The Jackery Mini and Jackery Giant.
– Photo by Matt Rasmussen
I use my iPhone…a lot. Probably a lot more that I should be to be honest. My entire life is essentially is on my phone in some fashion: my schedule, my emails, my music, and most importantly, my run tracking. Luckily for me (and our bill), I have unlimited data.
But all that usage really has a major effect on my phone’s battery life. There are times that my phone is near depleted by the time I am ready to run on my lunch hour. I have a charger at my desk, but many times I am sitting in meetings or otherwise away from my desk. Then by the time I get back to my cube to recharge my phone, the lunch hour has passed and I am strapped for time. Not good. I figured it was about time I took the bull by the horns and check out a portable charger.
The chargers I have gone to are a couple under the Jackery moniker; the Jackery Giant and the Jackery Mini. Both have been utilized and have exceeded my expectations. The visuals of the chargers are pretty simple, yet fashionable (or as “fashionable” as a portable charger can be). The orange sheen is not neon, but more muted in color and looks very nice. All that you need to provide is the regular charging cord that you utilize for your device. Plug the cord into your phone and the other into the USB port in the device and you are good to go.
The Giant has two USB ports which has come in handy for me and my wife during our daughter’s cheerleading competitions. However, it has also been a perfect device to utlize by keeping in my bag and plugging my phone in during those endless work meetings. I have also used it while traveling when I forgot my car charger. The end result is a charged phone and a happy runner. The listed capacity of 10400mAh doesn’t really mean much to me, but the true important needs are how long the device can hold it’s charge and how fast it charges. The Giant boasts 10 hours of charge time and technology that can hold a charge to 6 months on standby. Definitely not too bad. I can be honest that I was skeptical as to how it would charge my devices, but I needn’t have worried.
The Giant has seemed to charge nearly on par with my wall charger so far. I was surprised when I went to check on it the first time- to find it had already reached capacity. Through multiple phone charges and one full device recharge, the time remains quick. It also has a flashlight, which is handy I suppose, but don’t really figure I will need to use.
My plan for purchasing the Jackery Mini was simple enough. Running in my first marathon, I remember how concerned I was that my phone, and thus run tracking app and music, would die along the way. I went to great lengths to turn off all apps and dim the screen- stuff that really was a pain. With the Mini being so small and portable, I wanted to see if it would be possible to recharge while I run to avoid having to worry.
The short answer is that the Mini does fill that gap. It is small enough (think lipstick sized at only 3.7 inches long and weighing under 3 ounces), and has appeared durable enough so far to do the trick. However, while it is ideal for someone like me who runs religiously with a running belt for storage reasons, if you utilize an arm band or hold your phone it may not work as well for you. I am still attempting to locate a smaller iPhone charger to assist with cutting out excess cords. That is not a Jackery issue, but will be something I think will really bring out the full potential for a runner. The speed of recharging is not as fast as the Giant (obviously), but still fast enough for me. The main draw of this product for me is the size. Jackery states that this is currently the smallest 2600mAh rechargeable battery on the market.
Overall, I am really happy with my purchase. Both products are working as advertised and have really made things a lot easier in my life, both before and during runs. If you are looking for something along these lines, the Jackery series is a solid starting place.
While I use the chargers for my iPhone and iPad, they can also be used with MP3 players and other smartphones, tablets, and gaming devices.
The Giant retails at $129.95 and the Mini at $69.95. However, the entire Jackery series is on major sale at Amazon for the current moment. I am not sure how long this will last, but jumping on the chance now could save you some serious dough.
