We were in awe of the Power Note’s premium aluminium alloy design, with its unique binder holes along one edge of the ultra-slim power bank used to effortlessly secure it into a ringbinder, and its handy built-in Micro-USB cable. The Power Blade features those same binder holes along its left edge, and while it lacks the built-in cable you do get a felt case for protecting it on the road. A handy front pocket lets you also carry the supplied Micro-USB cable, along with a pair of headphones or whatever you like. The Power Note is slim at just 7mm, but Emie claims the Power Blade is the slimmest power bank in the world at just 5.2mm. It’s a little larger than the Note, given the increased capacity available, but it truly is remarkable how Emie has achieved such a thin-and-light design. You might be wondering how Emie has managed to squeeze two USB outputs into a device so skinny, and the answer is their ingenious collapsible design. To connect a USB cable you must first push forward the top edge of the USB output to slide out the metal casing and enlarge the port. Both USB outputs are specified at 10.5W (5V, 2.1A) for fast charging of your connected devices, and the Power Blade offers adaptive charging with one port optimised for iOS devices and the other for Android and other devices. Our Samsung Galaxy S6 was just as happy to charge from the iOS port, however. Also see: How to improve smartphone battery life. With 8000mAh on offer, and an average efficiency rate of 70 percent for most power banks, expect to find at least 5600mAh available for charging your phone or tablet. That would provide our Samsung Galaxy S6 (2550mAh battery) two full charges with some power to spare. Also see: How to charge your phone or tablet faster. Four LEDs are activated at the press of the small power button to show you how much juice remains. When the power bank is empty the Emie can refill its own battery at 10W (5V, 2A), given a compatible charger (you can use whichever adaptor came with your phone or tablet). We found the Power Blade was able to simultaneously charge itself and a connected device. Also see: Best MiFi 2016. In passthrough charging mode we needed to press the power button to begin charging our S6, but with the Emie not connected to the mains it was a simple case of plugging in the device and the Power Blade sprang into action. However, while there is auto-on, there is no auto-off. You’ll need to unplug your phone or tablet once charging has finished to ensure no power is wasted. This small power button can also be held down for three seconds to put the Emie into adaptive charging mode, although we were surprised to find it wasn’t able to automatically recognise the attached device without our input. Emie’s official outlet is Nathan Rd, where the Power Blade costs $79.99 (£51). If you’ve not heard of Nathan Rd, it specialises in bringing you the best, most unique, and passionately designed products to suit an urban lifestyle. Each stylish piece is hand-picked by the Nathan Rd team. At £51 the Power Blade is very expensive for an 8000mAh power bank, but it absolutely oozes style. The warranty is short at just six months, but even without its protective felt case the tough aluminium alloy design feels reassuringly well built. It didn’t become even warm in use, with the metal design effectively dissipating heat. Also see: Best desktop chargers 2015. Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter. Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
