The original BatteryBox I reviewed was a brilliant accessory/tool to own as a MacBook owner. Instead of carrying around Apple’s messy power cord, BatteryBox gave me portable power wherever I was without the need to connect to a power outlet.
Now the company behind BatteryBox, GBatteries, has launched BatteryBox Slim: an external battery that’s thinner than a MacBook Air at 15mm in height x 233mm in length x 117mm in width.
This time however, it’s compatible with all kinds of laptops which is really exciting. Check out their video below:
Why would you need BatteryBox Slim?
Let’s say you’re working at a cafe with no power outlets. BatteryBox Slim essentially works as an external battery pack to power your laptop instead of charging it — minimising the number of cycles and stress on your laptop’s internal battery, and helping to prolong its life.
You get extra juice to comfortably get you through the day, and your laptop battery stays healthy in the process!
If you need another reason to consider it, BatteryBox Slim is built out of “premium, hard anodized aluminum that comes in 4 different colors: silver, dark grey, gold, and black”. I think it looks pretty, don’t you?
Let’s talk power & connectivity
So according to them, BatteryBox Slim packs 89Wh of power and can run a typical laptop for 1.5x charges, a tablet for 2.5x, or a phone for 11.5x.
For MacBook owners — or any other USB-C powered devices for that matter — there’s a dedicated USB-C port (5-20V and up to 3A) you use to power up, and thanks to 2 additional USB 3.0 ports, BatteryBox Slim can even work as an adapter for your other peripherals. (Handy since the MacBook has only 1 port!)
Of course, you can just use those USB ports to charge up your smartphones/tablets too.
Thanks to its large 24,000mAh capacity, charging up this bad boy with its “normal” option takes between 10-12 hours. There’s also a “fast” option which takes 4-6 hours if you use a high power USB-C charger though.
Pricing and availability
If you pre-order BatteryBox Slim will set you back at $99.99, however at standard retail price it’ll cost $139.99. They’ll start shipping in early winter 2016.
What do you think?
I consider portable chargers to be one of the most important tech accessories I can carry. Yes, the battery anxiety is real. On a serious note though: taking into account the incredibly thin designs of laptops like the MacBook now, I can totally see the appeal for such slim, portable power too.
Let me know what you think: is the BatteryBox Slim something you’d pick up for yourself, or is the prospect of using a power outlet just not that big a deal for you?
