Lion Eclipse charger review: Powerful, but flawed
The Lion Eclipse charger from Lion Energy is a powerful, multi-device charger with 27,000mAh of power, but with big issues.
Lion Eclipse Charger
Lion says its Eclipse charger meets all TSA guidelines for safe airplane travel and doesn't emit toxic fumes or gasses.
The Eclipse offers 3-in-1 wireless charging capabilities with pads for an iPhone, AirPods, and an Apple Watch. It also has three USB ports to charge devices with a cable.
It's not a good choice for portability, given its weight, unless someone wants to use it for strength training. It looks cool, though, with a rectangular design and slanted edges that make it look like a stretched hexagon.
The charger has one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, and three pads to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods
The Eclipse charger has one USB-C Power Delivery port with an output of up to 85W and two USB-A ports at 10W each. Wireless charging pads include a 15W iPhone charger, a 5W AirPods option, and 2W for an Apple Watch.
During the initial test, it eventually started working, but it only charged a device for approximately 15 minutes and then shut itself off. The same happens with wireless charging pads. However, the USB-A ports are happy and even grateful to charge devices.
The USB-A ports work fine for charging
Given the 15-minute timeout, we couldn't time how long it took the Eclipse to power our iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 7, and AirPods Pro 2. But the output of 10W for the USB-A port charged our iPhone in just over three hours and roughly two and a half hours for the AirPods Pro.
We didn't have a USB-A cable for the Apple Watch, so we couldn't charge it with the Eclipse.
The charger is active as evidenced by the indicator lights, but the USB-C port no longer works
Regarding the wireless charging, we reached out twice to Lion's customer support over the course of one month. They said there was a batch of the chargers with a software defect, and they would send them back to the manufacturer and mail a new one.
However, they haven't responded since the last message three weeks ago. Lion Energy has an email and a phone number to contact customer support, but potential customers might want to look elsewhere.
Similarly, the charger is active, but the wireless capability doesn't work
Additionally, after waiting a month to find out what was wrong with the charger, we did some testing again to see if anything changed. Now, the USB-C port doesn't work at all anymore, and neither do the wireless charging pads. But the USB-A ports still work fine.
Read on AppleInsider
Lion Eclipse Charger
Lion says its Eclipse charger meets all TSA guidelines for safe airplane travel and doesn't emit toxic fumes or gasses.
The Eclipse offers 3-in-1 wireless charging capabilities with pads for an iPhone, AirPods, and an Apple Watch. It also has three USB ports to charge devices with a cable.
Lion Eclipse - Design & Specifications
The charger weighs a hefty two pounds, measuring 8.5 inches in length, 3.5 inches in width, and 1.3 inches in height. Lion says the Eclipse is small enough to fit in a pocket, purse, backpack, or briefcase.It's not a good choice for portability, given its weight, unless someone wants to use it for strength training. It looks cool, though, with a rectangular design and slanted edges that make it look like a stretched hexagon.
The charger has one USB-C port, two USB-A ports, and three pads to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods
The Eclipse charger has one USB-C Power Delivery port with an output of up to 85W and two USB-A ports at 10W each. Wireless charging pads include a 15W iPhone charger, a 5W AirPods option, and 2W for an Apple Watch.
Lion Eclipse - Putting it to use
It's a powerful charger, to be sure, but we quickly ran into some issues. At first, the USB-C port didn't want to charge anything, although Lion says it's an input and output port.During the initial test, it eventually started working, but it only charged a device for approximately 15 minutes and then shut itself off. The same happens with wireless charging pads. However, the USB-A ports are happy and even grateful to charge devices.
The USB-A ports work fine for charging
Given the 15-minute timeout, we couldn't time how long it took the Eclipse to power our iPhone 14, Apple Watch Series 7, and AirPods Pro 2. But the output of 10W for the USB-A port charged our iPhone in just over three hours and roughly two and a half hours for the AirPods Pro.
We didn't have a USB-A cable for the Apple Watch, so we couldn't charge it with the Eclipse.
The charger is active as evidenced by the indicator lights, but the USB-C port no longer works
Regarding the wireless charging, we reached out twice to Lion's customer support over the course of one month. They said there was a batch of the chargers with a software defect, and they would send them back to the manufacturer and mail a new one.
However, they haven't responded since the last message three weeks ago. Lion Energy has an email and a phone number to contact customer support, but potential customers might want to look elsewhere.
Similarly, the charger is active, but the wireless capability doesn't work
Additionally, after waiting a month to find out what was wrong with the charger, we did some testing again to see if anything changed. Now, the USB-C port doesn't work at all anymore, and neither do the wireless charging pads. But the USB-A ports still work fine.
Lion Eclipse - Pros
- Has a high capacity to charge devices for a long time
Lion Eclipse - Cons
- Only two ports charged devices
- Its weight is suitable for only a few travel adventures
- Certain chargers stopped working after a month
Rating: 2 out of 5
Pricing
The Lion Eclipse charger is available to purchase for $149, which seems like a fair price for 27,000mAh. That is -- if every charging feature worked.Read on AppleInsider