Review: ZAGGsparq 6000 USB battery and charger

High capacity USB battery bricks are becoming more common as we rely on mobile devices more heavily, but those batteries eventually need to be recharged themselves via wall socket. The idea behind the ZAGGsparq 6000 is to combine a battery with a wall charger by simply including a flip-out electrical plug on the bottom of the battery. This facilitates recharging your devices and the ZAGGsparq at the same time, and when retracted, doesn’t detract from its ability to function as a portable battery.

The 6000 mAh of included power is enough to come close to recharging a device like the iPhone four times, and the pair of USB ports means that you can charge two devices at a time if need be. I’ve tested similar batteries which offer slightly more juice for less money, but the difference here is that the USB ports on the ZAGGsparq are 2.1amps which means that they charge devices at a much faster speed than the 1.0 amp ports found on cheaper batteries; this is particularly evident when charging a power hungry device like the iPad.

So while the ZAGGsparq 6000 is far from the least expensive device of its type and size, it’s one of the most appealing – both because it doubles as a wall charger and because of its fast charging.

Price: $49 • zagg.com