Anker Battery Backups for Smartphones

[James Walton]

Based on another thread about smartphones and tired of finicky solar chargers I bought an Anker Astro 2 backup. This is not a full review but would just like to show it off. I unpacked it tonight after buying from Amazon for $37.

This unit provides 8400 MaH of power with a 1 amp usb and 2 amp usb port. It will recharge your Iphone 5 (1440 MaH battery) four times and an Ipad 2 twice. It has a flashlight function and a mirrored front face. Multifunction!! At 6.3 oz it is little heavier than other models, but it will provide more than ample power for long trips for those of us that use our gadgets a lot.

My Ipad was dead and within 20 minutes I had 15% battery. at 1 hour & 40 minutes It has charged to 48%.

[Matthew Naylor]

I own this product too and love it. Since it is recharged with a microUSB connector (same as my smartphone) I only need to carry around a single 6in USB cable (I recommend finding one with a right-angle microusb head–it decreases stress while charging in pocket). Pair it with a simple USB wall brick and you're all set.

[Michael Gillenwater]

James and Matthew, thanks for this feedback. You were reading my mind as I have been looking at these on amazon for awhile. I have a charger now that i use on trips that works great, but i was thinking of replacing it for one that has the flashlight capability (multifunction rocks as you say!). How is the flashlight?

[Matthew Naylor]

It's just a mediocre rounded LED… no beam focusing or anything. Imagine one of those photon micro lights, but a little less powerful.

[Michael Gillenwater]

thanks. that is what i expected, but was hoping I might be wrong. still, useful for basic stuff in the tent/tarp at no real weight penalty and it is nice to not have to worry about the battery really every running down (due to use of the light that is).

[Max Dilthey]

Hard to imagine taking something into the woods that rhymes with "anchor," but I like this for bike touring. Excellent find!

[Michael Cheifetz]

seems like just another run of the mill Li-ion power pack..they all use the same technology give or take – its just a game of price/size (i have some other make)

I would however consider a milspec type watertight one as a real bonus

oh – and I thought it had to do with Conrad Anker…that could have been interesting

[Michael Gillenwater]

oh, yes, there is nothing special here with this brand. just your run of the mill cheap China made Li-ion battery. It is just the simple integration of a small LED that makes it interesting (which is now common across many of these cheap brands). You can find many similar products online. It is just the category of products (battery with an integrated light) that is relatively new.

[Vyacheslav Chetvernin]

Can you recommend a better brand?
Anker batteries seem a bit lighter than other brands…

[Michael Gillenwater]

i simply went through what was on Amazon. compared weights and energy storage (mAh). I ignored models that did not publish their weight. and just picked one that seemed about the right capacity (5200 mAh in my case) for the weight. They are relatively cheap ($30) so I did not sweat it much. I already have one from another brand i carry in my briefcase that does not have the light. They all use the same batteries from just a couple different manufacturers and then just put on different housings. Some brands do get fancy with their cases, which tend to be heavy (more metal). The cheap plastic ones seem to be the lightest.

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