INTRODUCTION

   By now most of you out there should have already made plans for the summer, some of you may have decided to visit relatives while others may go to a place at the beach, visit foreign countries, go on a mountain excursion and so on. Personally i obviously prefer going both to the beach and the mountain and although these two destinations are the best one can be at regardless of the time of the year there's but a single problem that applies for both and that's that there aren't any electrical sockets around when you are not at the house/resort so if your smartphone is running low on battery then there's not much you can do about it. Because of such emergencies i always carry two portable batteries with me, one placed in my car (charging smartphones from your lighter socket is not the best thing to do) and another in my backpack. Today we will be taking a look at one such portable battery and more specifically the latest PowerBar 4400mAh by our friends over at Sandberg.

   Sandberg stands for quality and user-friendliness. If it is important for you that accessories are high quality and easy to figure out how to use, then choose Sandberg. Our ideology "IT is for everybody" is part of everything we do. Since its inception in 1985, private consumers, institutions and companies have benefited from this simple philosophy. Distributors and dealers appreciate the availability, range, simple procedures and the exceptionally low failure rate. Every year over half a million Sandberg products find their way to users in more than 30 countries. Choosing Sandberg means choosing a safe and conscientious product that meets all applicable regulatory requirements. A product manufactured by subcontractors who are committed to following Sandberg's Code of Conduct to ensure decent working conditions and reduce the environmental impact of the production and waste disposal.

   Portable Batteries are amongst the very few gadgets that i consider as being something essential pretty much for everyone out there so whenever i see a new model get released in the market or a Bluetooth wireless headset with a charging case (like the Jabra STONE2/3 and the Plantronics Voyager Legend UC) i just have to take a closer look and since just what it has to offer especially since i recommend such products to friends and family all the time. So far I’ve used quite a few portable batteries but what really got my attention with the PowerBar is that it's housing is made out of aluminum whereas most portable batteries have hard plastic housings which don't feel very sturdy and would better be off in your car/bike and not with you at all times. Under the hood of the PowerBar Sandberg has placed a mid-capacity 4400mAh/5v battery which should be able to provide up to 3 full battery charges for most smartphones in the market something which falls upon us to find out.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The PowerBar 4400mAh is packed inside a small clear plastic box that allows you to take a close look at the unit prior to purchasing it.

At the rear of the box we see a description of the product printed in 10 languages right above the contents and specifications lists.

Just the basics are placed inside the box including the PowerBar 4400mAh portable battery, micro-USB charging cable and a small piece of paper showcasing how to use the device.

THE POWERBAR 4400MAH

Measuring 162mm in length and just 22mm in diameter with a weight of 150g the aluminum PowerBar 4400mAh is somewhat long but thin and light enough to fit in most places.

The Sandberg logo is printed on one end of the battery.

Right next to the company logo we see the charging LED (red when the battery is charging) along with the USB out and micro-USB charging ports (surprisingly enough the cap around that section is removable so you can get the battery out).

Some people will certainly be curious as to how large the PowerBar 4400mAh is so we placed it right next to the PowerUp 6000mAh battery by Antec.

CONCLUSION

   First order of the day when we finished taking pictures of the PowerBar 4400mAh was to charge it, deplete it and then do the same all over again for a total of 4 times so the battery can be in its optimal state (or almost). After that we started testing and so by doing that we managed to recharge the LG Optimus 2X just over 2 full times. The Optimus 2X has an 1500mAh battery and so the PowerBar 4400mAh managed to output around 3200mAh but since the phone is not brand new we decided to double-check our results by also using the Huawei Honor and its 1900mAh battery. Results here were pretty much the same since the Huawei Honor was recharged almost two full times and just 20-25% of the third one adding to a total of around 4100mAh. Of course we've never seen a battery (portable or not) that outputs the exact amount advertised so even 3200mAh is actually a really good number for an 4400mAh rated battery. So although the PowerBar 4400mAh is good enough to charge most smartphones almost up to 3 full times because of the small output current (1000mA) it can't be used to charge tablets and that's perhaps its only drawback since tablets are gaining ground every day that goes by. Of course most people are well aware that tablets use quite a bit of power so i doubt many would take them along when at the beach or the mountain (at least not with a half empty battery) but that being said a drawback is a drawback.

   Currently you can find the Sandberg PowerBar 4400mAh only inside the EU (much like most of their products if not all) for just 18Euros plus shipping (Purchase Directly from Amazon.co.uk) which to me is the very definition of a killer price tag. The fact that Sandberg has also released the PowerBar 4400mAh in silver and pink color (top picture) is also great since women should feel good when carrying such products around. Overall we can't find anything wrong with the PowerBar 4400mAh, we would consider the tablet charging issue as a serious drawback under normal circumstances but with such a low price tag we don't feel that it should be able to go up against similar products that cost 3 and even 4 times as much. On top of that let's not forget that it comes inside an aluminum tube which is a lot better than any hard plastic housing and it should be clear the why we are giving it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Aluminum Housing)
- Size/Weight
- 4400mAh Battery
- Available In 3 Colors (Black/Silver/Pink)
- Price 

CONS

- Availability Outside From the EU
- Can't Be Used To Charge Tablets (For Some)