A single-output power bank, the Emie offers fast (10.5W) charging for a connected phone or tablet. A flat white Micro-USB cable is provided in the box, and if you’re charging an iPhone or other device with a proprietary connector you simply need to provide your own cable. A rectangular block with squared edges, the Memo is just a little taller, around the same width and about twice as thick as my Samsung Galaxy S6. This means the 218g Emie will slip into a pocket if necessary. It stands out from other power banks with its fun graphical design. We reviewed ‘Ice Cream’ and the Emie also comes in ‘Pop Art’, ‘Mountains’ and ‘Egypt’. The plastic casing has a rubbery soft-touch feel, and the device feels well made. No carry case is provided. Also see: How to improve smartphone battery life. Another thing we like about this power bank is that, in common with the OnePlus Power Bank, you simply shake it to activate the LED bar that shows how much power remains. The Emie has auto-on and auto-off, so you just plug in a device to begin charging and when it’s done it shuts off the supply. The LED bar itself, though, is a tad confusing. You’re supposed to work out how much power remains by whether it glows blue, red or green. So you’d assume green meant it was fully charged, red meant it was low, and blue was somewhere in between. According to the user guide it’s the other way around: a red LED means there is between 70- and 100 percent of power; green means there is between 0- and 30 percent of power; and blue is anything in between. So this is the one time green does not mean you’re good to go, and red does not mean stop. Also see: Best MiFi 2016.
Emie doesn’t specifically state that the Memo supports passthrough charging, but when we plugged it into the mains both phone and power bank seemed to charge. There’s a reasonably fast 1.5A/7.5W Micro-USB input for recharging the power bank, which you simply need to plug into a phone or tablet wall charger. Also see: Best desktop chargers 2015. Going back to that Samsung Galaxy S6, the Emie Memo should have enough capacity for just under three full charges. The average energy-efficiency for power banks is between 65- and 70 percent, so you should expect a minimum of 6,500mAh of usable power. To work out how many times that will charge your phone or tablet you ust need to know its battery capacity – the iPhone 6s, for example, has a 1,715mAh battery, which means you can expect around four full charges from the Memo. 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.
