Review: Quarter is an External Battery for the iPhone That Charges With a MagSafe Cable

[MacRumors]

Beaver Electronics Co. has debuted a unique fast-charging external battery for the iPhone, which it's dubbed "Quarter," because it takes less than a quarter of the time to charge compared to a normal external battery. The secret lies in the charging method -- Quarter has a built-in MagSafe port that allows it to be connected to MacBook's MagSafe Power Adapter.

Apple does not allow third-party companies to use its MagSafe technology, so Quarter has been created without Apple's permission and with components Apple likely would not approve of, but its super fast charging capabilities are undeniably enticing.

Design wise, Quarter is similar in size to an iPhone 6 Plus. It's just as wide and a bit shorter, but quite thick and heavy. It's 12.5mm thick and it weighs 180 grams. It's made from aluminum and has an an extra lip at the top with a hole that could be attached to a bag or backpack, but given its size, I'm not sure anyone would want to use it that way so that extra bit of material is extraneous and an unusual design choice.

There are four indicator lights on the Quarter that are lit by a built-in LED. These lights let you know how much power is left, activated by shaking or tapping the Quarter. A shake or a tap is also how the Quarter is turned on to begin charging a device it's plugged in to.


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Article Link: Review: Quarter is an External Battery for the iPhone That Charges With a MagSafe Cable

 

[gigapocket1]

Doubt this will sell.

 

[Dial604]

They can't use MagSafe connector without Apple consent. This will not sell.

 

[Dan--]

I think it's biggest issue is the heat generated. That doesn't speak well to product longevity, nor safety.

 

[Benjamin Frost]

This sounds impressive.

However, won't it quickly kill batteries from charging them so fast?

 

[patent10021]

I've bought a few unauthorized accessories in China and they all work well and are a fraction of the price and better. I have a 15" lightening cable. Paid like $2 for it and went out on a date with the sales girl lol

Apple likes to make out like the Chinese Apple accessories are ridiculously inferior. Some may be, but I've never run across any issues. Apple accessory prices are ridiculous.

 

[RedBear]

Let's be clear here, it's not MagSafe, it's MagSafe 2. Which means even though I have four MacBook Pros and five MagSafe power adapters in my house right now, this wouldn't be compatible with any of them without a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 adapter. Because as of yet I've had no good reason to buy any new MacBooks when mine are holding up just fine even after being 5-7 years old. If this doesn't come with an adapter that will be an extra expense for tens of millions of potential buyers who own the older Mac portables with the original MagSafe connector. ($19.95 on Amazon, down from its original price of $29.99).

Not sure what legal rights Apple really has to stop them using the MagSafe style connectors, but it seems like it would have been much smarter to design something like this to have a USB Type-C connector since USB Type-C is supposed to handle up to 100W and is poised to become a universal standard connector. The MacBook Pro MagSafe power adapter is at best rated for 85W and regular MacBook/MacBook Air adapters are something like 65W or 45W. Plus it's proprietary.

That being said, the idea of a power bank that charges much faster and has higher internal voltage so that it can also charge the end devices faster is all very appealing. And I'm actually quite shocked at the $39 price. With its supposedly advanced Lithium-Polymer battery design, nice body construction and fast-charging capabilities I would have guessed at least $79 even for an early bird supporter price. Not sure how they can do this for just $39. If it's legit it seems like a pretty good deal for what you get.

One thing I don't like is that the linked page doesn't specify anywhere that I can see what the total mAh capacity is, although by the slickness of the rest of presentation this might just be a marketing decision, an attempt to keep things simple. All other relevant specs are listed though. If it takes about 7 hours to charge at 5V/1A, how does that translate into total mAh?

EDIT: Doh. Didn't read the MacRumors article carefully enough. I says 5,000mAh. Seems a bit small, there are a lot of 10,000mAh power banks available, though they don't have this quick-charge capability generally so I guess it depends on your use case which would be better in the end.

 

[vreedy76]

Cease and desist letter sent in 3..2..1..

 

[OS X Dude]

I wish MacBook Pro's would have the battery indicator lights on the case again. So useful.

 

[Aston441]

The MagSafe patent is BS, there's fifty years of prior art, but no little battery company can go up against Apple's hired guns.

 

[MacNut]

What happened to us when 180 grams is considered "heavy".

 

[bbzzz]

One thing I don't like is that the linked page doesn't specify anywhere that I can see what the total mAh capacity is, although by the slickness of the rest of presentation this might just be a marketing decision, an attempt to keep things simple. All other relevant specs are listed though. If it takes about 7 hours to charge at 5V/1A, how does that translate into total mAh?

EDIT: Doh. Didn't read the MacRumors article carefully enough. I says 5,000mAh. Seems a bit small, there are a lot of 10,000mAh power banks available, though they don't have this quick-charge capability generally so I guess it depends on your use case which would be better in the end.

What matters is total energy stored in Wh, then you can compare batteries.

mAh is used by marketing so they can quote large numbers, you need to know the voltage too which this one says is 7.4V so 7.4 * 5,000mAh = 37Wh. Others may have a lower voltage (some step up from less than USB 5V so they store a lot less energy than you might expect)

You get a similar number from the quoted charge time - "7 hours to charge at 5V/1A" so 7*5*1 = 35Wh

 

[macs4nw]

I think it's biggest issue is the heat generated. That doesn't speak well to product longevity, nor safety.

My first thoughts also. And how much is the regular price going to be? Even if double that pre-order 39 bucks, this thing could hardly be properly designed and well constructed with quality components for that price.... there's no way on earth..... They must have severely cut corners. I think I'll pass on this overheating little gizmo with the possibly exploding batteries.

 

[MJ_Quarter]

Doubt this will sell.

Gigapocket: mmm...what about making a bet? I say it sells. Just some more background facts: more than 1000 test users received the fist trial produced patch of quarters 3 months ago and we are ready to carry out mass production

They can't use MagSafe connector without Apple consent. This will not sell.

We also thought about this,too. We contacted Apple about this but we haven't got any response yet. We decided to take the risk to make this product because we thought about the convenience this product can bring to the users. We don’t want Mac users to carry huge adaptor for fast charging. Also we are still trying to get license right now.

I think it's biggest issue is the heat generated. That doesn't speak well to product longevity, nor safety.

Heating up was the most serious problem we had with Quarter. As Quarter’s charging power is 8 times of ordinary powerbanks’, nearly 8 times heat has been generated inevitably. Although Quarter’s charging efficiency were improved from 85% to 94% by several times of circuit optimization, its heat losses were still up to 2.52W——still unacceptable to us. In order to fix this problem, our R&D team made numerous attempts, trying to figure out a way to conduct the heat rapidly and evenly to Quarter’s aluminum alloy shell. Then we got the inspiration from iPhone, to use synthetic graphite of high heat conductivity as material. The heat would therefore diffuse 4 to 5 times faster. Eventually Quarter can keep its temperature below 40℃ while charging in a 25℃ room.
The life of polymer battery core is strongly related to its charging current. The capacity of ordinary powerbank decreases rapidly while charging under large current. According to our experiments, after 10 charging cycles, the capacity of ordinary polymer battery core can drop to lower than 70% of the original. However, Quarter remains more than 70% of nominal capacity even after 500 charging cycles. It is because we redesigned the internal structure of the 2 Li-ion polymer battery cores (3.7V/2500mAh). We conducted 7-round sample tests and found out that rolling up the conducting coating from both sides can sharply reduce the internal resistance of battery core. With the new structure design, the capacity losses of Quarter can be reduced to the greatest extent.

This sounds impressive.

However, won't it quickly kill batteries from charging them so fast?

We redesigned the internal structure of li-ion polymer battery cores of quarter, it can support fast charging. 17# has more detail info.

I've bought a few unauthorized accessories in China and they all work well and are a fraction of the price and better. I have a 15" lightening cable. Paid like $2 for it and went out on a date with the sales girl lol

Apple likes to make out like the Chinese Apple accessories are ridiculously inferior. Some may be, but I've never run across any issues. Apple accessory prices are ridiculous.

thank you

 

[alchemistmuffin]

Apple's going to kill the crowdfunding very quickly, and will probably sue the creators for damages. (And likely win)


Cease and desist with lawsuit attached in 3, 2, 1....

 

[ignatius345]

Let's be clear here, it's not MagSafe, it's MagSafe 2. Which means even though I have four MacBook Pros and five MagSafe power adapters in my house right now, this wouldn't be compatible with any of them without a MagSafe to MagSafe 2 adapter. Because as of yet I've had no good reason to buy any new MacBooks when mine are holding up just fine even after being 5-7 years old.

Oh no. They lost the "I never upgrade my electronics" market segment.

 

[Soccertess]

Great job, and fantastic product! Apple is abandoning the magsafe2 in the new macbook, so I say let others start using it!

 

[MJ_Quarter]

What happened to us when 180 grams is considered "heavy".

We are right now working on the weight problem. already have some solutions to make it lighter.

My first thoughts also. And how much is the regular price going to be? Even if double that pre-order 39 bucks, this thing could hardly be properly designed and well constructed with quality components for that price.... there's no way on earth..... They must have severely cut corners. I think I'll pass on this overheating little gizmo with the possibly exploding batteries.

Well, to be really really honest, 39 bucks is almost how much it costs. We really want our first users to enjoy good price with good products, that is why we decided to give this price. Besides, the production cost is not like that high as you might imagine in China. I, personally, strongly welcome you to come here and check it by yourself. I am 100% sure you will be surprised by the Chinese production line.

Apple's going to kill the crowdfunding very quickly, and will probably sue the creators for damages. (And likely win)


Cease and desist with lawsuit attached in 3, 2, 1....

We are still trying to get any response from the big Apple. There is still possibility that we can be licensed and enter Apple stores. Who knows...

Great job, and fantastic product! Apple is abandoning the magsafe2 in the new macbook, so I say let others start using it!

You got the point!

 

[appledefenceforce]

I've bought a few unauthorized accessories in China and they all work well and are a fraction of the price and better. I have a 15" lightening cable. Paid like $2 for it and went out on a date with the sales girl lol

Apple likes to make out like the Chinese Apple accessories are ridiculously inferior. Some may be, but I've never run across any issues. Apple accessory prices are ridiculous.

People die from electrocution when using cheap Chinese charger. I guess when you "see" the problem we won't see you on here to report it. Just saying.

Looks very cool. I hope they will be successful!

 

[macs4nw]

Well, to be really really honest, 39 bucks is almost how much it costs. We really want our first users to enjoy good price with good products, that is why we decided to give this price. Besides, the production cost is not like that high as you might imagine in China. I, personally, strongly welcome you to come here and check it by yourself. I am 100% sure you will be surprised by the Chinese production line.

Alright, but how about your R&D costs, shipping, distributing, various overheads, and your profit? Will you tip your hand as to what the 'after crowd-funding' price might be? Also, do you have UL certification for it?

 

[MJ_Quarter]

Alright, but how about your R&D costs, shipping, distributing, various overheads, and your profit? Will you tip your hand as to what the 'after crowd-funding' price might be? Also, do you have UL certification for it?

After Crowdfunding, Quarter will raise back to $59 which includes the R&D and some other costs. Shipping fee is not going to be included.

 

[Max(IT)]

I've bought a few unauthorized accessories in China and they all work well and are a fraction of the price and better. I have a 15" lightening cable. Paid like $2 for it and went out on a date with the sales girl lol

Apple likes to make out like the Chinese Apple accessories are ridiculously inferior. Some may be, but I've never run across any issues. Apple accessory prices are ridiculous.

quite a lot of expensive Apple devices has been ruined by chinese cheap third party not authorized accessories.....

 

[zakarhino]

I think it's biggest issue is the heat generated. That doesn't speak well to product longevity, nor safety.

You're talking about all Macs and MagSafe chargers, right?

 

[patent10021]

quite a lot of expensive Apple devices has been ruined by chinese cheap third party not authorized accessories.....

A lot of Apple products have been ruined by authorized products (and even Apple's own). Too much hyperbole here. There are plenty of good super cheap Chinese accessories and plenty of bad expensive accessories. How do I know? I live in Shenzhen and Tokyo.

 

[Max(IT)]

A lot of Apple products have been ruined by authorized products (and even Apple's own). Too much hyperbole here. There are plenty of good super cheap Chinese accessories and plenty of bad expensive accessories. How do I know? I live in Shenzhen and Tokyo.

I don't care where you live. Living in China doesn't qualify you as an expert in QC.
Nonsense about dangerous Apple's accessories....

"Good" and "cheap Chinese accessories" are just two words that can't stay in the same phrase.