Page 4 - Conclusion
To borrow Dragonforce's well known song, we threw the EMTEC Power Connect "through the fire and flames", but did it carry on? To be honest, the Power Connect came out a little singed after our tests. The EMTEC Power Connect seems to check off all the right boxes on paper. It has a decent sized battery, as it is capable of fully charging the larger battery capacity devices. There are a lot of good connection options too, allowing both wired and wireless connectivity. Considering you can access files off USB drives and external hard drives is a big bonus too. It is also really cool to see the Internet passthrough. The fact users can access the device and the outside Internet without needing to change connections is a great feature. This is also a pretty cool combination. To allow for media sharing on mobile devices, in addition to charging the device seems like a swell idea. However, the problems lie in the execution. Design wise, the Power Connect is a fingerprint magnet. The rubber collects dust easily too, which detracts from the overall appearance. Missing in action are features commonly found in other portable batteries, such as power level indicators or a higher current output. Also, the 300 cycle rated battery does not seem like a quality cell. Then when it comes to the application, the EMTEC Connect Android app is inconsistent, with its random force restarts and lack of automatically synchronized pages. It works but there are a lot of needed bug fixes. Finally, when it comes to actually charging devices, the EMTEC Power Connect is capable of handling lower current draw devices, but the lacking 2.1A support affects tablet charging. According to online retailers, the EMTEC Power Connect can be found for around $60 USD, which is an okay price for a power bank and media sharing combination. However, cheaper alternatives are out there to solve a similar problem. Users could just purchase a USB OTG drive for file sharing and a power bank to charge. Do not get me wrong, I think EMTEC has a good product idea. However, the Power Connect needs several more paint coats of refinement for its colors to shine brighter.
EMTEC provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Review Focus Summary:
6/10 means A product with its advantages, but drawbacks should not be ignored before purchasing.
5/10 means An average product with no real advantages; drawbacks and advantages just seem to cancel each other out.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 5.5/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
The EMTEC Power Connect is a unique concept, but novelty needs to be accompanied by execution for a great product.
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Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
