As our collection of digital devices we take with us grow, so do our collection of necessary chargers and cables. So when we go travelling (especially to rural areas), many will find it tough to find charging outlets to energise their devices, which is why battery packs are so popular. The Xtorm Power Bank 15.600 (AL385) is the biggest external battery pack, in terms of on board charge capacity, we've ever tested and reviewed, but its profile is slim and pocketable. For these reasons it could be a traveller's favourite companion.

Design & Functionality

A while ago we reviewed the Xtorm Power Bank 11,000 which shared a similar design to this. However, the Power Bank 15.600 uses a more durable white matt plastic outer casing and the overall construction is just more solid. For these reasons it's suitable to take on long distance travels or with you during your day to day movements. It's equipped with two female USB 2.0 outputs, one female USB micro input for charging the internal battery, and a button on the side which when pressed will display the charge of the battery via LEDs.

Charging

Its capacity is rated at a whopping 15.600mAh, so unlike most of the portable battery packs we have reviewed, this can fully charge most popular tablet batteries. To put the amount of battery backup this has into perspective, it will fully charge an iPad Air (8820mAh), an iPhone 5. 5C or 5s (1440mAh), a portable speaker such as the X-mini UNO (500mAh), a Microvision ShowWX+ portable projector (roughly 1000mAh) and you'd have more than enough juice left to fully charge an iPhone 5, 5C or 5s twice! In fact, you could fully charge an iPhone 5, 5C or 5s ten times with one fully charged Xtorm Power Bank 15.600mAh. This kind of reliable battery reserve would be ideal for a family to use whilst on a camping trip, or something similar, where no power outlets are easily accessible, and it can charge two devices at once. One USB 2.0 input has an output of 5V/2.1A, which will charge devices like phones and tablets at the speed of a wall plug, and the other USB 2.0 port is slower at 5V/1A.

LED Torch

Speaking of camping, Xtorm have even built in an LED torch which is turned on and off with a simple double tap of the battery level indicator button. It's actually a very bright torch and we've used it on occasion and found it most useful.

Overall

This is yet another brilliant charging solution from the folks over at Xtorm. They keep cramming more and more capacity into their stellar charging products, whilst keeping a slim profile, and we greatly appreciate it! The Xtorm Power Bank 15.600 is the kind of product that anyone spending a long time away from a wall outlet should have at the ready.