Back in February this year, I had the pleasure of meeting the team from Lifepower, at the Outdoor Adventure & Camping show, here in London.
At the time they gave me a demo of their A2L power pack and mentioned that they had plans for a new product later this year. Luckily, we have not had to wait long as today, their latest product campaign has gone live on Indiegogo!
LIFEPOWR A3
LifePower are back with their new product, the A3. Soon to be moving out of concept and into prototype and production, this latest power pack is destined to future proof all your charging needs when on the move.
The A3 will be the first power pack on the market that will support USB-C and the new two new standards; USB 3.1 (data & power transfer) and Power delivery which vastly improves the speed in which you can charge your devices.
Power Ports
Along with the introduction 2 x USB-C ports, the A3 brings back one of my favorite features of the A2 range, the plug socket!
There will be 2 models to choose from, either the US AC socket version or the EU depending on your geography. Although either can be used worldwide with the universal travel adaptor, and any plug in the world can be used with it!
Whats more, the A3 can provide power from all 5 of it’s ports simultaneously! This will obviously drain the battery packs faster, but LifePower have that covered.
Solar Charge
Those familiar with the LifePower brand will know they do much more than Power Packs. Once you have fully charged your A3 and head out on your travels, there will be a time you need to top up the Power Pack, and if you are unable to use a wall socket then solar is a good alternative.
The A3 is compatible with the LifePower range of Solar Packs, such as the Sun20 Pro (pictured above). Using just 1 x Sun20 Pro panel, your recharge time will be around 6 hours assuming you have good sunlight. You can even speed up this charge time by daisy chaining up 2 Sun20 Pro’s which would reduce a full charge down to just 3hrs.
Living off grid really has become much more easier, for all!
Capacity
The important part of any portable power is how much charge you get for your devices! With the A3 batteries having a capacity of 27,000 mAh, you can expect to get the following charges from a full unit:
- Laptop – 1.5 times
- Tablet – 3 times
- Smartphone – 8 times
- DSLR Camera – 6 times
- TV/Monitor – 2.5 hours
- Mini Fridge – 1.5 hours
- LED Light Bulb – 16 hours
(figures may vary depending on your devices)
“MEET YOUR NEW SIDEKICK: The power source that backs you up” is the marketing tag line for the A3, and with statistics like those from a single charge you can see why. Outdoor living or camping with an A3 and a couple of Sun20 Pro’s, means your tech will never go flat, when out, again!
Specifications
Coming in at around 825g the A3 is lighter than an average 13″ laptop but would still be a noticeable weight in your bag for day to day use, but that is true of any additional battery pack. The 6 inch by 6 inch form factor keeps the A3 compact while wrapped in a great minimal looking aluminum casing.
With more and more devices now making the move to USB-C, the need for a collection of cables in your bag when you travel is a thing of the past. One cable will support all your USB-C compatible devices, and with the new standard, the Lifepowr A3 can talk to your device and provide the correct amount of power to charge fast and efficiently.
Not all USB-C devices yet support Power Delivery, but the list of supported units will only ever increase!
The LifePowr A3 is available now with a target shipping date of November 2017. With all crowdfunding campaigns this date could slip. That said Lifepower have successfully run a previous campaign with the A2.
The entry offer A3 is $159 (+ shipping). A stand out package is the Digital Nomad pack at $239 (+ shipping) which includes:
- SUN20 Portable Solar Panel
- USB type C PD charger 45W
- USB Type-C PD Cable
- LIFEPOWR A3
These are limited offers.