Review: Splash Intense 5400mAh external battery pack for HTC EVO 4G
If you want a ton of battery life for your HTC EVO 4G but don’t want to ruin the phone’s appearance to get it, then an external power pack like this 5400mAh Splash Intense ($43.95)
is deserving of your consideration. It’s small, lightweight, and fairly stylish (for a battery), and it keeps your EVO charged and running for days on end.
Contents
The Splash Intense comes with a retractable USB cable and a handful of different tips compatible with various cell phones and media players.
The microUSB tip needed for the EVO is included, so you don’t have to sacrifice the cable that was bundled with the phone for this battery.
Design
The power pack is coated in a silky smooth rubber-like material that gives it a high quality look and feel. The soft finish and rounded corners make it nice to hold.
On the top is an octagonal power button and large LED indicators (two in every row) for battery status. Pressing the power button will light up the LEDs according to the remaining charge level and of course turn on the pack for use.
Two USB 2.0 ports and a mini USB port are on the right side of the unit. The mini USB is how the Splash Intense charges its battery, and obviously the EVO (and any other device that charges via USB) plugs into the one of the USB ports.
I really like that the pack charges via mini USB because some other external battery packs require their own power bricks and cords, which partially negates their portability.
Overall craftsmanship is high and the outer casing is very durable, but mine has two imperfections: 1) the paint on the power button is partially rubbed off and 2) one of the six LEDs is dead. Neither of these flaws affects performance, but they’re worth noting.
Size
Performance
The Splash Intense can be used to extend battery life by being connected to the EVO while it’s in use (e.g., watching videos on a long flight) and to charge the EVO when its internal battery is running low.
It takes approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes for the slim 1750mAh battery
to go from 8% to 100% when connected to the Intense, so the stock battery should get a full charge within 3 hours. The Intense remains cool and all three rows of LED lights are still lit up after the EVO is fully charged once, which means it can charge the phone several times before it’s depleted. This makes the battery pack really useful for weekend camping trips.
Another benefit of this accessory is that it can charge two devices at the same time, which means your travel companion doesn’t have to worry about battery life either.
Conclusion
Other than the power button paint and a dead LED light, which could just be unique to my unit, I really can’t find any fault with the Splash Intense. It packs a lot of power (5400mAh!) into a compact form factor that looks good, feels good in the hand, and supports simultaneous charging of two devices.
It’s a nice accessory to have not just for the HTC EVO but for all the phones, media players, and other gadgets that are in your current collection and/or immediate future.
The Splash Intense 5400mAh external battery pack is available now for $43.95 from Amazon.
