News Beat
Portable charging on the move
Most power banks are utilitarian and even austere in their design, but not Burga’s. The company specialises in eccentric designs, making it hard for me to pick just one model to sample. Do I want the one that looks like a tin of sardines, or one depicting an idyllic pen-drawn French café?
In the end, I opted for the quirky “Al Fresco”, which features a bottle of lemonade, a gherkin and sardines against a blue backdrop. It raised a smile every time I grabbed it and never failed to prompt positive comments. You can even get a matching phone case, if you like.
But there are clear drawbacks. For one, it’s expensive, even by MagSafe-compatible standards, with a 5,000mAh bank costing £77.95. With that in mind, it’s worth paying £8 more for the 10,000mAh version.
Secondly, it’s not exactly fast at charging your phone. When wired, it maxes out at 20W, meaning it took the Xiaomi 15 two hours and 40 minutes to fully charge from empty. Its wireless charging speed is a leisurely 7.5W, ensuring it took nearly four hours to fully charge my iPhone 14 Pro via MagSafe, taking five minutes before it could be switched on.
Key specifications
- Capacity: 10,000mAh
- Ports: USB (In/Out)
- Wireless charging: Yes (MagSafe)
- Dimensions: L 100mm, W 68mm, D 158mm
- Weight: 218g
