Sony CycleEnergy CP-F1L
MRP: Rs 3000

While smartphone specs and screens have gotten hungrier for power, battery capacity has not kept pace. No wonder then that 'power packs', or external battery based chargers came about, allowing you to charge your phone's battery using a charged external battery. Until recently, such external chargers, as they are unofficially referred to, were available from no name brands, but some biggies like Cooler Master and Sony have introduced their offerings. [The term 'external charger' is not exactly descriptive of the function of these devices, since all chargers are external to the device they charge. But in absence of a universally accepted name for this device, external (USB) charger appears to be an apt term].

 

Features And Build

The best way to describe the externals of the CycleEnergy CP-F1L is to say that it appears just like a standard external laptop hard drive casing, but much thinner at 9.5 mm, and weighing just 125 grams. It looks very clean with the stylish light-grey aluminium body with an anodised layer that gives it a satin-soft touch. Both ends of the battery are sealed off by white plastic caps and there seems to be no screw to open and access the battery inside, in case you need to replace it on your own. The front plastic lid has a full size USB output port that is used to charge a connected device, and there is also a micro-USB input port that is used to charge the CycleEnergy's own battery

An amber LED is present besides the microUSB port and it lights up when the unit is being charged. A small lozenge-shaped button present besides this LED allows you to gauge the battery charge on pressing it, the LED blinks thrice to indicate full charge, twice for medium, and once for low.  A green LED is present besides the full USB port to indicate that a device is being charged. It switches off when the connected device is fully charged.

The supplied charger which is used to charge the CycleEnergy is small and easy to carry while also being powerful enough to supply 2.1 Amps to charge the battery quickly. This can also be used to charge the smartphone directly. Of course, you must read up your smartphone manual to find out if it requires any different voltage and current, and if it does, it is best to use its own charger instead. The company claims that this battery pack comes with a circuit that protects your devices against overcharging and short-circuit.

Performance

A 3500 mAh Li-ion battery resides inside the unit and it can provide an output current of up to 1.5 A at 5 V, which is enough to charge all smartphones. The CP-S1L charges any USB-chargeable device. I tried using it with my iPhone 3G whose battery normally runs out after 12 hours of usage. I found that the iPhone 3G remained functional for a little over 22 hours extra as the charger remained attached to it all the time. With newer smartphones, the results will surely be better.

The battery in the CycleEnergy fully charges in less than a couple of hours via its charger. The CP-S1L continues to charge the connected device even when its own battery is in the process of charging. This is useful when you are traveling and have access to only a single charging socket. Once charged, it hardly loses any charge even after a week in storage, thus allowing you to safely charge it and put it in your rucksack before embarking on a voyage.

Our Verdict

The Sony CycleEnergy CP-F2L does its job as a battery pack and it does it rather well. In case you are a heavy user and want something to charge a tablet as well, you might want to try the CP-F2L with a 7000 mAh battery from the same company. This comes with two USB ports that allow you to charge two devices at the same time, although it is obviously priced almost twice as much at Rs 5500. However, for most practical purposes, we think that the Sony CycleEnergy CP-F1L should suffice. All said and done, we will still go with the Choiix Power Fort C-2021 that charges a lot more, thanks to its 5600 mAh battery and a rather attractive price tag of Rs 3200.

Features: 4/5
Design And Build Quality: 4.5/5
Performance: 4/5
Value For Money: 3/5
Mojo: 4.5/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

TAGS: Accessories