review – Battery manufacturers continue to innovate and our users expect more and more of them. Now, many people carry a second battery charging item in addition to their smartphone, so they need to be charged at the same time. If you’re carrying a trio of modern geeks, you’ll actually need to charge three things: your smartphone, wireless earbuds, and a smartwatch. Lion Energy released the Eclipse charger to meet this challenge, and I’ve been testing it. Let’s see how it performs.
What is it?
The Lion Energy Eclipse is a three-position wireless charger with 2 USB-A and one USB-C port for wired charging and a 99-watt battery.
What’s in the box?
- Lion Energy Eclipse Wireless Charger
- 60W PD USB-C Wall Charger
- 1 meter USB-C<=>USB-C cable
- Quick Start Guide
Hardware Specifications
- Weight (lbs) 1.6
- Dimensions – inches (L x W x H) 8.5 x 3.5 x1.3
- Output 3X Qi Wireless Charger – 10W/5W/2W
- 2 USB-A ports – 5V each @ 2.4A
- 1X USB-C Port – PD 60W / 85W
- Input via USB-C
- Charging time (wall) 1.5+ hours
- Lithium battery NCA
- Lifecycle 1,000+
- Rated capacity 27,000mAh / 99.9W
Design and Features
The first thing you’ll notice about the Lion Energy Eclipse Wireless Charger is that Lion Energy has upped everything to 11. It is the largest battery allowed to fly in the United States. (The TSA bans anything over 100 watts.) The Eclipse is the same size and weight as other chargers of this type, but the internals are completely different. The design is also different: the whole thing is a black rubber material – think: body armor. The three grey dots with molded icons indicate to which device they are (electronically) divided – phone, earbuds and watch. They provide 10W, 5W and 2W respectively. Sadly, the phone pad is not MagSafe®.
Behind the weather shield, there’s a USB-C and two USB-A outputs, as well as a button for activating the wireless pad. The USB-C port doubles as the input for the included 40W PD charger. Most devices of this type come with 20-watt chargers and can only use maximum power at the same time. I’ve only reviewed another unit that provides over 20W output at over 2.2 or 3A. Eclipse outputs 20W at 4.25A! (Remember, this only works with wired connections, and only with USB-C ports, but it’s still capable of powering other outputs at the same time. This is no engineering feat!
set up
Same with any new battery pack: plug it in and charge. The white LED is a “gas gauge” that shows you how much power you have stored.
Performance
Charging is faster when you have more energy flowing. This is a general rule of thumb about battery technology. Unless you have a device that limits power because the charger you’re using is rated too high, you’re getting the maximum input the device can get from a battery pack that can put out more power faster. That’s the Lion Eclipse . I haven’t done any lab testing, but when I plugged it into my bag for my iPad Pro 12.9-inch, it was able to fully charge it from 30% to 90% zone in an hour or so. Just walk around. When I used the iPad for internet access and video playback, the Eclipse charged almost as fast as the standard Apple wall charger that came with it, something no other battery pack can. Most of the time, I can barely maintain battery power while charging and streaming video.
Regarding the convenience of wireless charging for everything you wear and wired charging for shoulder bag contents – wow! I can’t wait to travel with this thing so I don’t have to carry a bag full of wires! It’s hard to document with pictures, but I can get my iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPods Pro, and Apple Watch all three charging at the same time. (See picture below) Using the Lion PD block in a (usual) single motel outlet and a single wire for the iPad, I can get a full charge every morning without having to do a cable dance. Come on, travel, what have you got for me? !
Activating the wireless pad requires pressing and holding the grey button inside the waterproof cover for a few seconds until the green LED glows (see picture above), but it can be done without opening the cover. Just press and hold the power-on symbol on the case until the green LED lights up.
what do I like
- Start wireless charging without opening the weather cover
- Includes higher wattage wall charger
- Armor case protects unit from collisions
what would i change
- MagSafe® on a phone charging pad would be nice.
final thoughts
Power is heavy. Current battery chemistries mean that any battery that charges quickly and remains well-charged is going to be heavy. Beyond that, having your own charger is a great way to keep your electronics running. The Lion Energy Eclipse Wireless Charger is expensive by average battery standards. (I mean, they sell phone chargers for $2 in that bucket next to the c-store checkout, right?) Need something like this.
price: $229.00
where to buy: company Online store and walmart
source: This product sample is provided by Lion Energy.
