Review: Duracell Instant Chargers Are…Pretty Perfect?

3:10AM September 3, 2009 | Mark Wilson

We’ve all seen those mini mobile phone rechargers at airports, but Duracell has released a line of rechargeable pocket chargers that can refill any USB-compatible device (like iPhones) through compatibility with your own adaptors. And our favourite model is cheap.

The Price

Duracell Instant Charger: $US20
Duracell Powerhouse Charger: $US50

The Verdict

Duracell’s Instant Charger is a perfectly executed little gadget. And its older sibling, the Powerhouse Charger, isn’t so bad either.

There’s nothing complicated going on. These chargers are essentially a USB port loaded hooked to a lithium ion battery. But it just so happens, that’s all you need.

The Instant Charger is the smallest of the line and by far my favourite. It’s small and nearly weightless in your hand, ornamented with a more-polished-than-necessary design. But after charging (via mini USB), the Instant Charger stores just enough power to refill your iPhone about halfway—for 180 minutes of 3G talk time—or just snag a few more shots out of a digital camera.

With no unnecessary buttons or (you’ll only need to navigate an on/off switch) and a simple indicator light (red when charging, green when charged), Duracell’s Instant Charger is a wonderful unitasker.

I wish the Powerhouse Charger had all the polish you see in the Instant version. Not counting a legitimately neat Mini-USB arm, from the less thoughtful finish to indicator lights that aren’t readable in daylight, the Powerhouse just seems…cheap (which is ironic, given that the Powerhouse is supposed to be this line’s Cadillac). But it stores enough power to charge an iPhone 3G or Blackberry Curve 1.2 times, or an iPod nano four times.

Most iPhone charging solutions involve cases we don’t need or want, and they can easily reach $US100. Now, Duracell has a few products that can handle pretty much any USB device you can throw at them. And starting at $US20, we can live with the investment. [Duracell]

Small

Cheap

Functional

Good

Comments

  • Adam

    September 3, 2009 at 9:44 AM

    anyone know if this will charge a Nintendo DS?

    • Elly Hart

      September 3, 2009 at 10:08 AM

      The Nintendo DS doesn’t have a USB port, but I don’t see what it wouldn’t work if you got an adaptor. These chargers will work with devices that have “regular USB ports” or “mini-USB ports” as per the Duracell website.

    • Eugene C

      September 3, 2009 at 10:23 PM

      They would be able to only IF you’ve modded your DS recharge port into a USB 2.0 Mini (some people have done it, but i haven’t modded mine yet)

  • Phil Lund

    September 3, 2009 at 10:25 AM

    The Duracell page says they’re both 2000mAh batteries. Isn’t the iPhones batt a 1350mAh or something similar? Shouldn’t the 2000mAh instant charger therefore be able to fully charge it rather than only half?

    Also – are these avail in aus?

  • Mic Cullen

    September 3, 2009 at 11:38 AM

    Any Australian availability data?

  • Rahul Khanna

    December 1, 2009 at 10:27 AM

    Got mine from officeworks online

  • Chris Goodreds

    October 7, 2010 at 11:05 AM

    I don’t see why people are so ‘taken’ with the Duracell products, Energizer has a much larger range that start with smart phone chargers and go all the way up to laptop standard power packs! they are exactly the same price but they use the lithium-polymer battery and can hold the charge for up to a year, they also don’t require you to buy/ carry around your own bulky cable as they come with all major phone connections and even offer 2 free tips for new products every year for the life of the product! not a hard choice in my opinion!

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