I hate when my phone dies, it feels like I’m disconnected from the rest of the world. I always carry a charger with me and I have a car charger. There are times where these 2 chargers are useless though. It seems when I’m at the airport I cannot find an outlet and if I do its taken and people kill for those outlets! That is why I’ve been really enjoying the Choiix Power Fort 5600 Portable Battery Charger. This portable battery charger allows you to charge anything that charges via a USB connection and is small enough to fit inside your pocket or laptop bag. Read on to see what it is all about.
Special thanks to Cooler Master for providing us with the Choiix Power Fort 5600 Portable Battery Charger to review.
Features
– Compatible with Smartphone and tablet PCs
– LED indicators show remaining battery life
– Over charge protection/ Over discharge protection
– Over current protection / Over circuit protection
– Battery holds a charge for extended periods without use
Specifications
| Model | C-2021-W1S0 (White) C-2021-K1S0 (Black) |
| Power Capacity | 5600 mAh |
| Battery Type | Li-Ion Battery |
| Dimension | 80.6 x 60.7 x 26 mm (3.17 x 2.39 x 1.02 inch) |
| Weight | 32g (4.6 Oz) |
| Recharging Time | 6 – 8 hours |
| Warranty | 1 year on battery unit 2 years on other components |
| UPC Code | 884102013881 (Black) 884102013867 (White) |
Packaging
The Power Fort 5600 comes in a nice retail package with a few photos on the front. On the back there is a list of features and specifications as well as the list of package contents.
To give you a good idea of how the Power Fort 5600 comes and a brief overview check out the video below.
Power Fort 5600 Overview
As I said the Power Fort 5600 is a very small device, the actual dimensions are 80.6 x 60.7 x 26 mm (3.17 x 2.39 x 1.02 inch), which makes it small enough to fit in your pocket. We received the black version of the Power Fort, but it also comes in white to match those popular Apple products. On the top of the device is a Choiix Logo which is actually a button as well. When you press it the indicator LED’s will light up to let you know the battery level.
The bottom of the Power Fort has a rubberized finish that will help it stay in place if you have it on your desk. On each side of the Power Fort is a single connection. On the left side you have the power connection, which is labeled “IN”. It uses a proprietary connection, which I am not a fan of. On the right side is a single USB connection. This is a 2.1A connection so it will charge your devices much faster than normal USB connections.
Usage
Using the Power Fort 5600 is pretty simple. First you want to charge it up by connecting it to an open USB port on your computer or USB wall charger. When you start to charge it the LED’s will light up letting you know how full the battery is. When it is fully charged you can take it with you and use it to charge your mobile devices. I used it to charge my iPhone 4 mostly.
The Power Fort charges devices very quickly, this is because it uses a 2.1A USB connection. The power capacity of 5600mAh enables you to charge your devices many times over. I charged my iPhone 4 from 20% all the way back to 100% and the battery level on the Power Fort was still almost full. There is a graph below that will give you an idea of the extended usage time you will get from using the Power Fort.
Final Thoughts
Before I had this device I never thought I would need something like it, but after using it for a couple of weeks I don’t leave the house without it. There are so many times that my phone dies and there is no where I can plug it in. The Power Fort gives you the charging power you need at anytime you need it regardless of where you you are. Say you are on an airplane, on the subway, or out with your friends the Power Fort has you covered.
The 5600mAh power capacity means you will get more than one full charge using the Power Fort with many of your devices. As I said with my iPhone 4 I charged it from 20% all the way up to 80% and the Power Fort still had almost a full battery. Also the Power Fort uses a 2.1A USB connection that will charge your devices faster than a normal USB connection.
The only thing I really did not like about the Power Fort was that its power connector is proprietary. Which means if you lose it you will need to purchase one directly from Cooler Master.
Right now the Power Fort 5600 is very hard to find online. The older Power Fort can be found anywhere from $30-50 so if they keep the 5600 around the same price it will definitely be worth the purchase. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Choiix Power Fort 5600 Portable Battery Charger a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Large battery capacity
– 2.1A USB connection
– Small and compat
Cons:
– Proprietary power connection