My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Was looking for a good solution to keeping my Xbox controller charged without getting the proprietary battery pack that costs half as much as the joycon itself!
These are good because they have onboard USB-C ports meaning you just plug any USB-C line into the battery itself and it will charge– no more running around looking for the ‘special’ charger kit that usually comes with rechargeable batteries, and its dead simple now to keep a bunch around for use in all our gear!
- Each kit comes with a 1-to-4-split USB cable to charge up to 4 batteries off one USB-A port.
- The AA and AAA size in this particular kit always takes about 75~80 mins to charge up from my desktop USB hub charger; a few minutes longer from the USB port on the front of the Xbox itself.
- The top of the battery glows red while charging and will turn off when complete.
Highlights
- 👍 I can get through almost a week of gaming (something like 75~90 minutes of heavy use 🤷) before needing to recharge
- 😊 It’s dead simple to just get a bunch of these kinds of batteries and just keep them on-hand charging. Before you know it, you’ll have a bunch around and won’t be @$$ed out needing to go to the quickie mart just to get an AA battery to make it through your level/change the channel/power the flashlight/whatever!
Lowlights
- 📉 Like any other rechargeable, it’s not going to last as long as the bog-standard alkaline when in-use; maybe ⅔ as much usually. BUT you can just recharge these, so it’s not as big a deal to me. …and there’s going to be degradation at some point. Bump advertises “1000 charges”… We’ll see!
- ⛄ Li-ion batteries aren’t good in really cold or hot situations, so don’t use these in devices that will be in extreme conditions I guess?
- ⚠️ Also remember DO NOT place these in checked baggage when flying! Only in carry-ons, else they won’t be there at your destination!
Summary
I’m such a battery snob now, refusing to even think about getting any rechargeable battery solution unless they have on-board ports in the battery. Like the advent of LED light bulbs, I don’t understand why every battery brand isn’t moving in this direction?!
