Sorbo USB Rechargeable AA Batteries

Over last decade powering and charging electronic devices has been changed significantly. Electronic devices became in general more energy hungry which lead to the introduction of power banks. Next to that, solar power made its way to the masses. But where portable energy all began: AA batteries. They are more than 100 years old and still going strong. Everyone needs batteries! Of course over the years the composition has been fine-tuned and they are more powerful than ever, but the principle is still the same. Until now. Sorbo did something wicked, they introduced Sorbo USB Rechargeable AA batteries. These batteries can be charged using an USB port. But also with traditional chargers like the Zanflare. We got enthusiastic and got a set of them, to found if it isn’t just a gimmick.

Specifications

Specifications as stated on banggood

• Input Voltage: 5V
• Input current: 500mA
• Charging Time: 1-2h
• Output no-load voltage: 1.5V±0.2V
• Output: 1A
• Capacity:1200mA ±10%
• Life: ≥3 Years
• Size: φ14.5*50mm
• Weight: 14g
• Type: AA
• Suitable for RC toy or or other AA power needed items.

Expectations

I know the brand Sorbo for its cleaning products. But this is another brand, named Wenzhou Sorbo Technology. It is a China based firm specialized in products like portable light and lanterns and power banks. So no expectations based on the brand, but based on the price the product should be more than decent.

Packaging

The USB Rechargeable batteries come in a retail cardboard packaging with mainly Chinese texts on it.

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Does it fit your mailbox?

Yes, easily.

What’s in the box

In the box you find the four batteries in a nice plastic case.

Features

• Suitable for RC toy or or other AA power needed items.
• One hour charging time.
• 2000 using times
• Smart Chip protection

Usability

I think it is safe to assume that everyone knows how to properly place and use an AA battery. The main feature of the product is how you charge it with its USB connector. Why hasn’t anyone invented this earlier?

You just remove the top of the battery and the USB connector will appear. You than can place it into an USB port and an indication LED will light up. When it is charging this LED is red, when the battery is full the LED will switch to the color green. Charging an empty battery takes about one hour.

Although a frequent user of batteries, I am not going to pretend I am a battery expert. I looked into how to measure batteries and what other people found when reviewing these Sorbo USB Rechargeable batteries. In the user reviews I read a number of these batteries were dead on arrival (of-course they were replaced within warranty) and some of them did not output 1.5 V. Another observation was that they had a relative high self discharge rate. So these were prepositions I can easily test on the batteries.

The first one was easy: none of the four batteries I received where dead on arrival. They all had at least some charge and I was able to recharge them. I measured them using my multi-meter to check the output voltage. They all output 1.5 V (rounded). For the last test (the high self discharge rate) I measured the output voltage again after leaving them charged for two weeks. It still remains 1.5 V. This is definitely not scientific but if the self discharge rate was really bad it would show a lower voltage here.

So the performance is what you expect from a recharging battery. I cannot tell if the overall quality of the new series of Sorbo batteries increased or that I was just lucky. But overall they perform good. And if they are dead on arrival, just contact the web shop and have them replaced.

Where to buy?