My Disappointing Experience with the UGREEN Magnetic Version
Not quite a year ago I tried buying the UGREEN Magnetic Mobile Battery since I had bought a MagSafe case for my Samsung Flip6 & thought it would enable me to use it just as well as an iPhone might. Unfortunately that did not go well. Even after charging it overnight. I was not able to get a full charge off that power bank despite it being 10,000 mAh & the Samsung Flip 6’s battery being 4,000 mAh. It also caused a worrying amount of heat in the process.
This was a very disappointing experience & I ended up returning the battery. I had initially intended to buy this wired UGREEN Uno 10000mAh instead, since it was undeniably more compatible with Samsungs, but at the time I did not have a particular need for a mobile battery so I kept putting off, even as sales dropped the price significantly, thinking I could always just buy it whenever.
The Return of the Need for a Portable Charger
As winter hit & I discovered heated clothing, the need for a mobile battery returned since the Zippo one I bought in 2019ish died & the Belkin one nearly that old was slow to charge & fast to discharge. With more devices relying on power on the go than ever, finding a dependable portable charger in Japan became essential.
My Search for the UGREEN Uno 10000mAh Amid Shortages
I thought I would just jump back on Amazon — where I had purchased the magnetic one — but, when I did, it was nowhere to be found. There was a newer slightly different one (the PB525) with double the capacity but it was not what I was looking for.
So I went to the official UGREEN website which links to Amazon. There I discovered the listing showed as “Currently unavailable.”
Online Retailer Searches
Thinking it was strange, I tried searching online for other retailers but, even then, it was hard to find — with only the purple one having any sort of availability. Specific searches on Amazon.co.jp for “UGREEN Uno 10000mAh wired power bank” mostly turned up magnetic variants instead. confirming the wired model’s scarcity.
In-Store Hunt at Bic Camera in Tokyo
So I checked the nearby Bic Camera, where I had previously bought one as a gift for someone else. They had a lot of empty boxes which you have to take up to the register in order to purchase the actual item, so I figured they had a decent amount in stock.
I tried to check out that way, only to be told that they were completely out of stock. However, there was another Bic Camera location about a 10-minute walk away where I could buy it. In the process of explaining this, the salesman showed me his phone displaying the stock availability of the other locations. There were only two locations that were not completely blacked out indicating that the item was no longer available on a wide-spread level.
I went over to that over Bic Camera & had to do quite a bit of searching before I finally found it, but there was one last one. So I bought it.
As far as I am aware Ugreen is one of the most widely known & best-selling mobile battery manufacturers. It was really shocking that it was so difficult to get hold of this model in Tokyo.
Theories on the Power Bank Shortage in Japan
I tried conducting some additional research, but could not find any solid reason for this shortage — no recalls or other discontinuation announcements. I was previously aware of the DRAM shortage causing price hikes & other supply chain availability issues for any sort of electronic devices which require memory — from phones to gaming systems to computers — but I did not imagine that those would affect mobile batteries.
Given that this particular mobile battery has a display which has animated emojis based on the amount of charge remaining, I thought that perhaps there was some sort of memory-related component that made this particular model unavailable. However, further research indicated that no significant difference existed between this & a normal battery in terms of memory: none.
I am at a loss for why this has become such a rare item. Still, I am glad I was able to get what appears to be one of the last ones available in Tokyo. There are other bigger & better batteries out there, including others from Ugreen, but I wanted this one since I had already given one as a gift & wanted to match with the person I gave it to.
Performance Review of the UGREEN Uno 10000mAh
Now that I’ve used it, here’s my take on how this portable charger performs in real life. It is a lot better than the MagSafe one had been. It super-fast charges my phone without issues. The integrated cable is a nice feature. & the animated emoji indicator is a fun way to determine the charging status at a glance.
Pros and Cons
To help others considering this rare mobile battery, here’s a quick list:
- Pros:
- Fast & reliable charging for Samsung devices.
- Built-in USB-C cable eliminates the need to buy/carry one.
- Animated emoji display adds a playful touch to checking battery levels.
- Compact size ideal for daily carry in Tokyo.
- Cons:
- Potential shortages make it hard to find.
- No wireless charging unlike iPhone-focused magnetic models.
Overall, if you also manage to snag a UGREEN Uno 10000mAh amid these Japan-based shortages, it’s worth it for compatibility & features!
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