It’s got a built-in Qi pad, fast charging ports, and even comes with a MagSafe cable to charge your MacBook. If it ships to stores, you’re gonna love it.
We live in an age where belief, in anything, can be difficult—especially where crowdfunded products are concerned.
I’ve been burned several times by kickstarted tech projects over the years. Mostly, the delivered goods underwhelm compared to what was promised. In some cases, a return on my investment never materialized at all. I’d all but given up on crowdfunded gear, but after using their Omnicharge’s batteries for the past few months, I want to believe that this startup is doing things right.
The Omnicharge comes in two different sizes: a $159 13,600 mAh/65W iteration and the larger $249 Pro version, which packs a 20,400 man/100W battery. Both come with two USB ports for charging tablets, smartphones, action cameras, and other low-powered devices. They’re also equipped with a three-pronged 100-volt outlet that allows you to plug in a laptop or larger device. An OLED display provides real-time data on recharge/discharge rates, battery temperature and which ports are in use.
Both sizes of Omnicharge feature a power management system that allows them to adapt the amount of voltage being churned out to your devices. This helps to ensure a balance between the fastest possible charge times and not frying your hardware. This same technology also allows the Omnicharge to provide an estimate of how long it’ll take to completely charge any device you plug into it.
Either of the battery packs can be recharged via their included wall wart in the space of a few hours or, if you own one, a solar panel. Given the capacity of the standard and Pro version of the battery, sturdy build quality and these capabilities, I’d feel comfortable throwing my money at an Omnicharge battery if I saw it in on Amazon or in a store. But the extras that the Pro version of the battery comes packed with are a siren song enticing me to steer my ship towards a rocky, crowdfunded shore where no guarantee of fulfillment might be found.