage.
So why almost perfect? Two minor flaws: 1) The short stubby micro USB cable. I wish they had put a real USB port on this device OR given just a little more cord. It gets the job done as-is, but it'd be a lot nicer to have an extra 3" of cord to play with..or a socket so I could use regular cables with it and possibly charge even more devices than just micro USB. 2) The on-off switch is a button. Easy to use, illuminates to let you know it's on. BUT, in my travel bag, it'll get activated. So, you can transport it without batteries in it or find some sort of sleeve to slide over it if you're going to toss it in your bag.
The flaws overall are minor and I've used this charger plenty of times. It'd be nice if the phone manufacturers would put 7-day batteries in their phones again. Until then, there's the Energizer Instant Charger.
Phones I've used with it, all worked fine:
Samsung S3, Samsung S4, Motorola Droid M, Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD, Blackberry 9650, Blackberry 9630, Blackberry Storm 2
