With battery packs, there are plenty of options available. Though the normal size of the external charger is around 5,000 mAh, some prefer a larger pack. With the TYLT Energi 10K, you’ll get 10,400 mAh of battery in a stylish, sleek package. Slick styling doesn’t tell the whole story, though. We put the 10K to the test to see if it holds up to another TYLT pack we highly recommend, the Energi+.
In this review, we go hands-on with the TYLT Energi 10K in an attempt to gauge how good the battery pack is — or isn’t. Will it stand up to rigorous use, or heat up and give up like some others? In keeping with the TYLT styling, we know it’s flashy enough — but that doesn’t mean it’s as good as the TYLT Energi+ 5K we reviewed not long ago.
Unlike the smaller Energi+ battery pack, the Energi 10K doesn’t have charging cables attached. The Energi 10K has three ports: two 1A, and a single 2.1A out. In that regard, it does much the same work as its little brother, but a lack of attached charging cables is a drawback, comparatively. The bigger battery, though — that may be the bonus, here.
The 10K remains surprisingly light, just like the 5K, and of course keeps the same boxy styling. A black plastic shell with a grey band wrapped around completes the metro appearance. The demure lights, which notify you of the battery level, side quietly along the side next to the small-ish power button. The ports are conspicuous, with white lettering above each port letting you know what its use is.
With the Energi+ 5K, we found charging times to be a dream. There was no slowdown with multiple devices, and it kept pace with a wall charger. With the Energi 10K, the same is true. The battery powers devices true, with our getting the same charge time with multiple devices. Again, we tested a myriad of devices, and all came out to charge roughly the same time as they would with the standard wall charger.
When charging multiple devices, it’s expected that you’d see some slowdown, with more drain on the battery. TYLT chargers don’t seem to have that issue, as we charged two tablets and two phones, and all charged in adequate time. For those who want to charge a device without leaving it plugged into a battery pack for hours on end, TYLT chargers are definitely worth a look.
Conclusion
The Energi 10K is much like a bigger version of the 5K, save for attached cables. It charges devices rapidly, and does so without fuss. There was no radiant overheating, and it stayed on during the charging process — another thing some other chargers tend not to do.
We will find fault with no attached charging cables, though. It would be nice, with a device so large, to have them. One of the things we really enjoyed about the 5K were those cables, as they made the battery pack portable on its own. With the 10K, you’ll need to tote extra cables around — which is pretty obnoxious.
Equally as frustrating is the included USB/microUSB cable, which TYLT notes is meant only for charging the battery pack itself. Now you have a charging cable for the Energi 10K, and you’ll need cables for your devices as well. That’s up to four cables in addition to the battery pack, bringing the total to five. Let’s also not forget the battery pack itself has no charger, so you’ll need to grab one of your tablet or phone chargers, too.
Perhaps TYLT didn’t consider the Energi 10K to be portable, but it is — very much so. If this had attached cables, we’d be over the moon about it. As it sits, it’s a more than adequate battery pack that asks you to make portability concessions. We still recommend it, but keep in mind that unlike the Energi+ 5K we reviewed, this one is not as easy to slip into a bag for a weekend getaway.
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