April 7, 2014 at 13:513000 mAh Battery Case Review for Sony Xperia Z1
Compact external battery-case for a completely compact smartphone. We are exploring a fresh product from Mugen Power .
Sony Z1 was released in September 2013 and is currently the flagship of Sony's Android device line. Yes, Z2 was presented at MWC 2014, but it has not yet been put on sale, so the “best from Sony” is precisely Z1. I bought this machine in January of this year, to a small extent this was promoted by the New Year's promotion with a big discount. In general, I like the smartphone, I drew attention to the unique possibility of Sony devices - charging through a special magnetic connector on the case, bypassing the standard USB, which is also covered by a plug from the water. This gave hope that manufacturers of external batteries use it precisely, doing without the not-so-elegant “ponytail”. An example of such an extremely non-practical way of charging: HTC One, the battery review for which I already did: habrahabr.ru/post/206408In the future, I will refer to this review. Immediately, I note that the battery case for Z1 from Mugen Power uses a magnetic connector for recharging.
The first news about the new product appeared around January, when the design was completed. At the end of February, sending the cover to everyone was started. Unfortunately, due to the new rules for mail and online purchases, my battery was not sent until late March. Last time, Federal Express was engaged in delivery, this time there was a CDEC not known to me (http://cdek.ru/). However, the time in transit companies are the same.
Page on the website of the online store:
mugen.co/sony-ericsson/sony-xperia-z1/mugen-power-3000mah-battery-case-for-sony-xperia-z1-docomo-xperia-z1-so-01f.html
The cost at the time of publication of the article was $ 89.50, excluding delivery. And delivery is a very expensive service, it should be taken into account when placing an order.
The kit is traditional for Mugen Power: a transparent plastic box of two halves with instructions and a battery. It is worth noting that this time the halves were fastened with strong tape with the inscription "QC PASS". You can open them without damage, but it is extremely difficult (I did not succeed). In general, a trifle, but nice - I think I'm not the only one who likes to receive a device that only the manufacturer had in my hands. There is no charger.
The battery has a capacity of 3000 mAh. Given the large area of the back surface, the relatively small (for an external battery) capacity gave a small thickness of the case, comparable to the thickness of the smartphone itself.
The case is made of very soft-touch black soft-touch plastic. For a short time of operation (a week with a little), the coating has not gone anywhere. The case for HTC One uses the same material, and there for three months the surface is like new. I think with this model you can also count on the long-term preservation of a presentable appearance. For example, trips on the floor (the device in the case lies at night by the bed, and in the morning, regaining consciousness, you can kick the construction to the other end of the room) did not affect the appearance.
Along the perimeter of the case are the sides that fix the installed smartphone. On the inside there are battery parameters and instructions on how to install a smartphone. The platform for connecting to the magnetic connector Z1 has a greater thickness than other sides, it looks quite reliable.
On the outside of the cover you can see the logo of the manufacturer. Under it is a group of five diodes and a button to indicate the remaining charge (pressing causes an indication for 3 seconds). The left 4 diodes are blue and indicate the charge level, the right red, it lights up when charging the case (about 10 years ago this phrase would have surprised me and even laughed).
The bottom edge of the case contains a USB connector for charging the case and a two-position switch. It serves to enable and disable charging installed in the smartphone case. The switch does not hang, does not change its position spontaneously (for example, in a pocket). The USB connector is very tight, for the first time I barely connected the cable. Following is already easier. On the other hand, the cable itself will not fall out of the case.
A couple of pictures of the hero of the review next to the case for HTC One
To install a smartphone, it should be inserted into the magnetic connector of the case, then attach the back to the case.
The smartphone is fixed by the protruding sides of the cover only due to friction. The device does not fall out of the case, of course. But to extract it from there is quite simple, HTC One in its case sat much stronger. These sides leave open all the slots (sim, micro-sd, usb) and buttons of the device. This, of course, is convenient with frequent use of these connectors, but it reduces the contact area of the device with the case, reducing the force of fixing the device in the case.
The design learned in assembly does not seem surprisingly bulky or uncomfortable. Due to the small thickness of the case, it is perceived as a regular case, without a built-in battery. Of course, he cannot provide protection against falls, but holding a large device in person has become more convenient for me personally. First of all, due to the material of the cover and its smoothly rounded sides. The weight of the case is two times less than the smartphone itself. If you take the Z1 in one hand, in the other case, then the weight of the second one will simply not be felt compared to a smartphone.
The smartphone perceives the case as a native docking station. It becomes possible to change the orientation of the desktop. It is important to note that in this mode, outgoing and incoming calls will initially go through an external speaker, in the speakerphone mode. This is a feature of Sony software when in the dock.
The results are as follows:
Charge current: 700 mA at the beginning, gradually decreases to 350 at the end of the charge.
Charge speed: approximately 25 percent per hour.
Charge efficiency: by morning, the battery of the case was completely discharged, the smartphone was fully charged and was already discharging, although the power from the case was not turned off.
This experiment was repeated 3 times and with a large initial discharge of the smartphone, the results were the same, the differences were within the margin of error.
The cover from the 1A network adapter is fully charged for about 4 hours (before the red charge indicator turns off ) At the same time, you can charge both the case and the smartphone.
I frankly liked the battery case. It does not mutilate (in my opinion) a beautiful smartphone, it lies comfortably in the hand, adds a little weight, provides an increase in the operating time of the smartphone by more than one and a half times. An external switch allows you to control the charge without manipulating the cables, and the use of a magnetic connector eliminates the need for external cords and connectors, which are so easy to break off during active use.
You can visit only for the lack of a cover option with a larger battery. Given the size of the smartphone, I think it would be possible to fit 6000 mA without a strong increase in thickness. And with such a width-height, a large thickness would not be so noticeable.
PS All pictures were taken on HTC One with manual settings. As it turned out, a macro in low light it turns out to be surprisingly decent. About the case, it is worth adding that the option for HTC One after a few charge-discharge cycles over the course of a month began to give a little more. The review hero will almost certainly have the same situation. Not to say that much more, the difference is obvious.
Soft-touch coating collects dust quickly ..
Sony Z1 was released in September 2013 and is currently the flagship of Sony's Android device line. Yes, Z2 was presented at MWC 2014, but it has not yet been put on sale, so the “best from Sony” is precisely Z1. I bought this machine in January of this year, to a small extent this was promoted by the New Year's promotion with a big discount. In general, I like the smartphone, I drew attention to the unique possibility of Sony devices - charging through a special magnetic connector on the case, bypassing the standard USB, which is also covered by a plug from the water. This gave hope that manufacturers of external batteries use it precisely, doing without the not-so-elegant “ponytail”. An example of such an extremely non-practical way of charging: HTC One, the battery review for which I already did: habrahabr.ru/post/206408In the future, I will refer to this review. Immediately, I note that the battery case for Z1 from Mugen Power uses a magnetic connector for recharging.
The first news about the new product appeared around January, when the design was completed. At the end of February, sending the cover to everyone was started. Unfortunately, due to the new rules for mail and online purchases, my battery was not sent until late March. Last time, Federal Express was engaged in delivery, this time there was a CDEC not known to me (http://cdek.ru/). However, the time in transit companies are the same.
Page on the website of the online store:
mugen.co/sony-ericsson/sony-xperia-z1/mugen-power-3000mah-battery-case-for-sony-xperia-z1-docomo-xperia-z1-so-01f.html
The cost at the time of publication of the article was $ 89.50, excluding delivery. And delivery is a very expensive service, it should be taken into account when placing an order.
Contents of delivery
The kit is traditional for Mugen Power: a transparent plastic box of two halves with instructions and a battery. It is worth noting that this time the halves were fastened with strong tape with the inscription "QC PASS". You can open them without damage, but it is extremely difficult (I did not succeed). In general, a trifle, but nice - I think I'm not the only one who likes to receive a device that only the manufacturer had in my hands. There is no charger.
Battery Case
The battery has a capacity of 3000 mAh. Given the large area of the back surface, the relatively small (for an external battery) capacity gave a small thickness of the case, comparable to the thickness of the smartphone itself.
The case is made of very soft-touch black soft-touch plastic. For a short time of operation (a week with a little), the coating has not gone anywhere. The case for HTC One uses the same material, and there for three months the surface is like new. I think with this model you can also count on the long-term preservation of a presentable appearance. For example, trips on the floor (the device in the case lies at night by the bed, and in the morning, regaining consciousness, you can kick the construction to the other end of the room) did not affect the appearance.
Along the perimeter of the case are the sides that fix the installed smartphone. On the inside there are battery parameters and instructions on how to install a smartphone. The platform for connecting to the magnetic connector Z1 has a greater thickness than other sides, it looks quite reliable.
On the outside of the cover you can see the logo of the manufacturer. Under it is a group of five diodes and a button to indicate the remaining charge (pressing causes an indication for 3 seconds). The left 4 diodes are blue and indicate the charge level, the right red, it lights up when charging the case (about 10 years ago this phrase would have surprised me and even laughed).
The bottom edge of the case contains a USB connector for charging the case and a two-position switch. It serves to enable and disable charging installed in the smartphone case. The switch does not hang, does not change its position spontaneously (for example, in a pocket). The USB connector is very tight, for the first time I barely connected the cable. Following is already easier. On the other hand, the cable itself will not fall out of the case.
A couple of pictures of the hero of the review next to the case for HTC One
Installing a smartphone in a battery case
To install a smartphone, it should be inserted into the magnetic connector of the case, then attach the back to the case.
The smartphone is fixed by the protruding sides of the cover only due to friction. The device does not fall out of the case, of course. But to extract it from there is quite simple, HTC One in its case sat much stronger. These sides leave open all the slots (sim, micro-sd, usb) and buttons of the device. This, of course, is convenient with frequent use of these connectors, but it reduces the contact area of the device with the case, reducing the force of fixing the device in the case.
The design learned in assembly does not seem surprisingly bulky or uncomfortable. Due to the small thickness of the case, it is perceived as a regular case, without a built-in battery. Of course, he cannot provide protection against falls, but holding a large device in person has become more convenient for me personally. First of all, due to the material of the cover and its smoothly rounded sides. The weight of the case is two times less than the smartphone itself. If you take the Z1 in one hand, in the other case, then the weight of the second one will simply not be felt compared to a smartphone.
The smartphone perceives the case as a native docking station. It becomes possible to change the orientation of the desktop. It is important to note that in this mode, outgoing and incoming calls will initially go through an external speaker, in the speakerphone mode. This is a feature of Sony software when in the dock.
Charge
To monitor the charge speed, the Battery Monitor Widget application was used. The smartphone was discharged to 25 percent, after which it was installed in the evening in a fully charged case. After which both the smartphone and the author of the article went to bed.The results are as follows:
Charge current: 700 mA at the beginning, gradually decreases to 350 at the end of the charge.
Charge speed: approximately 25 percent per hour.
Charge efficiency: by morning, the battery of the case was completely discharged, the smartphone was fully charged and was already discharging, although the power from the case was not turned off.
This experiment was repeated 3 times and with a large initial discharge of the smartphone, the results were the same, the differences were within the margin of error.
Charge Conclusion
The battery capacity of the smartphone and the case is identical - 3000 mA. Given the far from 100 percent efficiency of energy transfer from one to another, we can not expect a double increase in smartphone autonomy. In the experiment, I received an average of an additional 65-70 percent of the stand-alone power reserve for the smartphone. In this case, the charge current exceeds the efficiency of power from the USB port of the computer. You can read a book or engage in not very resource-intensive tasks on the device, while recharging the device a little - the average consumption of the device when surfing the web at medium brightness is the same 500 mA ...The cover from the 1A network adapter is fully charged for about 4 hours (before the red charge indicator turns off ) At the same time, you can charge both the case and the smartphone.
General conclusion
I frankly liked the battery case. It does not mutilate (in my opinion) a beautiful smartphone, it lies comfortably in the hand, adds a little weight, provides an increase in the operating time of the smartphone by more than one and a half times. An external switch allows you to control the charge without manipulating the cables, and the use of a magnetic connector eliminates the need for external cords and connectors, which are so easy to break off during active use.
You can visit only for the lack of a cover option with a larger battery. Given the size of the smartphone, I think it would be possible to fit 6000 mA without a strong increase in thickness. And with such a width-height, a large thickness would not be so noticeable.
PS All pictures were taken on HTC One with manual settings. As it turned out, a macro in low light it turns out to be surprisingly decent. About the case, it is worth adding that the option for HTC One after a few charge-discharge cycles over the course of a month began to give a little more. The review hero will almost certainly have the same situation. Not to say that much more, the difference is obvious.
Soft-touch coating collects dust quickly ..