INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

   I can't really recall the number of times when i took my smartphone out of my jacket only to find out that it was almost out of battery and if you happen to be reading these lines then it's a safe bet that this has happened to you as well (as with most people i suppose). Over the years we've seen many solutions for that from larger 3rd party batteries which can replace the one your smartphone comes with from the factory and even extra battery packs that double the battery capacity of your smartphone by attaching to its rear (this was especially popular amongst iPhone owners). Portable batteries however have taken the market by storm not only because you can find models out there that can recharge even a large tablet up to 3 times or more (and a smartphone up to 10 times or more) but also because they can be used to recharge and even power pretty much any portable device in the market currently. LUXA2 has released quite a few portable batteries but the P1-PRO Outdoor Power Bank is their most rugged model to date.

   LUXA2- is a Taiwanese based designer and manufacturer of award winning portable accessories. Established in 2009, LUXA2 is committed to creating the best user-experience by consistently designing and innovating each and every product from concept to reality. LUXA2 believes that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication; and it is with this belief that our product designs are not only simplistic in nature but also incorporates functionality and premium aesthetic appeal at affordable prices. We promote not just products but total solutions. LUXA2s’ products are sold worldwide in major consumer and electronic retailers and online via www.luxa2.com and www.ttbuy.com.tw. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, the LUXA2 team possesses many talented specialists from all around the globe ranging from: sales mavericks, marketing aficionados, design wizards and R&D demons which are all lead by a top-gun management team. With offices in the USA, China, Australia and Germany, LUXA2’s presence on the global stage is ever-increasing to ultimately bring our mission of creating a simple, unique and luxury lifestyle to customers, and ultimately, a uniquely you.

   The P1-PRO features a nice compact aluminum housing which under its hood has two 3500mAh lithium-polymer rechargeable batteries that add up to a total of 7000mAh (enough to fully recharge most 7" tablets in the market currently). However it's the silicon/rubber bumper that separates it from the rest of the LUXA2 line since thanks to it you don't have to worry about dropping, misplacing your USB cables and getting dust in the USB ports. Of course i would prefer to see an entirely rugged IP certified housing just like some other manufacturers have released in the market but i can't say that i know that many people who'd prefer it over a smaller and certainly nicer looking model (although portable batteries are obviously more useful outdoors). 7000mAh is also nothing impressive but at least i hope that the P1-PRO delivers at least that much.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the front of the box features a clear plastic that allows you to take a look at the P1-PRO.

 

 

A product picture placed at the rear is used to showcase the product features.

 

 

Along with the P1-PRO portable battery LUXA2 has also placed a quick start guide and a microUSB cable.

 

 

THE P1-RPO

 

 

 

 

 

The aluminum P1-PRO comes with the rubber/silicone bumper attached to it and together they measure 131mm in length, 85mm in width and 21mm in height with a weight of 206g.

 

 

It so happened that at the same time we also tested the latest rugged portable battery by SandBerg so we decided to place them right next to each other to have a better idea about the size of these two models.

 

 

The on/off button (also used to check the current battery levels) is placed at the lower end of the top right next to 4 blue LEDs used to showcase the battery capacity (25% increments).

 

 

Two USB outputs and a microUSB input are placed at the rear end of the device right beneath a rubber/silicone flap (part of the bumper).

 

 

As you can see from the (not very easy to see) markings at the belly of the battery one USB port features a 5V1A output (smartphones) and the other a 5V2.1A output (for tablets and larger devices).

 

 

If you decide that you don't need the rubber/silicone bumper you can remove it with ease (the aluminum housing looks great).

 

 

LUX2 has also printed their logo on the side of the aluminum housing.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

   Nine out of ten power banks in the market feature less battery capacity than their advertised one and that's actually really normal especially as time goes by. Now the reason I’m pointing this out at the beginning of the conclusion is because according to our internal tests (we used the P1-PRO with 5 smartphones and 2 tablets) the P1-PRO by LUXA2 (at least our sample) delivered between 4900mAh and 5800mAh whereas most of us didn't expect to see much more than 5800mAh. My guess is that this happened because LUXA2 used two 3500mAh batteries instead of a single one or more than two but in the end the why is of very little importance. Of course as stated earlier the aluminum housing may look great but just adding a rubber/silicone bumper is not really enough to call it an outdoor model. Sure it will protect the battery if you happen to drop it from a few cm but it still leaves the top and bottom completely exposed so dropping it might mean getting a nice bump on the aluminum housing. Still the bumper does cover the USB ports and it can be used to keep your USB charging cables safe so it's quite useful.

   The P1-PRO Outdoor Power Bank may not be the "ultimate" portable battery for outdoor use but for a LUXA2 product it actually comes at a good price point of USD38.24 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 40Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). Now it goes without saying that if you want you can find portable battery packs that cost much less and may offer even more battery capacity but aside the fact that LUXA2 is known for its high quality products you are also getting one of their best models at a very reasonable (yet not low) price (solely based on the real output of the unit). Personally i do think that LUXA2 can do so much better than this and i hope they will in the near future but for now the P1-PRO Outdoor Power Bank is a very good choice for people who are not after a really high output portable battery.

 

PROS

- Design
- Build Quality
- Removable Rubber/Silicon Bumper
- High Quality Battery Cells
- 5V1A & 5V2.1A USB Ports

 

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Not Rugged (For An Outdoor Model)
- Just 7000mAh (For Some)