SURVEY: A Flashlight on Your Portable Charger?

#14

Many years ago, Apple often disliked the idea of having a flashlight function into their iPhones. Users had to use 3rd party apps to do it. However, they followed the trends of Android and had a flashlight built into iOS. The idea behind this was the portability and convenience of a mobile device.

  1. It would be a “nice” thing to have, especially on the small chargers. It could be used any time and anywhere, and by anyone. Flashlight on Bigger charges is overkilled, as people don’t carry those often everyday.

  2. The flashlight with a chargers is useful as it could act as an emergency gadget, especially at night and when you had no power. The high capacity of the charger will help the light to last forever. Flashlight with phone can be used while walking but when you need casual constant flashlight (e.g in the camping tent, checked out the car at night, etc.), a flashlight on charger is more useful. Another problem with flashlight on phone is: mobile phones are personal devices, with many things on it. you wouldn’t want to lend someone your phone to use flashlight. One more thing is: flashlight on the charger is cheap (compared to phone and other dedicated flashlight), so it has a decent value.

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#15

Whaaaat?!?

Is it only me that would find it useless?

I mean, our phones have a torch feature (or flashlight for our friends over the pond!) As long as the portable charger kept our phones charged, surely this would be easier?

I mean, I’d rather use my phone to light the way when I’m rooting around under the TV looking for a cable, than have to go and get my power pack and use that which would probably be heavier!

Possibly if I went camping, in the tent would be a great use as I can charge my phone whilst using the torch to finish my crossword (or whatever inane activity I was carrying out which needed light on the situation!)

I don’t know, maybe it is just me. I wouldn’t use it, I would rather a small lightweight torch or my phone to do the illuminating and save those precious mAh’s for charging something!!

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#16

I think this would also be a great time to implement the poll feature @AnkerOfficial has been testing lately! And then for the people who want to expand on their thoughts and reasonings, they can leave a comment! What do you think @AnkerTechnical?

The way I see it, it would really depend on how much power the light would take up. If it’s not very bright, there’s not much need, but if it draws to much power, then what’s the point of having the portable charger? Why not just use your flashlight or your phone? In my case, I have my phone on me way more than I have a portable charger on me? Is it different for you guys? Fill me in, here!

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#17

I’d say you should think it through this way:

  • you can serve only master well, if you serve two masters you serve each less well
  • therefore if you’re going to do two things, decide which is your 1st priority and make that your main design criteria or do a little to serve the 2nd priority.
  • so I think you’re talking 2 different product types.

So right now people are popularly using their mobiles as lights, but what if your phone is flat? That is the corner case i’m thinking of.

A light which can recharge

This is where you take a flashlight set of criteria and add an output capability

  • a good example is the newer LC40, it is very pocketable and focused on flashlight type problems like it is used outdoors in the dark when wet is going to be an issue
  • you could consider adding an output capability to this. But then the barrel is so thin you’d struggle to physically fit one. So consider a slightly wider barrel like the LC90 concept

A Powercore which has a light

  • Your scale-up solutions exist already, if someone wants a large Powercore they already are talking a larger bag, not pockets so they can pack a flashlight anyway, so I think a flashlight on larger Powercore is not worth the distraction
  • Your scale-down solution is where the gap is, so think ladies purse as the use case, it must be so small it is always there and it only is needed for brief times and the rarer problems, so it doesn’t need to do a full phone recharge, so a 3Ah - 5Ah is perfectly fine
  • Make the primary design criteria compactness
  • Make a secondary design criteria a flightlight
  • So you could merge the earlier LC40 concept with the Powercore+ Mini concept, a wider barrel to fit both input and output and make the light itself not that powerful, enough to not hurt yourself down a dark street, find your dropped keys, etc you’re not hiking or anything that deliberate.
  • to help make something pocket/purse stored friendly given an input+output+flight is going to struggle to find a place in a narrow diameter cylindrical shape, consider adding a light to the Powercore 5000 Slim shape. You could merge together two functions here, you could have one LED output but have it have different modes to represent the recharge status when it is being recharged, to show the current charge level when being used and in a high power mode to actually be a useful flashlight.
  • given output requires a cable, include a flip-up cable and make 3 different flavors of your chosen design, one each with lightning output, MicroB output, USB-C output then the person buys the one which matches their phone. Then they can leave home just with this one future product, their phone, creditcard, keys and can handle a flat phone type problem.

So I think that’s your choices, in summary, think of 2 products:

  • take a bright light like the LC40 and add an output.
  • take a small capacity battery like 3A-5A and add a low performance light
  • make trade-offs between size and functions, you’ll have to mock-up a few designs and beta test, I think a barrel shape is popular but you’re going to struggle to fit input+output in one end, so consider a slab shape as you have more area at the ends to play with.
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#18

A power bank with a high quality bulb would be good.

What about a cable with a high quality bulb on the end.
Could then use with any power bank, charger or socket.

Could be usefull for reading books, at work, in the car.
If paired with a waterproof power bank could be used as a bicycle light.

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#19

Black shell makes it a little difficult to see in the dark. Maybe ports that are lit. A flashlight would be a electronic version of a multi-tool

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#20

A light is always useful. it’s more comfortable in the power bank because the smartphone is uncomfortable and you’re always afraid it will fall off. If the light you need for a long time is more convenient already having it incorporated, that download the smartphone and have to attack the power bank., I would need for example to find the keyhole of the house, and for nights on the beach. Then there are many situations of use, as I said at the beginning a light is always useful :slight_smile:

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#21

My first Anker product was an Astro battery pack with the LED flashlight feature. Unfortunately, I don’t have it anymore because it was stolen. I think this is a great idea. I would love a 6700mAh battery with a flashlight feature. Currently, I have the 6700mAH in my backpack for when I’m out and about. Also clipped to my backpack is a flashlight for times when we walk home late and need some light. So joining these two would be awesome. I think the 6700mAh size would be lightweight and very portable. It can be easily slipped in the pocket or backpack. Sometimes, I’ve had to use my iPhone’s flashlight feature when my clip light ran out of battery. It’s nice that the iPhone has it but I find it a bit cumbersome. It just makes total sense to have a flashlight feature on a battery pack. It’ll be like a mini Swiss army knife :stuck_out_tongue:

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#22

@Nhi sure 67000mAh ? :sweat_smile:
The Power House have 120000mAh…

#23

Oops, I meant 6700mAh. :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue: Talk about my body hurting after carrying around the PowerHouse :stuck_out_tongue:

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#24

As an avid hiker and scout leader I would say that this wouldn’t be very useful. Both technologies are great tools but a working flashlight is critical for camping and I wouldn’t want to be choosing between the two. I carry an Anker charger everywhere and I want to know it will always be ready to perform it’s job of charging my devices, and I want the flash light to always do it’s job.

@AnkerTechnical When you go back in the Lab can you discuss making a rugged GPS device with emergency weather and alert features :slight_smile:

Regards,

JLD

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#25

Personally what I want is a rechargeable (from a PowerCore)) torch/flashlight. If I could charge something else from it then so be it. :smile_cat:

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#26

It would be really nice to have a torch on the powercores as they have loads electricity, but not those faint Led please a good and bright Qree Led would be perfect for them! Although there is the heat dissipation issue, but I am sure you guys can solve it! :smiley:

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#27

I suggested a (lc90/bolder) or (lc130/bolder) 2cell with usb output a few months back. I would gladly pay the extra few bucks.

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#28

I wouldtake this if they work around to using a different handle that is not exactly round. This way when using it or setting it down in an emergency it will not roll on you [quote=“Jesse_Hernandez1, post:27, topic:57656, full:true”]
I suggested a (lc90/bolder) or (lc130/bolder) 2cell with usb output a few months back. I would gladly pay the extra few bucks.
[/quote]

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#29

Maybe something like this octagon shaped end cap Uploading…

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#30

I think a flashlight is a missing feature that is needed because it will come in handy when your phone is dead or any other emergency situation.

I would use it when I don’t have access to my phone. I would use this over my phone’s flashlight because it saves on battery usage for your phone

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#31

The main reason is portable chargers are carried virtually everywhere your phone is. If the phone dies, no flashlight, another reason is the flashlight on a phone is very wide angle and does not distribute the light in one area very well. A flashlight on a portable charger that’s significantly brighter than one found on most phones is a major plus in most peoples eyes.

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#32

  1. In my opinion, a flashlight isn’t really needed on a powerbank.
    I’ve gone skating at night and carry both a powerbank and a flashlight I like to use. easily have the powerbank in the backpack charging my phone (in my hand) when needed and carrying a flashlight in the other hand. Having a pb with a flashlight (if I had one for my situation) would be to much weight to have on the hand. While skating. Hiking too maybe.

  2. n/a

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#33

After thinking on this some more, I now see another possible benefit of including a flashlight in the power bank itself.

Energy loss

Since you do not have to transfer energy to your phone and then use the flashlight on your phone (which Anker says is only 60-70% efficient), having a flashlight built-in to the power bank makes perfect since and would be better.

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