Kiwi U-Powered Solar & USB Portable Charger Review

Usage
I used the Kiwi U-Powered Charger for approximately a month. Seeing as though I’ve been away on a business trip for most of that month, it’s come in handy often. The flashlight on it is nice to have, and not having to remember to charge it is pretty nice, although sitting in the sun in my car for a week charged the battery by only ~50%.

It can recharge my Nexus One about once, perhaps a little more, on a full charge.

What’s frustrating is that it’s not really usable as an AC adapter because it comes with only one cable. The CHOIIX adapter I recently reviewed came with both a mini-USB and a micro-USB cable, making it the perfect battery/power adapter. This is really my only dislike about it. I’m not a fan of the tips and proprietary cable, but understand the necessity.

Final Thoughts
The Kiwi U-Powered Charger is pretty neat. Its capacity is sufficient for at least one charge for a smartphone, perhaps two for dumbphones. The solar charging ability of it is probably more useful for the flashlight than charging a phone, but for backpackers and folks who need power occasionally and have nowhere to get it but the sun, it’s a great option.

If the device came with another cable, thereby alleviating my gripe that it can’t be used in place of a power adapter, I’d probably recommend this over a few of the others I’ve used. For me, though, it’ll be a secondary one I keep in the car, charging from the sun and useful for emergencies.

Overall ThinkComputers gives the Kiwi U-Powered Solar & USB Portable Charger a 9 out of 10 score.

rating9 10 small

Pros:
– Lots of tips
– Solar charging

Cons:
– Solar charging takes a really long time
– Lacking a second cable
– Would be nice to have more capacity even if it were slightly larger

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