TYLT Flipstick review: Stylish all-in-one portable USB-C charging

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TA-ratings-92Given the demands we put on our portable devices like smartphones these days, portable battery packs are almost a necessity. However, if you’re like me, you might find yourself scrambling to find a USB charging cable to either recharge the battery pack or connect it to your smartphone. Our TYLT Flipstick review takes a look at a stylish, portable 3,350 mAh USB-C battery pack which includes all the cables you need built into one unit.

Specifications

The TYLT Flipstick has the following features and specifications:

  • USB-A for charging battery pack
  • USB-C for charging devices (Lighting and Micro-USB also available)
  • Power indicator
  • Charged and ready to use
  • Capacity: 3,350 mAh battery
  • Output: 1A
  • Dimensions (HxWxL): 5.25″ x 1″ x 1.25″

What’s in the box

  • TYLT Flipstick USB-C (or Lightning or Micro-USB) Portable Power Pack
  • Instruction Guide
  • Warranty Card
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What’s included…

Design

The TYLT Flipstick has a pretty compact design. The main outer surface is covered with a soft rubbery material, in the case of our USB-C Portable Power Pack review unit this material was a medium gray in colour. One end of the main unit is rounded, and the other is capped with a bronze plastic cap.

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The TYLT Flipstick Portable Power Pack.

Inset into the middle of this is a short, roughly 3″ USB-C cable with the TYLT wordmark debossed (a depressed imprint) into it. This cable is permanently connected to the power pack and tucks nicely into the main body of the unit. Just above where the USB-C connector sits when set into the main unit is a dimpled button which, when pressed, lights up to four LED lights above it indicating how much charge is left on the power pack. Just above the lights is the TYLT icon.

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The USB-C connector sits nicely inside the main unit.

Above the TYLT icon, at the end of the main unit is the bronze cap. Coming out of one end of the cap is a black USB-A cable — about 3½” long — which loops back and docks itself into the bronze cap, forming a looped handle of sorts. The USB-A cable is coated with the same soft rubbery material as the main unit is.

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The USB-A end loops back and connects to the main unit when not in use.

Overall, the TYLT Flipstick is a nicely designed, comfortable to hold portable power pack.

Ease of Use

As with most portable power packs, the TYLT Flipstick is pretty easy to use. It comes pre-charged and ready to use. To charge your USB-C enabled device, simply slide the USB-C cable back a bit then lift it out of the main unit and plug it into your smartphone (or other device). Once plugged in, your device should start charging. When charging is complete, simply push the USB-C connector end back into the cutout area on the portable charger and push it forward slightly to dock it into place.

To recharge the battery pack, simply pull the USB-A cable out of the other end and plug it into a USB wall charger or computer to recharge.

Performance

The TYLT Flipstick works as expected, however, it only outputs 1A. Depending on what you’re doing while charging the phone, the Flipstick may not have an adequate output to charge your phone while using certain apps or functions. During our testing, it at least slowed down the battery drain from the phone which would allow you to use your device for longer. For best results it’s better to use the Flipstick to charge your device while it’s not in use. Given the charging input capacity of most smartphones and other devices, it would have been nice to see at least a 2A output from the Flipstick when charging.

Battery Life

With a 3,350 mAh battery, the TYLT Flipstick should have no issues recharging most smartphones at least once, depending on the battery capacity of the device. For the most part, this should be more than enough to get you through the day — or possibly two days — before having to find a power source to recharge your phone or the Flipstick. Recharging the TYLT Flipstick from empty takes about 3 hours.

Price/Value

With an MSRP of $39.99USD for the USB-C or Lightning version and $29.99USD for the Micro-USB version, the TYLT Flipstick is definitely more expensive than other 3,350 mAh chargers on the market. However, its premium feeling look and compact design coupled with both the integrated cables you need to charge the Flipstick and your smartphone definitely makes it worth the price.

The TYLT Flipstick should be available in early May from the TYLT website.

Wrap-up

The TYLT Flipstick is a nicely designed, portable power pack which integrates the cables you need into the device so you don’t need to worry about having to search for charging cables when you need to use it or recharge it.

*We were sent a sample of the TYLT Flipstick USB-C Portable Power Pack for the purposes of this review.
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