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Sparkee portable charger
Kickstarter
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If you are looking for a small, portable charger that offers a neat way to charge multiple devices, the Magsafe-compatible Sparkee charger might be the right choice for you.
Sparkee — a MagSafe compatible wireless portable charger — advertises that feature as the fundamental way to charge your iPhone, but the base detaches from the puck and becomes its own charger too.
Sparkee design
Sparkee has two components: the charging puck (that uses MagSafe) and the charging base. Both have their own housed batteries and can be charged together or separately.
Four-pin lights are on both parts to show how much battery is in the charger. USB-C ports are located on both to provide a wired charge to a device or charge the battery inside.
The base has pins that magnetically connect to the MagSafe puck that charges it when placed on top of it. The puck stays in place, but it is not the sturdiest. If you listen closely, you will hear a beep to confirm the two pieces are correctly connected.
Power buttons are located on both components next to the battery indicator lights to turn each battery on and off.
Spark is lightweight — weighing in at 7.9 oz — and houses an 8,500 mAH battery inside itself.
Sparkee detachable puck
Sparkee has a detachable puck that allows you to charge your iPhone via MagSafe or the USB-C port.
The MagSafe puck weighs 3.5 oz, offers 15w charging speeds when plugged in via the USB-C port, and has fast Qi charging. There is a 3,500 mAH battery housed inside of it.
You can charge any devices that are MagSafe or wireless charging compatible.
If your iPhone does not support MagSafe — but does support wireless charging — then there is a magnet you can attach or put in your iPhone's case to make it compatible. The puck also acts as a wireless charging pad when not connected to the back of an iPhone.
When you attach the MagSafe puck to the back of your iPhone, the MagSafe charging animation will appear and start charging your device until you remove it. The magnetic connection was strong and did not feel unstable when using the iPhone with it attached.
If you do not have a device that supports MagSafe or wireless charging — like an Apple Watch — you can charge it through the USB-C port on the opposite side of the power button and battery-light indicators.
You can charge the MagSafe puck by aligning it back on the magnetic pins on the charger's base or through the USB-C port from a power supply.
Sparkee base
Sparkee allows you to charge from its charging base when using the MagSafe puck. You can charge your devices through the USB-C port next to its power button.
The base weighs 4.4 oz, houses a 5,000 mAH battery inside, offers 20w charging speed when the puck is placed in the cradle and supplies fast charging via the USB-C port.
While you can charge the same devices with the base as you could with the MagSafe puck, you can also charge an iPad from it as well due to its bigger battery and wattage output.
The lights on top of the base show how much battery is left inside the charger, and you can charge the base by plugging it into a power source via the USB-C port.
Pick your charger
Sparkee is a great charger that gives you multiple different ways to charge your devices and charges multiple simultaneously.
The light design and easy detachable pieces allow for a swift and smooth charging design that uses every inch of the body to give you more charging power. It's great to see that you can charge devices with either the two pieces together or apart.
The MagSafe puck sticks securely to the back of the iPhone and offers the same MagSafe experience any other accessory would give. The puck also charges quickly when it needs to be refilled.
The base — while basic in what it can do — offers a faster charging wattage and allows you to charge another device via USB-C. Fast charging available on both components is also a great feature to see on it.
One downside was that the MagSafe puck did not feel secure enough to the base when it was set down to charge. While it would stick and continue charging, there was fear that the base would fall from it. Another was the proposed retail price tag, which is supposed to be $150. Though it is two chargers in one, it would be more fitting for Sparkee to cost $100 at most.
If you are looking for a good portable charger that offers multiple ways to charge multiple devices, Sparkee may be the correct charger to invest in.
Sparkee pros
- Light design
- Different ways to charge
- Two chargers in one
- USB-C compatible with input and output charging
- Both chargers can be used together or apart
- Fast charging
Sparkee cons
- MagSafe puck does not feel secure when charging on puck
- High price tag
Rating: 4 out of 5
Where to buy Sparkee
Sparkee is currently a project on Kickstarter — which is $89 when preordered or will be sold in stores for $150 — and the accessory comes in pink, blue, orange, and black.
Those interested should be cautioned that crowdfunding campaigns are known to miss deadlines or sometimes not ship at all. AppleInsider has a policy to only cover crowdfunded products if hands-on time with the hardware is available, as in this case.
