Battery packs come in all shapes and sizes, with higher capacity cells placed in increasingly smaller packages. iWalk’s Extreme 10,000 Duo ($100) is the latest example of a surprisingly svelte battery with a huge amount of recharge power. The long hexagonal tube packs 10,000mAh, and with its 2.1-Amp maximum output capacity, is suitable for powering iPads as well as iPhones and iPods. Available in black and white, the battery comes with a micro-USB cable for charging, a 30-pin cable for vintage iDevices, and a carrying bag to tote it all.
Measuring just over 6.5” long but only about 1.75” wide, the battery strays from the common brick-shape.
The design makes it easy to travel with, as the pack can easily slip into small spaces in bags and backpacks. iWalk crammed all of the I/O and controls to one side. At the very end, there are two USB outputs: one 2.1A, one 1A. To one side you’ll find a micro-USB input port, and on the other, a power button. Along the top edge there are four power status lights and, as has become more commonplace on batteries than we would’ve ever expected, a flashlight.
It’s certainly not a necessary feature, but then again, it doesn’t hurt. The placement and shape are reminiscent of HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Although we’ve seen 10,000mAh batteries deliver as high as a 96% charge, the average places our expected output right around 80%. That’s exactly how much Extreme 10,000 Duo delivered to a fully depleted iPad Air, and it did so in three hours and 14 minutes. This means the battery lived up to its 2.1A promise.
