Review: MyCharge Summit 3000

As the holidays approach, humans old and young are going to have gadget after gadget thrust upon them. Getting said gadgets as well as accessories for said gadgets is always a welcome affair. But perhaps just as important and often overlooked is re-charging the gadgets in question. You can buy all of the AC/Car adapters and extra sync cables you want. But if you’re the type that lives life on the road, away from traditional charging sources, chances are you need something a bit more mobile.

Truth be told, we’ve had the MyCharge Summit 3000 in house for a while — like CES 2012 a while. There’s been a bit of slacking, a bit of hectic schedule overlap (constantly) and simply life thrown in. But through it all over the last 11 months, the MyCharge Summit 3000 has been there to save my ass many times over.

What sets this new line of MyCharge portable chargers apart from most is that in addition to usb charging (by plugging into, say, a computer), built-in AC outlet prongs are included so now you don’t have to worry about carrying one, two or more cables. Simply find an outlet and plop it in. Another bonus: Charging via AC outlet is faster than USB.

Besides the built-in AC plug, the newest line of MyCharge chargers features a more unique design as well as voice feedback. Plugging in/unplugging the device as well as plugging in/unplugging devices needing to be charged all give you a nice audible alert letting you know what’s going down. Pressing the ovular grey button next to the charging LEDs on the side of the device will also tell you (via voice alert too) the charge of the device.

Finally, charging up to 3 devices at once is now possible thanks to upgraded internal circuitry. Although, the lower mAh rating means most modern devices like smartphones and tablets will barely get even one charge with just themselves attached, much less with three power-hungry devices sucking juice down.

At 3,000 mAh, it’s not the biggest, most capacious rechargeable battery for the size. In real-world testing with an iPhone 5, we saw roughly 120% (when leaving our device alone for the entire charging process) to ~75% (when constantly using our device while it was charging via the Summit 3000). In most circumstances you should see a solid 65-95% charge. That said, the device you are charging as well as how heavily you’re tapping the device’s CPU/GPU will affect recharge amount considerably.

Seeing as how new models are likely to be shown off at CES (and it’s the holiday shopping season), there are deals to be had. Normally retailing for $79.99, the Summit 3000 can be found as low as the mid-$40′s. At that price, we consider the Summit 3000, and even its more expensive 6,000 mAh Summit 6000 ($79.99) worth the cost. The versatility in charging method, number of devices they can charge, and robust build quality (ours has taken a beating) are no-brainer purchases for gadget connoisseurs such as ourselves, and we assume you, too. A stocking stuffer by the very definition.

More: MyCharge