The Pixy Mini is small enough to fit in your pocket
When you’re going on a long trip, it’s imperative to take power chargers, adapters and power banks. But if you have to run out of the house without fully-charged devices, it’s nice to know you have a little extra battery power just in case.
That’s where the innovative Pixy Mini by Futurizta comes in. It can keep your smartphone, tablet and laptop alive without having to lug around a plethora of chargers, taking up valuable space in your pocket, purse or backpack.
Pixy Mini is an impressive power bank for its size, weighing in at only 98 grams. It supports QC 3.0 Quick-Charge, so it can fast-charge compatible Android and iOS devices – depending on battery size, you can go from empty to 60 per cent capacity in about half an hour. It can also charge a typical phone up to one and a half times and do so three times faster than a typical power bank.
Most chargers and power banks have one output for charging and one input for replenishing the unit’s battery. Pixy Mini has two ports – a standard USB-A and a USB-C – and can simultaneously recharge two phones or other devices. The USB-C can double as a recharge port, allowing Pixy Mini to be doubly useful.
Pixy Mini also features pass-through charging, so you can recharge the internal battery via its USB-C input while charging an attached phone or another device via the USB-A output. Just make sure you plug in the USB-C input first to charge the power bank, then plug in your phone via the USB-A port to activate pass-through charging.
The Pixy Mini is a mere 7.5 by 3.5 by 2.5 cm in size
Pixy Mini features a 20-watt output, which means it can recharge or power any smartphone or tablet – smartphones typically require five watts and tablets need 10 watts – and power some USB-C enabled laptops. For example, it’s capable of powering my 2019 13-inch MacBook Air. It won’t charge it – that would require 30 watts – but it’s fantastic when you need a little extra juice to keep going just a bit longer.
It’s advertised as having a credit card form. This is true with respect to length and width, but it’s not as flat as a card since it houses a 5,000 mAh battery. Still, at a mere 7.5 by 3.5 by 2.5 cm, it packs a powerful punch for its size.
It also has several safety features, including short-circuit, over-current, over-voltage and extreme-temperature protraction to prevent overheating.
This little impressive power bank is housed in a sturdy body with an LED indicator to display remaining capacity. When depleted, it can be fully recharged in about 90 minutes.
Pixy Mini comes with a USB-charging cable and retails for $49.99 with free global shipping and discounts available on multiple units. They make for great stocking stuffers.
It’s available from the official Futurizta site and Indiegogo InDemand (InDemand is the bridge between crowdfunding and commerce and is available to all campaigners after the original campaign goal is met).
Troy Media columnist Greg Gazin, also known as the Gadget Guy and Gadget Greg, is a syndicated veteran tech columnist, communication, leadership and technology speaker, facilitator, blogger, podcaster and author. Reach him @gadgetgreg or at GadgetGuy.ca. For interview requests, click here.
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