Extended battery cases for smartphones are handy, and some of the more powerful ones can recharge your phone several times over. Separate battery packs are sometimes even stronger, potentially keeping the battery topped up for days. But what if that’s not enough? Then you’ll want the Trontium Reactor.
Apart from having one of the coolest product names we’ve heard in a while, the Reactor is the world’s first completely universal battery, with the highest energy and power density of any consumer battery yet. The company says it’s “like nothing ever created,” and we’d be inclined to agree. Amazingly, it has enough juice inside to recharge your iPhone 5S fifty times over. It uses a new technology called USB Power Delivery, which boosts the modest charging capabilities of a USB 3.0 cable to 100 watts and up to 20 volts.
The Reactor has a monster 290 watt-hour battery inside, and three 100 watt-capable USB ports on the top. It doesn’t only charge phones either, it’ll sort out your Nexus 7 sixteen times over, your 13-inch Macbook Air 5 times, or a Surface Pro 2 6 times. With the addition of a special splitter cable, the Reactor can recharge up to 18 phones at the same time from a single USB port.
The Reactor looks like a massive AA battery, in that it’s a big cylinder, but with a multi-colored LED light ring for showing charge levels and rates. To alter the settings there is a small touch sensor fitted to the Reactor, but most adjustments will be made using the special Bluetooth connected smartphone app. Custom profiles can be created from the app, letting you set the Reactor up to power hardware which doesn’t support USB Power Delivery. If you’re wondering how to charge the Reactor itself, it can be done using a car battery, when it takes 5 hours. As this would prove inconvenient for many people, an Apple 12w USB adaptor will also do the job, but in sloth-like thirty hours.
Made from anodized aluminum, unsurprisingly, the Reactor is a bit of a beast. It’s 9-inches long, nearly 3-inches wide, and weighs 1.4kg. It’s also quite expensive at $300, but when you think a regular extended battery pack or smartphone case can cost anywhere up to $100, it’s good value considering the return.
Of course, the Reactor will be overkill for most people. However, its enormous power reserves and relatively compact size make it the perfect companion for keen hikers, those on expeditions, or even travelers going off the beaten track, who don’t want to carry chargers and adaptors everywhere. Additionally, it’ll be invaluable in developing countries, where power can be unstable, or difficult to find.
The Trontium Reactor is up for pre-order now, with delivery expected to take place in September. It’s a crowd-funding type deal too, so you’ll be charged straight away, and the funds are being used to finance the device’s final stage of development.
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