External battery packs are a dime a dozen in the mobile scene. Â Given the prevalence and variety of them, it’s hard to make something new. Â PNY has given it a stab with their PowerPack Universal External Battery Pack (5200 mAh).
Now I know what your thinking; 5200 mAh sounds pretty weak.  But it’s not, it’ll fully charge a Samsung Galaxy S3, twice, with leftovers.  This little beauty can also charge a tablet!  The PNY PowerPack Universal External Battery comes with 2 USB outputs, one for 1 A charging of phones, and one for 2.1 A charging of tablets, both at 5 V.  During testing I noticed it automatically switches off when your device is full, preserving its own life so it will have plenty of power later on should you need it!
While we’re on the subject of beauty, the PNY PowerPack is gorgeous. Â Brushed aluminium, curved corners, the only shame is the white plastic end caps, kind of ruin the effect a little. Â At 9.2 cm x 2.2 cm x 2.3 cm, it packs a good feature set into a small package. Â The PowerPack also has a built-in 3 digit screen to show you how juice is left in it, which is brighter than a supernova! Â If it was any brighter, you could power a solar battery pack at the same time!
As for charging performance, given the output amperage my Galaxy S3 assumes it has been plugged into the mains, and it charges just as quick, the same goes for my Nexus 7.
The PowerPack itself charges using a standard Micro USB cable, so you can use your normal phone charger to juice it up before hitting the road, and only have to worry about one cable which is fantastic, cause I hate carrying multiple cables for multiple devices!
For such a small, and gorgeous, battery pack, it really does do a damn good job. Â Fit’s perfectly in your pocket or in your bag, and will give your devices the bump they need to keep on going.
The PNY PowerPack Universal External Battery is available for $70 in the USA, and £46 in the UK from all good accessory stores.
