Anker Astro2 9000mAh

I like to have an external battery for traveling even though I rarely run out of juice unless I'm on an epic reading session. I had a 10,000 mAh Anker that got quite hot when charging so I wasn't that unhappy when I couldn't find it to use on my business trip. Martin Guay reviewed the Anker Astro 5600mAh in July so I took another look and ended up with the Anker Astro2 external battery. The second generation Astro comes in 6000, 9000 and 12000mAh sizes.

Since I take my Note 8 and my S4 if I'm going to be away from home I went the the 9000 version so I could fully charge each device before needing to charge the Astro. I was travelling last week and ended up hanging out in airports much longer than expected so I was happy to have my extra power since I moved gates and the WiFi was a little flakey.

Pros : Really well designed. It's comfort to hold and doesn't slide around when you put it down. The indicator light works really well for montoring both to charging and discharging and doesn't heat up while charging. It has 2 ports with high enough output amperage that it can charge the Note 8 or any tablet you have the charging cables for. Lower amp output may only charge when the device is off.

Con : The micro USB charging port is finicky. I can be difficult to get the tip into the Anker. I thought it was perhaps the cable but it wasn't. Hopefully it will loosen a little with use.

This is a great sleek accessory that recharges very quickly and takes the worry out of trying to find outlets in hotel rooms and airports. It will charge most USB chargable devices including smart phones, tablets and the GoPro.



Comments