Sandberg Active is a recently launched line of products that aim to make your tech experience, whilst outside a much more favorable one. Products in this range are designed to greatly withstand the obstacles that mother nature has placed in the great outdoors. One of the latest products in this range is the Sandberg Active Survivor Powerbank Pro 15600, which just like other products in the range has been designed to take on the great outdoors while coming out of the other end unscathed.
As you would expect from any product designed for the outdoors, the Survivor Pro features a rugged design that consists of a thick plastic/rubber hybrid shell with more grooves than an eighties disco room. Down each side are three metal studs that add to the overall badass-ness of the design. A rubber flap covers the four ports on the top and next to this sits a fairly sized LED torch. The front is home to the Sandberg branding, a power button and a series of LED lights that light up in a particular order to give you a rough idea of how much power remains within the power bank’s internal 15600mAh battery. The black and green color scheme really does suit the product and the Active badge, given that it’s similar to a camo effect, which is associated with the outdoors.
With this rugged design, comes a slight downside. When compared to other power banks, this one is quite big and bulky with dimensions of 166 x 90 x 34mm and a weight of 536g. The size and weight, mean it’s not exactly pocket-friendly and instead you will find it much easier to keep it stored in a backpack. That said there is a clip located on the top corner, which can be used to attach it to your bag.
A true outdoor warrior, this would not be, if it was afraid of a bit of rain or dirt. Thankfully, this isn’t the case at all as the Survivor Pro comes equipped with an IP68 certified rating. IP68 means the device is dust/sand proof and is also waterproof. Note I said waterproof and not water-resistant, which means the Survivor Pro can hold off against even an accidental drop in a river as well as a drenching from the heavens above.
The Sandberg Active Survivor Powerbank Pro 15600 has a total of four USB ports. Two of which are standard USB-A ports, for connecting any USB device, while the other two consist of one USB-C port for USB-C devices and a microUSB port, which is used to charge the battery inside the power bank. Each of the ports for charging external devices features Quick Charge 3.0 for charging compatible devices in a much shorter time period.
The built-in torch is a neat feature that is very likely to come in handy in the great outdoors, particularly when camping. It’s incredibly bright and produces enough light to brighten up dark areas. It has three modes, static, slow flash and fast flash. Turning the torch on or off is simply a case of pressing the power button twice in quick succession, whilst pressing it once, while on cycles through the three different modes.
With a capacity of 15600mAh, the Sandberg Active Survivor Powerbank Pro 15600 can charge most standard Android devices up to 5 or 6 times from a single charge. Of course, this figure varies depending on the capacity of the devices or devices plugged into it. I have tested this myself by successfully charging my own phone fully from flat a total of 6 times from a single charge to the power bank itself. Each time a full charge of my device while connected to the Survivor Pro took about 2 and a half hours. Of course, charging times do vary and if you own a device with Quick Charge 3.0 you’ll be able to fully take advantage of much quicker charging times.
Overall the Sandberg Active Survivor Powerbank Pro 15600 is a power bank that can’t wait to get outside and take what the world has to throw at it. With a rugged design and an IP68 rating, it is ready, even if you’re not.
Pros
- Rugged design
- IP68 rating
- Multiple ports for charging more than one device at a time
- Built-in torch
Cons
- Large and bulky, so not pocket-friendly
