Rechargeable Batteries with USB-C and 1-hour Fast Charge? Yes, please!

While everyone has been busy trying to recycle as much as they can at home (food waste, cardboard, bottles, etc.), there is one thing that you cannot recycle properly: batteries. What I mean by batteries is those single-use batteries like AAA and AA batteries

Did you know that 90% of these single-use batteries end up in landfills, leaking hard metals and toxins into the environment? Now, imagine having millions of these batteries being placed into landfills. Another concerning fact: Over 1 million of these single-use batteries are sold every day in Australia. Wow.

This is why you should start using rechargeable batteries to help the environment.

What if you don’t really care about the environment and the planet? Well, shame on you. But even then, there is an economical benefit to using rechargeable batteries. While they are usually more expensive initially, the investment pays off in the long term. Today, we’ll be looking at Paleblue rechargeable batteries, created by a Utah-based company.

PALEBLUE RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES REVIEW – PACKAGING CONTENTS

PALEBLUE RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES REVIEW – DESIGN AND FEATURES

These revolutionary new batteries are created with full-circle sustainability in mind but are also designed for performance and convenience. Normally, rechargeable batteries require a special charger and can take hours to fully recharge a single battery. But these Paleblue ones don’t have those quirks.

Their AA and AAA batteries, for example, only require one hour to be fully charged. If these batteries power something important, you’ll appreciate that you don’t have to leave them charged overnight and wait for hours before you can reuse them. Speaking of chargers, these batteries have USB-C slots, allowing you to charge them with a USB-C cable plugged into a power board, power bank, or even in a car.

A USB-C cable with four heads (one USB-A to four USB-Cs) is included, so you can charge all the batteries at once. It’s quite useful if you are using all four AA or AAA batteries to power a device. There is a built-in LED charging indicator so you’ll know exactly when they are charged. Each Paleblue battery requires 0.5A to charge (so 2A for all four) – make sure to check whether you have enough power output to charge all of them at once.

This is all made possible because Paleblue rechargeable batteries are made of Lithium-Ion, compared to the traditional Ni-Mh batteries that we are all accustomed to. This is the same Lithium-Ion battery technology powering your smartphone and other modern devices, which means you don’t have to worry about leaking batteries, their stability, and safety (Overload, Leakage, Short Circuit, Over Voltage, & High Temperature/Overheating Protection).

But are they really that good? Let’s check the specs of their AA and AAA rechargeable batteries.

Type: AA

Power: 2550 mWh
Voltage: 1.5V
Capacity: 1700 mAh
Charge Time: 54 Minutes (depending on charger specifications)
Cycle Rating: 1000+ Cycles

Type: AAA

Power: 900 mWh
Voltage: 1.5V
Capacity: 600 mAh
Charge Time: 60 minutes (depending on charger specifications)
Cycle Rating: 1000+ Cycles

Now, let’s take a look at the capacity here. Comparing the AAs to other rechargeable Ni-Mh batteries like Eneloop or Panasonic (they usually have around 2000-2500 mAh), Paleblue ones are lower in capacity. Similarly, Eneloop’s AAA has around 800-950 mAh compared to Paleblue’s 600 mAh. So in comparison, this means that Paleblue ones will run out of juice quicker than using traditional Ni-Mh rechargeable batteries. Ni-Mh rechargeable batteries also have around 2000-3000 Cycles, so it looks like they also have more life cycles than the Paleblue ones.

In real life, you probably still want to use high-capacity Ni-Mh batteries for important, high-powered equipment like cameras or video cameras. As a photographer or videographer, any downtime is bad, and these batteries also have lower capacity so you can run things out quicker than usual. Paleblue also advises not to use these on safety-related devices, and that makes sense.

However, these Paleblue Lithium-Ion batteries definitely have other advantages explained earlier. They are safer, don’t leak, are more convenient and faster to charge (one hour compared to 6-8 hours), and have a very low self-discharge. For day-to-day use at home (like to power your computer peripherals or toys), they are perfect. If you are using these batteries on low-powered, non-continuous-usage equipment, they will also last a lot longer thanks to the low self-discharge.

Lastly, they are also more superior and efficient in delivering power, which is better for high-performing devices.

Paleblue Rechargeable Batteries Review Conclusion

With every Paleblue battery you buy in exchange for an Ni-Mh battery, you are saving the environment one bit at a time – plus, depending on how and what you use them for, they would be more economical too in the long run. Paleblue batteries are Lithium-Ion batteries and unlike rechargeable Ni-Mh batteries we may have at home, these batteries are easier to charge, quicker to charge, and safer.

While they are smaller in capacity, they only take an hour for a full recharge and charging is done via USB-C for the ultimate convenience. Paleblue AA/AAA USB-C Rechargeable Batteries retail for A$49.95 for a 4 Pack. They also have the USB-C rechargeable 9 Volt, C, and D battery types.

Disclosure: Paleblue AA and AAA rechargeable batteries were supplied for reviewing