I received a Luxa2 P1 High Capacity Battery a few weeks back and in those weeks have had a chance to put it through the paces.

I should preface by describing my situation. I am working in Europe for a few months. Prior to going, I purchased an unlocked iPhone 4S (thanks for being all Draconian AT&T) to use while there. I decided once there to go with a prepaid data plan only, as I didn’t see a need for a voice line (could make calls on my work Blackberry or from the office).

3G coverage was decent. I was probably 60:40 3G:Wifi. Once I obtained my prepaid data micro sim, I plugged it into my phone and was happily on my way… except one huge thing.

With the data only sim installed, my battery life was atrocious. From a full charge at 6 AM, I would be under 50% by 11 AM or noon just listening to Spotify or very limited web usage (3G) If I was doing more, then it was worse. There are a few different reasons my battery life took a huge hit, but not really worth going into those.

So, while at the office, not the biggest deal since I could (usually) plug in my iPhone while there (if I remembered to bring my cable in my bag). But there were enough days where I forgot my cable and had to really manage my usage. And of those days, I had my fair share when I didn’t manage it well enough and my iPhone died mid-afternoon.

So I got my hands on a Luxa2 P1. First, the stats. The P1 is an external battery pack with 7000 mAh of power. It has 2 USB ports to charge your devices and a micro USB port for the battery charger cable. The unit has a button on the top and a small line of battery level indicator lights. The battery also comes with a micro USB cable, a 30 pin cable for iDevices (well not the newest ones), and a small bag to carry it all in. The battery itself is a hefty 178 g, but not out of line with external batteries.

I used the battery to charge my iPhone at the office, on several trips of lengths between half-day to full weekends, and occasionally my iPad (3rd generation). Use couldn’t be easier. Plug in your device(s) to the USB port(s) and press the indicator button.

Okay, I’ll start with the bad. The absolute worst thing I could say about the device isn’t about the unit itself. My carrying bag fell apart in a matter of days. The stitching along the pull strings (to close the bag) came apart. The next “bad” is it gets warm as it charges, which isn’t a real bad considering there’s not a single charging option where there is not some heat being emitted.

The good. What is there to say, it’s easy to use, it charges my devices (very quickly and sometimes multiple devices). I really like that it is jacket pocketable. The P1 definitely makes life easier and more worry-free while abroad.