[ipwn3r456]

Hello community,

As the title above, I am kind of stuck between those two choices. Here's the two items I have found on amazon:

Solar portable charger:
Amazon.com: ReVIVE Series Solar ReStore External Battery Pack with Universal USB Charging Port for Portable E-readers , MP3 Players , Smartphones & More USB Powered Devices: Cell Phones & Accessories

Portable battery charger:
Amazon.com: Stay Powered with Yubi Power YP520A 5200mAh External Battery Charger with LED Flash Light: Cell Phones & Accessories

Here's what I think of those two:

Solar portable charger:
Pros:
1. 100% solar powered, don't need external power source.
2. Don't need to worry about limited power charging like portable battery chargers, as they have limited amount of battery.

Cons:
1. Can't use it at night (duh)
2. Slower charging, depending how hot is the sun.
3. Have to put it near the window for sunlight.

Portable battery charger:
Pros:
1. Faster charging than the solar portable charger (I think)
2. Can be put anywhere you want, unlike the solar portable charger you have to put it near the window for sunlight.
3. Smaller than the Solar portable charger, easier to carry around.

Cons:
1. Limited amount of battery, need to recharge it even often.
2. Limited amount of charges allowed on the battery charger before it dies.

So what do you guys think? Both chargers are pretty good price, but I am more to the portable battery charger, due to it's size, and pricing. Any suggestions or comments are appreciated. Thanks.

[meyerweb]

Do you expect to be away from a source of power for days at a time? If so, the solar option is probably best bet. Otherwise, why not spare batteries?

Amazon.com: Boho Tronics ® Set of 2x (two) 2300 mAh Batteries Now With NFC! (Supports Google Wallet) & 1 wall travel USB Charger - Compatible with Galaxy S3 S3 i9300: Cell Phones & Accessories

[AxlMyk]

A solar panel large enough to be useful, won't fit in your pocket.

--Tapatalk 2 on SGS3.

[Mac.World]

I can go a week without any power, with 2 spare batteries, a Samsung battery charger/holder and a small keychain sized solar charger. Use a battery up through normal use, put a fresh one in and then stick the depleted battery in the Samsung battery charger/holder and connect the solar charger into it via the micro and mini USB connectors. Takes a bit over a day to charger back up and doing it this way over a week will eventually deplete all the batteries because it is a very small solar charger, but if you absolutely needed to you could conserve and last indefinitely (as long as there is sunlight that is.)

[ipwn3r456]

I totally forgot about spare batteries. That can be a good idea, but, on every single SGS3 battery being sold on Amazon, there is always so much bad reviews, that I am afraid that there will be a chance to buy a defective battery. Still can't decide which one to choose.

[worwig]

Generally, solar chargers for phones are a cruel joke.
The S3 battery is about 8 watt hours. And figure it needs charged once per day.
So, you figure you may be lucky to average a good 4 hours per day of sunlight (averaging in bad days and secondary battery losses). So, you need over a 2 watt panel. That is not small. And you really should have more.

I have done a lot of solar experimenting just playing around for when I camp. In the end, I ditched the large solar panel and got a 10 amp hour Anker portable battery. That can be used to recharge my S3 for the better part of a week. And the Anker battery can be charged from my 12 volt motorcycle battery.

BUT, I did come across this closeout item recently.

A 2.4 watt solar panel, which may be just adequate, plus a 3400mahr battery to recharge any device. All for $20. Pretty good deal. I may buy it just for grins.

[trucky]

The portable battery chargers are very handy. They don't take up much space, are relatively cheap, can usually charge your phone battery 2 or 3 times, can also charge USB peripherals like your Bluetooth headset, etc.

[AxlMyk]

I totally forgot about spare batteries. That can be a good idea, but, on every single SGS3 battery being sold on Amazon, there is always so much bad reviews, that I am afraid that there will be a chance to buy a defective battery. Still can't decide which one to choose.

Anker. Can't go wrong.

[GSDer]

^ What he said
I've got the version prior to this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0067T...idcentral00-20 (without the flashlight) and have been pretty happy with it.
Of course, I also got the previous version of this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009V5...idcentral00-20 and have been pretty happy with it as well.

If you were going backpacking or something like that, one of these monster batteries + solar charger would be the way to go: leave the solar panel charging the mongo battery at your campsite; come back and juice up the phone.

Sent from my rooted, debloated, deodexed Sinclair ZX-80 running CM -0.001 using Tapatalk 2

[whatsitsname]

Anker batteries!! Get them!
Problem solved.

Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

[meyerweb]

I totally forgot about spare batteries. That can be a good idea, but, on every single SGS3 battery being sold on Amazon, there is always so much bad reviews, that I am afraid that there will be a chance to buy a defective battery. Still can't decide which one to choose.

I'm using the batteries that I linked to above, and they seem to work fine. Bought the same set for my son, and he's had no problems either. I'll admit a sample size of two isn't statistically meaningful, but the price is low enough the risk seems minimal. And Amazon is really good about returns.

I haven't tried NFC with these, however, so I can't vouch for that.

[ipwn3r456]

Alright. Think I will be going for portable battery chargers then. Does anyone have good ones to recommend? By the way, why is everyone recommending Anker brand? Is it very reliable? I am new to this, so hope anyone can help me with it.

[ipwn3r456]

I'm using the batteries that I linked to above, and they seem to work fine. Bought the same set for my son, and he's had no problems either. I'll admit a sample size of two isn't statistically meaningful, but the price is low enough the risk seems minimal. And Amazon is really good about returns.

I haven't tried NFC with these, however, so I can't vouch for that.

Uhh, if it doesn't work with NFC, then those batteries aren't really worth buying. I think I will just get a portable battery charger for now, might be thinking of a spare battery later on.

[meyerweb]

Uhh, if it doesn't work with NFC, then those batteries aren't really worth buying. I think I will just get a portable battery charger for now, might be thinking of a spare battery later on.

I didn't say they don't work with NFC. I said I haven't tried them with NFC. Big difference. I don't use NFC, so I don't really care about it. Reading for comprehension is an important skill.

[ipwn3r456]

I didn't say they don't work with NFC. I said I haven't tried them with NFC. Big difference. I don't use NFC, so I don't really care about it. Reading for comprehension is an important skill.

I said "if", right? That doesn't mean that I am saying the batteries are not NFC compatible.

[AxlMyk]

Alright. Think I will be going for portable battery chargers then. Does anyone have good ones to recommend? By the way, why is everyone recommending Anker brand? Is it very reliable? I am new to this, so hope anyone can help me with it.

I bought an Anker 5600 mah battery. Will charge the phone 3+ times. It has a flashlight, but I'll probably not use it much. I have the one on the phone.
Small, light, very handy.

[Mac.World]

You bought an S3. Have you signed up on Samsung's website and registered your phone? Once you do, they send you a 50% off coupon. That means a real Samsung battery for $20. Or 50% off your entire order.

I don't use anker because they lack the NFC chip. Or they did. Haven't bothered to look recently.

[AxlMyk]

I don't use anker because they lack the NFC chip. Or they did. Haven't bothered to look recently.

It shuts off when charged


--Tapatalk 2 on SGS3.

[ipwn3r456]

So pretty much I have three choices:

Amazon.com: Anker® Astro 5600mAh Backup External Battery Pack Charger with built-in Flashlight for Apple: iPad mini, iPhone 5 (Lightning Cable not Provided) / iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPod; Most Android Phones: Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, all Samsung

Amazon.com: [Upgraded Version] Anker® Astro2 Dual USB Output 8400mAh Backup External Battery Pack Charger with built-in Flashlight for Smart phones, Android phones, PSP, GoPro; iPad mini, iPhone 5 (Lightning Cable not Provided); iPhone 4S; Samsung Ga

Amazon.com: Stay Powered with Yubi Power YP520A 5200mAh External Battery Charger with LED Flash Light: Cell Phones & Accessories

The first two are Anker, and the third one is some other brand. The third one is cheaper than the Anker ones. Which one should I go for?

[GSDer]

Out of the three that you listed, I'd go with the Anker the 8400 mAH choice.
Let us know how your selection works out.

Sent from my rooted, debloated, deodexed Sinclair ZX-80 running CM -0.001 using Tapatalk 2

[worwig]

Which one should I go for?

How much power do you need?

The 5200/5600mahr units should give about two full charges. The 8400 should give you over three full charges. That is why I get the 10,000mahr Anker. I get about 5 charges from it.

If you just need one or two charges, go with the cheaper one.

[ipwn3r456]

The Anker 5600 mAh one seems to be a little rip off comparing to the Yubi Power 5200 mAh, so I will choose between the Yubi Power 5200 mAh or the Anker 8400 mAh. I think the 10000 mAh version of the Anker is too big for me. I can't really accept the size of anything bigger than my SGS3.