Most of us own a stack of gadgets that are hungry for constant power. Battery life technology has improved over the past few years, but not exponentially like we hoped it would. So, it goes without saying, that if you tote around devices all day, you have probably already invested in a backup battery source.

I have a couple that I carry with me when I travel. The first is an extremely small, square supplied to me by friends at Microsoft. Its light, which is good for traveling, but only has enough power to charge a single device once. The second, one is the PowerBot Wireless Charging Pad and Backup Battery Pack, which I reviewed last year. This is a fantastic charger because it not only offers corded charging, but also provides Qi wireless charging capability, allowing me to replenish power for supported devices quickly during my hotel stay. But, still, even this doesn't have enough tethered power capacity to charge a device more than once during my travels.

When I take long runs, I take the Boy Scout approach and carry a small, lightweight power bank with me "just in case" to bump charge my smartphone or Microsoft Band if they might need it. I've yet to actually use it in this scenario, but I carry it along anyway. The best power bank solution for runners is probably the lipstick shaped, lightweight barrel charger like the EasyAcc 3000mAh Powerbank. But, you'll never catch me using this when I travel. It just doesn't provide enough power.

I was recently offered to test a power bank from iClever. The Intocircuit Power Castle 15000mAh is something special, with some smart technology built into it.

The Intocircuit is a power beast at 150000mAh. The company says it's able to charge an iPhone 5S almost 7 times, a Galaxy S5 more than 4 times and an iPad Air more than once. I don't own any of those manufacturers or models, but I can tell you that I was able to charge my HTC M8 Windows Phone five times and my original Nexus 7 three times.

But, the additional power capacity comes with a price. The Intocircuit is heavy and dense. If you're like me, and love to travel light, this might be too heavy for you. 14.08 ounces isn't exactly dumbbell heavy, but it is heftier than most like it. Still, if you're walking alone down a NYC street, it could double as a deterrent to a potential attack.

The Intocircuit offers the common ports: a 5V 2.1A and a 5V 1.0A. But, this unit also uses an intelligent circuit (called SmartID) to auto-identify the needs of the attached device so that it selects the maximum charging efficiency and speed. So, your device will hit its max charge more quickly than with other power banks. Additionally, most power banks allow you to only charge a single device at a time, despite having two ports. The Intocircuit allows charging of two devices simultaneously. And, the Samsung Grade A Lithium-ion cells, suggests that the power bank can be recharged over 1000 times before failure.

The Intocircuit also has a nice blue LCD screen that shows power level, charging and discharging status.

 

Bottom Line

If want a beefy, brick of a charger that has plenty of power for a multitude of power-hungry devices, the iClever Intocircuit is a monster.

You can find it on Amazon for $40: iClever Intocircuit 3rd Gen Power Castle 15000mAh with SmartID Technology Portable Dual-Port 5V/4.8A External Battery Pack