Official Review Hardware Updated

Review cover AquaVault ChargeCard Portable Charger GBAtemp review
Hardware

A smartphone? Why yes, I'll charge it to my card, if you don't mind.

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Though it's only a few years old, my iPhone X is not only showing its age, but it's gone wildly beyond that point. Using it outside in the Texas heat has become a joke, especially to those unfortunate enough to be in a call with me as my phone sputters and slows to a crawl, but worse than that is its battery life. Where I once would have only needed to charge it once a day, if that, my poor iPhone X can't make it through breakfast without warning me that it's already lost half of its battery while checking my email. Rather than go out and buy a new smartphone, I've relegated myself to slapping as many band-aids as possible onto my phone before it finally bites the dust. These "fixes" involve portable chargers, and lots of them. Yet, this solution is more than unwieldy, usually resulting in me trying to shove a battery and relevant cable into my jean pockets awkwardly. It's cumbersome, clunky, and it's gotten to the point where carrying a small life support system for my phone is a chore. 

I mention this, because this entire time, there was a little charger out there that factored in these problems, attempting to create a worry-free portable charger that'll fit just about anywhere. Enter the AquaVault ChargeCard. 

No, it's not a credit card! But it certainly looks like one. 

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The ChargeCard, living up to its name, is the exact size of a credit card, though it's a quarter-inch thick. This level of thickness lets it fit into the sleeve of a wallet alongside your other cards, even looking like one, to the point of including a cute faux security chip. Two of the corners have rubber coverings, which remove and reveal a charging cable, which can be swapped out with an included interchangeable one, giving you access to Lightning, USB-C, or USB-Micro, depending on what your phone uses. I really like this method, as it keeps the cord out of the way, both while it's charging and when you're not using it, however, the rubber of the cable does feel worryingly thin, as if it might snap after a few too many uses. 

It's thin enough to hold in your hand on the back of your phone without adding much bulk, thanks to it only weighing 3.5oz. It rests comfortably in the hand and has a bit of a grippy texture to its stainless steel body, so that it's not too slippery. For being so slight, the charger feels pretty durable⁠—there's no give or bend to it, and it's strong enough to take an accidental tumble or two to the floor without issue.

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Given the small size overall, the ChargeCard also sports a rather small battery. At 2700mAh, it's exactly enough to charge most iPhones back up to full once, before being depleted. Being able to double my phone's battery is pretty great, and while it still chews through battery life like nothing else, it's a night-and-day difference when I'm on the go. 

At an MSRP of $39.99, it's fairly clear that when compared with other power banks, you're paying a serious upcharge for the ChargeCard. However, you have to think about whether or not portability is a deciding factor for you. With such a thin profile, the ChargeCard is not only incredibly easy to take with you, but it also lacks any annoying long cables, and it doesn't add much weight to your phone while you're charging it. Even if you don't use it on a daily basis, having a battery with you at all times comes in handy for a variety of situations. If that's something you value, then the ChargeCard does exactly what it needs to, in a well-made, super slim form factor.

Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Fits perfectly into a wallet
  • Interchangeable connectors
  • Good capacity for its size
What We Didn't Like ...
  • The charging cord can be a little on the fragile side
8.5
out of 10

Overall

Doing exactly what it claims it will: offering the ideal form factor for keeping with you at all times, the ChargeCard is an expensive, albeit perfect little charger to keep your phone topped up without bogging you down with extra cables and weight.
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The Real Jdbye
I like the form factor, but it looks far too bulky to comfortably fit in a wallet, especially if you have a lot of stuff in your wallet already, like member/discount cards for various chains. And you get those single cell 3000 mAh powerbanks that are small enough to slip into a pocket and forget it's even there, for a quarter of the price. I keep one in my jacket. This doesn't seem to offer much over that besides an integrated cable. Which is pretty cool, until it inevitably breaks because it's flimsy due to being made so compact.

Does it have a full size USB port so you can use any cable you want if the included one breaks? That could make or break a product like this.
 
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Silent_Gunner
Yeah, I can't see this fitting into my wallet pockets per se, let alone being something that'd fit into a Ridge wallet, but that form factor is slick!

The charging cord is married to the charger itself?

Not to mention, isn't there a term for those kinds of interchangeable cords? I remember hearing about these and wanting to get one, but I was either saving up to destroy my debt or broke at the time, because I've been looking to get rid of the surplus of micro-USB and USB-C cables I have thanks to them coming with, like, every device ever nowadays. Guess it means you'll always have things charged up, barring a power outage unless you're lucky enough to have a generator or one of those super portable chargers the size of an air compressor that also advertise being able to jumpstart a car...that also cost you your soul!
 
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rad140
The Real Jdbye said:
I like the form factor, but it looks far too bulky to comfortably fit in a wallet, especially if you have a lot of stuff in your wallet already, like member/discount cards for various chains. And you get those single cell 3000 mAh powerbanks that are small enough to slip into a pocket and forget it's even there, for a quarter of the price. I keep one in my jacket. This doesn't seem to offer much over that besides an integrated cable. Which is pretty cool, until it inevitably breaks because it's flimsy due to being made so compact.

Does it have a full size USB port so you can use any cable you want if the included one breaks? That could make or break a product like this.
Click to expand...

It has a USB-C port, you should be able to charge and discharge with a USB-C cable.
 
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