No matter how great your smartphone’s battery life is, you probably wish it lasted longer. There are many battery extenders that can help, but they require a separate cable. Some of the newer models have a built-in connector, but they require your device to be right next to them for charging. The iWALK Reel is a clever power bank with a 10,000mAh battery and PD 30W fast charging for your favorite devices. It has a 2.3ft retractable cable integrated, so you don’t need to carry anything else with you. We recently had the chance to test one. Let’s see what was included:
We found the iWALK Reel to have a very sleek design. It is compact enough to fit in your pocket and comes with its own cable, allowing you to charge your iPhone, iPad, Android, and other devices. For compatible devices, it offers fast charging up to 30W. It not only has a cable but also a regular USB and a USB-C in/out port. You can use this port or the cable to charge this power bank.
In order to get the best results charging this power bank, we needed to use a fairly recent Apple charger (20W in our case). With PD 30W charging, this power bank can get your iPhone to 60% in just 30 minutes. For our older devices, it took about an hour to achieve this. The unit has an LED display that shows the remaining battery power and charging status.
The LinkPod Reel’s cable is more than long enough for our charging needs. You can also pull on it to have it retract quickly. The USB-C head rests neatly in the top section, which protects it from accidental damage. In our tests, we did not notice any heat as we charged the power bank and our devices.
This gadget offers pass-through charging, meaning it charges your connected gadgets first before charging itself. You can turn the display on with a click and turn it off with a double click. We had the opportunity to compare it to a smaller LinkPod power bank. This model has a higher battery capacity and faster charging capability (30W vs. 18W). The smaller model has a USB-C connector, but it has a limited range.
The iWALK Reel is not only great for charging smartphones but also action cams and other USB devices. We even used it to power a portable magnetic rotator for a physics demonstration. The retractable cable feels high quality enough to last a long while. We used a FLIR thermal camera to read the heat signature of this power bank. The battery remained cool during our tests. To charge it at maximum speed, you’ll need a high-quality, powerful adapter.
Overall, we found the iWALK Reel to be very convenient to use. The retractable cable is a major plus, and the additional ports allow you to charge multiple devices simultaneously. Â If you are looking for a sleek portable power bank that has its own retractable cable and can charge multiple devices at the same time, you should give this power bank a look.
