Orlaith CostelloIn today’s busy world, we are constantly waiting out the battery life on our myriad of devices, whether it’s our smartphones, smartwatches, Bluetooth headphones or laptops.
Australia-owned tech accessories manufacturer Cygnett has taken on the competition with its ultra-powerful 27,000 mAh USB-C ChargeUp Pro powerbank ($179.95), designed to be the ultimate charging companion.
Cygnett makes some bold claims over this powerbank beast, but does it live up to its own hype?
DESIGN
As this powerbank houses a monster amount of charge, the device is not small.
It is roughly the same size as a paperback novel and weighs approximately 656g.
Cygnett says the powerbank is perfect for airline travel and it does meet the capacity limit – powerbanks in the aircraft cabin must have a capacity of 100Wh/27,0000mAh or less – but just about.
However, even though it makes the capacity limit, its weight may cause you to leave it behind thanks to the ever-decreasing weight limitations on carry-on baggage.
For non-airline travel, it’s a dream.
Perfect for camping, road trips, and keeping in your laptop bag.
Available solely in smooth matte black, it features rounded edges and LED battery life indicators.
The powerbank has three ports: one dual input/output USB-C port (in 30W, out 60W), a second USB-C output port (out 12W), and a USB-A output (out 12W).
Once connected to a device to charge, you need to activate charging by pressing the “on” button. A handy power-saving feature on such a beefed up powerbank.
It comes with a very short USB-C to USB-C cable but is compatible with most USB-C/USB-A cables depending on need.
As this cable was so short, I often wasn’t about to use it to charge the powerbank via a wall outlet. Instead of opted to use Cygnett’s much longer armoured cables (from $14.95) that boast up to 20,000 bend cycles.
PERFORMANCE
The Charge Up Pro delivers an accumulative 72W USB-C output, including one 60W output that can fully charge a standard laptop.
Cygnett claims that the powerbank can deliver up to 98 hours of battery life, and I would tend to agree with that.
I could use the device to charge my smartwatch, smartphone, and headphones throughout the week when they needed a boost and never ran out of juice on the ChargeUp Pro.
It has the ability to charge multiple devices at once and charge them in a timely manner.
As it is such a massive store of power, it does take some time to fully replenish its battery stores.
Cygnett claims recharging can take up to 5 hours, however, I found it could take longer – especially if using a third-party cable than the short one that was supplied.
However, that is a short time considering the amount of power that it stores, and this is thanks to the 30W input which is about three times faster than a traditional powerbank.
However, if you had a long trip coming up, you could leave it charging overnight or while you are working and have the fully powered powerbank ready to go when you are.
VALUE
The Cygnett ChargeUp Pro may be the only powerbank you need.
It can charge multiple devices at once, including a laptop.
Its own battery store can last up to 98 days and it takes a mere five hours to refill its stores.
Cygnett’s main competitor Belkin’s highest-capacity charger reaches 15,000 mAh and will set you back $79.95.
The ChargeUp Pro nearly doubles that for over double the price but delivers on both power and portability offering ultimate convenience in a paperback novel size.
The Cygnett ChargeUp Pro 27k is available now from Cygnett’s website and authorised retailers including JB Hi-Fi for $179.95.
