It should take about 5 hours to fully charge the Solo 1800 on your initial use, but subsequent chargers may take less time. An indicator light will let you know when it's ready to go. Once charged, however, the Solo 1800 will hold its charge more or less indefinitely. You then can use it to top off your iPhone for brief periods or give it a full charge when it's about to die. We fully charged our iPhone in 90 minutes when we had less than 10 percent of battery life left. You can charge both devices at once: your iPhone will charge first and the backup battery second. You also can use your iPhone with the Solo 1800 attached, but it is pretty cumbersome.
The Solo 1800 has a capacity of 1,800 mAh. Solo doesn't give any promises on how many hours of talk time the 1800 will deliver, but we were able to get a day of heavy use on our iPhone, which is pretty much standard. Of course, your actual battery life will depend on how you use the phone (3G use, screen brightness, etc.). Also, while Solo promises that the backup battery can last through 300 complete charge/discharge cycles, its lifespan also will depend on how you use it. As with a cell phone, it's best to use it fully and give it a complete recharge the majority of the time.
Like the Solo 1200, the 1800 offers a small flashlight, but it also adds a small laser pointer. They worked exactly as you might expect; just remember that you need to flip the power switch to use them. We're not sure why you need a flashlight and a laser pointer in a backup battery, but they are there for the taking. In any case, the Solo is a convenient and easy-to-use way to power your precious iPhone.
What You'll Pay
- Set Price Alert
