A backup battery can be a lifesaver if your phone is on the brink of dying — but only if it isn’t dead as well. External power packs can usually take hours to charge depending on their capacity, but UNU claims its new Ultrapak GO and TOUR batteries can be charged enough to top off a smartphone in just 15 minutes.
The $US60 Ultrapak Go boasts a 3000mAh battery inside, and while it requires a full half-hour to completely recharge, it can be topped off to 2000mAh in just 15 minutes. The same goes for the $US100 Ultrapak Tour. Its 10,000mAh battery requires just over an hour-and-a-half to fully charge, but it can be ready to save a smartphone with 2000 mAh power in just a quarter hour.
Both batteries will be available starting June 30, but can be pre-ordered now. And in addition to lightning fast charge times — presumably at the cost of a shortened lifespan — they each feature a simple display indicating their current charge level, and an estimated countdown to when they will be topped off when charging. That feature alone is worth the price of admission, since deciphering blinking coloured LEDs is rarely an exact science. [-My UNU]