The gadgets in my collection of portable electronics require a variety of different charging connections. My newest iPhone wants a USB-C cable while the older phone and iPad need lightning connections. A vintage wrap-around bone headphones are still stuck in the mini-USB era.And all of them occasionally run out of power when I'm out of reach of an AC outlet. The answer, of course, is a fill-up from a portable power bank.
The VRURC power bank plays nice with all sorts of devices. I tried using it with phones, tablets, headphones, Bluetooth speakers and other devices. The charger uses a pair of short pop-out cables to connect with almost any device that I attached. One cable has a Lightning connector at its tip, the other has both a USB-C and a mini-USB tip. There's also a USB-A output option to accommodate a BYO cable.
The charger is rated at 20000mAh, enough power to provide fast charging to gadgets that support it. In each case, it delivered a fast charge to devices that support speedy refills. I charged an older pretty quickly as well. In 24 minutes, my iPhone 11 with a Lightning input went from 79 percent to 91 percent while reducing the chargers fuel tank by just 4 percent. It connected perfectly with my full-sized iPad but it did not charge my MacBook Air.
So the VRURC is an attractive option for on-the-go charging of most small devices. But there's a trade-off involved. The VRURC is the size of a small brick and it weighs 13 ounces - almost a full pound. It's too big to fit comfortable in your jeans pocket and too heavy for a small purse. I would plan to stash it in a backpack or perhaps a laptop case.
Along with the different connector tips, the unit has two other features that I particularly like. One is the pop-out set of prongs that let you refill the bank by plugging it directly into a wall outlet. No need to keep a cable handy. The other is the little window that shows you a percentage readout of the charger's fuel level. That's much better than the typical row of lighted dots.
Now, if only it was a a third of its size and weight.
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Written by Ric Manning
Follow me on Twitter @ricmanning and read my technology columns at My Well Being.
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