The Outdoor PowerBank from Sandberg won’t suit all tastes, but we love its military design. This green plastic power bank feels extremely durable, and its ribbed edges and rubberised camo vest aid grip in the hands even when wet. Don’t go dunking it in a river or anything, but the Sandberg’s IP54 rating means it’s both rainproof and dustproof. With rubber flaps protecting its ports, this power bank is protected from the elements wherever you happen to be when your phone or tablet runs out of juice. Also see: How to improve smartphone battery life. No carry case is supplied (not that you’ll need one), but Sandberg’s generous five-year warranty leaves you feeling comfortably assured that this power bank won’t let you down right when you need it most. We say phone or tablet, but you could actually charge phone and tablet, with two USB outputs rated at 5W (normal) and 10.5W (fast). The only problem here is that the Sandberg’s maximum total output is only 10.5W, so the fast-charging port will operate at a reduced rate when two devices are attached. That’s not particularly uncommon, but the 5W-rated Micro-USB input is disappointing. It’ll take between 11 and 12 hours to refill this power bank from a mains adaptor and, with no support for passthrough charging, you’ll have to separately recharge your phone and tabet from another mains outlet. Also see: How to charge your phone or tablet faster. Another feature this Sandberg lacks is auto-on/-off. When you plug in a device to charge you must press the power bank’s button to begin charging, and when the battery is full it won’t switch off until you unplug it. Holding down this power button activates the device’s built-in LED flashlight, which could come in handy if you are stuck out in the middle of nowhere. With a 10,400mAh capacity and an industry average efficiency of between 65- and 70 percent, you can expect the Sandberg Outdoor PowerBank to fill your phone’s battery several times. We estimate you’ll see around 7000- 7300mAh usable power, which would refill our Samsung Galaxy S6 (2550mAh battery) nearly three times, or an iPhone 6 (1810mAh) four times. Compared to the other rugged power bank we’ve tested, the LimeFuel L150XR 15,000mAh ( https://www.techadvisor.com/review/batteries/limefuel-rugged-l150xr-15000mah-power-bank-review-3581604/), this Sandberg is more easily portable, affordable and obtainable in the UK, but it lacks high-end features such as passthrough charging. Also see: Best desktop chargers 2015. Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter. Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
