Cheero Energy Plus hands-on: 12,000 mAh worth of backup power for all your mobile devices

posted by Chris P. / Oct 22, 2014, 1:11 AM

Cheero Energy Plus hands-on: 12,000 mAh worth of backup power for all your mobile devices

This story is sponsored by Cheero. PhoneArena's opinions in this article have not been affected in any way! Disclaimer

Judging by the popularity of our battery life test results, a hearty, enduring battery is among the most important factors when picking up a new handset for most. And that's not at all surprising, as the industry has now reached a point where performance issues are no longer as prevalent as before, allowing us to now demand improvements elsewhere. And, sure enough, we're getting there -- battery life is going up. But probably a bit too slowly for everybody's taste.

Fortunately for all, even if your smartphone manufacturer skimped on the battery, you can always rely on third-party accessories makers like Cheero to have your back. Whether it's an extra big case with an embedded battery, or just a compact, but generous battery pack, rest assured that you've got options. Unfortunately, if your device isn't a popular model, it's unlikely that case makers will have anything to offer you, so a battery pack is usually a sure bet, and one that serves many more use cases. For example, it can charge any number of electronic gadgets, so long as they use USB for power, and a battery pack like Cheero's Energy Plus, with its 12,000 mAh of charge, can top off a battery several times before it goes out of juice.

So we established that the cell inside Cheero's Energy Plus pack is quite generous, but size is also a pretty important consideration for most. Thankfully, the Energy Plus model is no bigger than your typical 5-inch phone, just thicker and heavier (16 mm and 275 grams, respectively). This makes it easily transportable wherever you go, and especially if you're travelling and know that a power outlet will be hard to come by.

The Energy Plus model comes with four LED indicator lights that will show you remaining power in real time (each light accounts for 25% of the total charge), and offers two USB ports for charging -- a 1A and a 2.1A one. You just plug your smartphone into either of the two nests and click the button on the side to start charging. Once the pack runs out of juice, you just connect the included USB to microUSB cable to it and, on the other end, attach the AC adapter. As per the manual, you'll need about 10 hours to fully charge it. Cheero has also included two perks with the Energy Pack -- a dedicated pouch to help keep the gadget's exterior from getting damaged, and a built-in flashlight that you can make use of in case of need.

But perhaps the best thing about the Cheero Energy Plus is its price -- at $29.99 on Amazon US, this is among the best offers we stumbled upon. There were a few cheaper alternatives, but there was often a caveat to them -- no AC adapter, for example, or lower overall capacity and just one charging port. In other words, if you're looking to get your money's worth, then you needn't look any further.

Get the $29.99 Cheero Energy Plus here.

Cheero Energy Plus

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Cheero Energy Plus

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11 Comments

1. UglyFrank

Posts: 2191; Member since: Jan 23, 2014

Anker or this one? That is the question

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 3:42 AM 0

2. JocularJ

Posts: 219; Member since: Apr 27, 2011

Just looked at the 13k mah anker and it physically looks great and isn't as wide. It is lacking an AC adapter but everyone these days should have at least 2 laying around so it's not a huge issue. For the same price that extra 1000 nah isn't going to make as much of a difference as speed of charge and the anker charges at a max of 3.0A while the cheero is at 3.1A. Honestly despite the fantastic price I'd rather have more USB outlets and pay an extra $30 for something more flexible.

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 4:58 AM 0

3. skyline88

Posts: 697; Member since: Jul 15, 2013

Pineng 20000mAh is available for as low as $20.00

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 7:47 AM 0

4. MySchizoBuddy

Posts: 159; Member since: Aug 23, 2011

this only charge discharge cycle of 500. Thats half of what others are offering

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 8:56 AM 0

5. Slammer

Posts: 1515; Member since: Jun 03, 2010

Why can't we just purchase a spare battery? Oh yeah, I forgot. People would rather purchase phones with non removable battery and carry larger backup powersource devices. All this crap are bandaids for issues that are not going away soon. Old battery designs locked inside modern day powerhouses. You asked for this crap by continuing to support fixed batteries, now you're going to recieve it. I feel great knowing all I need is a small battery to easily swap out on my Galaxy for a far cheapper price. John B.

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 1:06 PM 1

6. KillgoreTroutTime

Posts: 433; Member since: Jan 06, 2014

"All this crap are bandaids for issues that are not going away soon." So a battery pack is a bandaid, but the need to carry extra batteries is not? Nice rant buddy, but try coming up with a coherent argument next time.

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 2:08 PM 1

9. Slammer

The option to carry a battery is cheaper and smaller. It allows more consumer(you) control over your device when service is probable. Close to 40% of device malfunctions can be attributed to failed or failing battery. The symptoms are vast and not always viewed by the customer as a likely source when, in fact, maybe as simple as the battery. The battery pack then becomes the main source for powering your device. Swapping out the battery eliminates the need to carry a piss bag around. Also if the charging port fails, the battery pack is rendered useless. I carry an extra battery for swapping out every 3 months just for the sake of giving the other one a rest from charging cycles. I am a service technician but also a consumer. The battery industry is poised to make billions in revenue off of sealed batteries and the gadgets developed to side step the best way to keep a battery well conditioned. First, is to keep the battery cool and trickle charge with specific allocated chargers. All these rapid chargers and back up products are designed for just that; emergency back up. However, prolonged exposure to these products can easily have the adverse effect on what it claims is a great accessory. Secondly, being able to remove the battery allows for physical and visual inspection of the battery. Batteries can swell over time. Sometimes within as little as six months. The easiest, cheapest and least dangerous to the phone or user, is to just replace the battery. No excessive overheating, premature death of the device itself and elimination of the rare bursting of the battery. Lastly, insurance claims and service rates have climbed to unprecedented prices due to the devices being harder and harder to repair. Accessories such as the above is exactly wha the battery manufacturers want you to purchase. This tips the balance of control to them in revenue for premature failures and you get the headaches. The battery is the weakest link in any device regardless of price or brand. Having a removable battery can literally save consumers millions upon millions for needless nonsense. John B.

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 5:58 PM 0

7. RandomUsername

Posts: 808; Member since: Oct 29, 2013

Is your battery life so bad that you need a backup battery?

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 3:21 PM 0

10. Slammer

Actually no. Being able to swap my battery reduces the frequency of charging cycles. This keeps my batteries in optimal condition. It also allows me to visually and physically inspect them for possible issues that unseen can cause more detrimental damage to more than just the battery. If you value your device, don't take the battery for granted. John B.

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 6:03 PM 0

8. roblewis

Posts: 1; Member since: Oct 22, 2014

Yeah, because I almost want to pay another $50-$80 for a proprietary spare battery every time I switch models or brands of phone instead of buying 1 cheeros for $30 that will work with any device I move to in the future. Great thinking John B.

posted on Oct 22, 2014, 4:22 PM 0

11. Slammer

I have found spare batteries for less and this eliminates the need to purchase these products that can often be endorsed by the battery mmanufacturers due to the slow death they can have on the battery. Even at $50, I would highly recommend the swappable battery over anyvtype of embilica accessory of this type. Device and battery manufacturers love them for a reason. John B.