If you are hanging onto an older iPhone in order to save some money, you might be running into battery problems at this point in the phone’s lifespan. Ideal for anyone that bought iPhones between late- 2014 and mid-2017, the Battery Health (beta) in iOS 11.3 will tell you if your iPhone battery is on its way out or still kicking.

To access this information, update to iOS 11.3, then go to Settings, tap Battery and then tap Battery Health. The Maximum Capacity field will tell you how your battery compares to a brand new battery (in the same phone). We ran the test on an iPhone 6 Plus and found the battery was at 87% compared to a brand new replacement battery.

Anything below 80% and you should consider bringing your iPhone into an Apple Store to get it swapped out. Apple has lowered the cost of those procedure to $29 (from $79) for anyone with an iPhone 6 or newer as a way to apologize for slowing down phones.

In addition, users have the power to flip off the performance throttling in the same menu. Under “Peak Performance Capability,” users will be able to see if throttling has been flipped on and will be able to disable it as necessary.

Of course, this could increase the possibility of an iPhone crash, assuming the battery is having difficulty keeping up. If your phone is still running at peak performance, you won’t see an option to turn on throttling. It only appears after an iPhone has shutdown unexpectedly as a power management precaution.

Other updates in iOS 11.3 include a few new animoji characters for iPhone X users, a chat function within the Messages app that connects you directly with businesses, new augmented reality capabilities and the ability to view your medical records on your phone (assuming your health system participates).

iPhone battery problems? Latest iOS will tell you to replace or not

Gotta catch them all, right? Pokemon Go has quickly become a mobile phenomenon over the last week and that’s at a severe cost of your mobile device battery life. The need for Pokemon Go battery saver devices is at an all time high.

This is specifically due to Pokemon Go using real-time GPS data at the same time as your smartphone’s visual graphics processor. In addition, utilizing the camera to actually catch the augmented reality Pokemon characters is another power suck.

We’ve put together a list of devices that will keep your smartphone or tablet fully charged while visiting your local Pokestops and battling at nearby Gyms. Take a look:

Pokemon Go Slim Pocket Charger

Ideal for anyone that doesn’t travel with a backpack or purse, the slim pocket charger is useful when on the go, especially Pokemon Go. We recommend the Jackery Mini charger, a power bank that will fully charge your iPhone, iPad or Android device one time.

It offers 3200mAh of charging power and retails for $30, however you can usually find it on sale between $10 to $15. Another good option would be MoPower’s slim charger, usually on sale for a similar price (but only offers 3000mAh of charging power).

Check Jackery Mini Price on Amazon

Pokemon Go Dual Charger

Seriously cranking up the power capacity, a dual charger is great for families that are playing Pokemon Go on mulitple devices. We really like the RAVPower 16750mAh charger, capable of charging a Samsung Galaxy S6 four times!

It offers two charging ports (2.4 amp) and includes a LED battery meter on the front to show the remaining battery life in the device. As an added bonus, the RAVPower charger includes a flashlight, ideal for anyone searching for Pokemon late at night. (MSRP $70, usually on sale for $30 to $35)

Check RAVPower Charger Price on Amazon

Pokemon Go Car Charger

Quite useful when trying to hatch some eggs in Pokemon Go, keeping the app open while driving (for the passenger) is a must for snagging Pokestop bonuses while on the go. Of course, you will need a solid car charger to keep your smartphone at full capacity.

We like the Anker models, specifically the 4.8 amp Powerdrive with two charging ports. These are relatively inexpensive, around $8 on sale typically.

Check Anker Powerdrive Price on Amazon

Pokemon Go Rugged Charger

Ideal for anyone that likes to camp, hike or bike around the world searching for rare Pokemon, a waterproof and shockproof charger is fantastic. We like the Unifun charger, providing about 10400mAh of charging capacity.

These retail for around $25 and can be found as cheap as $10 on the best sales. This rugged charger can charge an iPhone up to five times.

Check Unifun Charger Price on Amazon

Pokemon Go Backpack Solar Charger

The backpack solar charger is the ultimate in Pokemon Go portability, providing a constant source of renewable power for charging your devices. Available in red (Team Valor!) or blue (Team Mystic!), we like the Ivation backpack with a 10,000 mAh waterproof battery.

In addition to providing two USB ports for dual charging, the backpack also comes with a 1.8L hydration pack for water (roughly half a gallon). You can stay hydrated while searching for Pokemon in any hot climate. This pack also most always retails for $90, but can be found on sale for $75 from time to time.

Check Ivation Backpack on Amazon

The five best battery saver devices for Pokemon GO

Power is always a necessity in today’s world of smartphones, tablets, laptops and every other mobile device that we carry around. Battery manufacturers have certainly recognized this need, thus the influx of portable battery chargers has somewhat exploded over the past five years. One such battery is the Aukey 10000mAh model, a battery that includes a Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 port for 2.4 amp charging of supported Android devices and 2.0 amp charging for supported Apple devices.

Design

The Aukey 10000mAh Battery is 6.5 inches tall, just under 3 inches in width and less than an inch thick; roughly the size of two decks of cards stacked end to end.. The compact design makes it ideal for travel, perhaps more so than competing models from companies like Jackery. On one end of the portable battery, you will find a 1 amp charging port as well as the Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 port. In between the two port, you will find a LED light that can be activated with the power button on the side. On the opposite side from the power button, you will find the micro USB charging port.

The battery is also lightweight, far less than one pound in weight. There are no power meters on the battery to indicate remaining power levels. Instead, Aukey uses indicator lights to provide an estimated range. By pressing the power button once, you can check the power. A white light means there’s 60 to 100 percent of the battery power left. A green light means 20 to 60 percent and a red light means between 0 and 20 percent of battery life left.

Performance

I performed a few timing tests with Aukey’s 10000mAh model, specifically putting it up against other chargers. Charging an iPhone 6 Plus from 50 percent battery life to 100 percent took about 75 minutes using the orange quick charge port; slower than a 2.4 amp wall plug that knocked it out the same in just under 60 minutes. However, I could find no decrease in charging speed between a 2.4 amp wall plug and the Aukey battery when charging up a Samsung Galaxy S6. It was charging at the same rate, ideal for anyone that needs a quick charge during a commute.

On average, you will probably get nearly two full charges for smartphones and one full charge for a tablet. When the Aukey battery is completely dead, it consistently took me just under five hours to completely recharge it using a 2.4 amp wall plug. The secondary 1 amp port performs pretty much identically to any standard iPhone charger from Apple. It’s roughly half the speed of the quick charge port, even less so when using an Android device. However, it’s nice when you have multiple devices to charge, ideal for families perhaps.

I didn’t have any issues with overheating. That can often be an issue with portable batteries, but the Aukey model stayed cool to the touch both when recharging the internal battery and charging up my mobile devices. I also didn’t have any issues with turning the LED light at the top of the battery on and off. The light is fairly bright, but I can’t imagine a scenario at home where I would be able to find the black battery in the dark. However, I can see how it would be useful when carrying it around in a laptop bag, ideal when searching through the bag at night or using the light to illuminate the lock on a car or front door.

Should You Buy It?

If you have one of the Android devices listed at the bottom of the review, then this is definitely a great mobile charger. It would be ideal for anyone that runs out of battery during the day and doesn’t have access to any power outlets. If you have an iPhone, the Aukey battery is fast, just not as fast as a 2.4 amp wall charger. On average, the sale price on this model is usually around $30. That’s roughly the same sale price as the Jackery Giant+, a 12,000 mAh charger. However, the Aukey battery has a much thinner width, basically more portable, and a higher power rating for Android charging.

Check Amazon Price of Aukey 10000mAh Battery

Quick Charge 2.0 Compatible Android models

Aukey Quick Charge 2.0 10000mAh Battery Review

Hate watching the battery life drain away on your smartphone throughout the day? The developers of the original InkCase are working on a new product for Android smartphones to help relieve battery usage.

Built into a case for your smartphone, the InkCase Plus e-ink screen (similar to the screen on a regular Amazon Kindle) folds over the top on your smartphone screen to provide an always-on screen image when you pull out your phone.

The advantage to this design is that you don’t have to flip on your smartphone to perform tasks like checking email or texts, thus draining the smartphone battery. With a battery life of 19 hours when continuously reading, the e-ink screen can display images like a boarding pass when going through airport security or a map when driving around a city. It’s also preferable to a smartphone screen when in direct sunlight, ideal for reading books or notifications as well as checking incoming calls.

Other applications integrated into the InkCase Plus e-ink screen include the ability to control music functions, a fitness data readout when exercising and a personalized display to show off your photos when the phone is not in use.

At the moment, the case has been fully funded on Kickstarter and the company promises to have the device in the hands of consumers by October 2014. The unusual speed of delivery is more probable for this particular Kickstarter project since this is the company’s second product in the InkCase line and likely understands the manufacturing process better.

Early backers can get an InkCase Plus for $99 with the retail price eventually climbing to $139 after launch. You can check out full details of the project here or by watching the video below:

More Images:

Shut Up and Take My Money: InkCase Plus E-ink Screen

These days, our world revolves around mobile devices, the smartphone in particular. Take a few calls, answer some text messages, watch a couple YouTube videos, play a few minutes of Tiny Death Star during a break, wander through the social wasteland that is Facebook–it all takes place on our smartphones. Of course, we need power to do all these things.

Anyone who uses their smartphone for work each day or travels with the device knows that keeping it charged is extremely important. Enter the Jackery Fit, a new portable battery with fast 2.1A charging. This is a new external battery in Jackery’s lineup of batteries and it’s positioned between the Jackery Giant and Jackery Bar in regards to power capacity. If you are unfamiliar with Jackery, one look at the stellar Amazon reviews of the company’s battery lineup will give you an idea of how well they make these devices.

Hardware

Only slightly taller than a deck of cards, the Jackery Fit is housed within an aluminum case with slick, white plastic caps on each end. On the front of the Fit, you will find three slim LED lights that provide a visual indication of the total power left in the battery. Those three blue lights also blink when the Fit is plugged in to indicate how much of a charge has been stored so far. To the right of the LED lights, the user will find a white power button. Pressing it once will activate the LED lights to check the power level.

Jackery has also included a white LED flashlight feature next to the charging ports on the Fit. This can be activated by tapping the power button twice. This could be useful during outdoor camping trips where power and lighting are scarce. The two ports on the Fit include a Micro USB input to charge the device as well as a 5V, 2.1A USB output (similar to the Apple iPad charger) to charge various mobile devices. The Fit also comes with a Micro USB to USB 2.0 cable, ideal for both charging the battery and charging other devices that use the same connection.

Regarding the battery, the power capacity is rated at 7800mAh. That’s nearly five times the capacity of the battery within the iPhone 5S and three times the capacity of the battery in the Samsung Galaxy S4. According to Jackery, the Fit should be able to charge the iPhone lineup of smartphones between three to four times fully or two to three times for the Galaxy S4. The battery will also hold a charge for up to six months and is rated for a minimum of 500 full charges.

Does It Work?

During testing, I was able to get four charging cycles for my iPhone 5 before the Fit was completely out of juice. I generally let my iPhone fall to about 10 percent before recharging it. I could really notice the difference in the charging speed when compared to the standard Apple charger that comes with the iPhone 5. It should be useful when I’m roaming the CES floors in Las Vegas during January and constantly draining my smartphone battery when posting updates.

I also tried testing it on a first generation Kindle Fire HD tablet and it performed moderately well. Charging time wasn’t as fast, but I could continue watching Netflix without draining the battery within the tablet. It’s pretty clear that the Fit would be ideal for long plane rides or extended car trips, especially when attempting to keep small children entertained.

Should I Buy It?

If you can’t get through the entire day without requiring a recharge, you should most definitely pick up the Jackery Fit. This type of portable battery is crucial for a road warrior or anyone who’s going to spend time traveling over the holidays. The Jackery Fit exceeded all my expectations and will be my primary device for mobile charging in the foreseeable future.

Regarding pricing, the MSRP for the device is around $60. However, you can currently find the silver Jackery Fit at a $40 price point on Amazon here. The orange version can be found at Jackery’s Store here.

Final Rating: Success Kid

Jackery Fit Review: Fast Mobile Charging for Minimal Cost