It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of portable power banks. My first one came from Proporta, and I dearly loved it. While I was working at RadioShack, I had the chance to test out at least a dozen different models there, and am known to travel with no less than two portable power banks in my bag at all times. Thus, when Hisgadget reached out to see if I was interested in reviewing their Intocircuit 2nd Gen Power Castle portable power bank, of course my answer was yes.
The Intocircuit 2nd Gen Power Castle isn’t small – it measures 5.04in x 2.80in x 0.87in, which is roughly the size of most modern smartphones, although it’s quite a bit thicker – at least twice as thick, depending on the phone. It’s rather stylish, with a brushed aluminum casing, and a nice soft pouch included in the box, so you can keep your cords with you, too.
With a capacity of 15,000mAh, the Intocircuit can charge most modern smartphones at least 5 times over, which is nice. It also has two USB ports, so that you can charge your phone and say, a tablet, at the same time. Both of these ports output at 5V 2.4A, so they’re quite capable, and they feature SmartID, which identifies the device and sends an appropriate charge.
Here’s their definition of SmartID:
Enhanced by the SmartID technology, our smart USB port is capable of identifying a specific device, and thus ensuring maximum charging efficiency and speed. With SmartID, our charger knows your device and charges at full throttle.
The Intocircuit 2nd Gen Power Castle can be refilled via microUSB port, and features a handy LCD display on the top. This display is backlit, and offers a digital readout of how full the device is, in percent. The readout will also indicate the current status (charging in or charging out) and the output rate, if it’s lower than the standard 2.4A.
One of the nice features of this unit is the built-in flashlight, which is conveniently located between the two output ports, just underneath the microUSB charging port. The flashlight is activated by “double-clicking” the power button, and its position makes it really helpful when trying to connect a USB cord.
While the Power Castle charges my devices quickly, it does not support Qualcomm’s “Quick Charge” technology, which was slightly disappointing. Given its size, I would also have liked for this pack to have onboard cable storage, though the included carry pouch helps with this.
Overall, the IntoCircuit 2nd Gen Power Castle portable power bank is a capable little charger. You could easily take a long weekend trip with just this and your gadgets and have enough juice to stay connected the whole time, and I really like the digital display, as well.
Disclaimer: The Intocircuit 2nd Gen Power Castle was provided to me for this review by the manufacturer. Also, this post contains affiliate links to the product listing on Amazon. Because I need to buy new gadgets, and the alternative is ugly banner ads.
Ricky Cadden 