Chances are very good that just about any time you peer into my messenger bag you’ll find 2-3 portable devices. Be a phone, laptop, headphones, or any imaginable combination of gear, there’s going to be tech with batteries. And that means a lot of potential charging.
Mophie, a key player in the mobile charging space, introduced a product back in January which aims to provide and all-in-one solution. Dubbed the powerstation AC, it’s a brick of a unit with enough power and versatility to take on all comers.
We were sent a review unit of the powerstation AC just a couple of days ahead of CES earlier this year. Suffice it to say we were excited to throw it in our bag. It had all the markings of the type of product we wanted and needed for three days of continuous on-the-go work.
With 22,000mAh worth of power, it was good enough to power everything. Seriously. A laptop, a tablet, wearables, phones, or anything else. Whatever it was that needed a charge up, this was here to help.
Right off the bat we loved the 100W (110V) wall port; it was like taking the hotel outlet with us. Who doesn’t appreciate having a full-on AC outlet (and plenty of juice) with them?
It’s the perfect unit for helping someone out in a pinch, regardless of whether they had the right cable. In addition to the AC outlet, we also get a USB-A 2.4A Quick Charge port and USB-C PD 30W Fast Charge port. That’s the trusty old standby that works with all USB cables as well as the new standard in Type-C. Not only that, but both were rapid charging, too.
As is the case with other mophie batteries, the powerstation AC comes with an LED power indicator. A quick tap of the button tells us, within 25%, how much charging is left. A long press of the button switches the USB Type-C to power input so you can refill the battery from a computer.
Approximate battery life
- Smartphone: 100 hours
- Large tablet: 21 hours
- Laptop: 15 hours
- DSLR camera: 8 hours
The Priority+ Charging tech means that you can recharge the battery and your other devices at the same time. At CES we would charge up the mophie and our Pixelbook and phone all at once. It was really refreshing to wake up to all devices ready to roll.
When it comes to rechargeable batteries of this type, it’s easy to cut corners in the area of design. It’s not uncommon to see bulky bricks with simple, utilitarian looks to them. That’s not the case here as mophie uses its signature black (think of charcoal) fabric. It’s not only visually appealing, but it also grips nicely, too.
As a outlet that gets to review battery packs and portable power stations we sometimes find a few of them lying around the home or office. When it comes time to spend a few days away, or if we know we’ll be out for extended hours and plan on heavy device usage, we grab a power supply on the way out the door. Time and again we’ve found ourselves reaching for the mophie powerstation AC.
We’ve seen other products in this space with more ports, more precise readouts, and somewhat smaller footprints. While we definitely appreciate those, the mophie employs the Keep It Simple, Stupid approach. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also a little snazzier than the competition. Mophie’s option is also about $50 cheaper, which could make the difference for a lot of buyers. Oh, and you also get a two year warranty where most companies only stand behind their products for one year.
Availability
You can purchase the mophie powerstation AC directly from mophie’s website for $199.95. Additionally, you’ll also find it at Amazon where it’s currently offered for as low as $124.70.
