Clunky powerbanks and external batteries have become more commonplace than ever, what with most smartphones being unable to hold a full charge for a full day. Most of us smartphone users have essentially become ‘slaves to the cable’, lugging around all these gadgets and wires to keep our smartphones alive so that we can constantly play games on our phone or snap photographs of our food all day long.
Luckily for iPhone 5/5s users, Shenzhen-based HEVO Labs has come up with Cabin, a slim aluminum portable battery that requires (gasp!) no wires and attaches magnetically to the iPhone via a special microadapter for the Lightning port. However, the Cabin is not yet on shelves or available to purchase – as is the trend these days, to ensure that you have a chance at getting the Cabin, you’d have to be a backer on their Kickstarter campaign.
The Cabin does not wrap around the iPhone like cases from its competitors – the sleek unibody aluminum case means it doesn’t add much thickness to the width of your phone. To use the Cabin, one simply attaches the microadaptor to the iPhone’s port before snapping the phone onto the Cabin. The 2200mAh battery in the device also purportedly extends battery life by about 130%.
Naturally, the Cabin’s design is very reminiscent of the convenient Magsafe magnetic snap-in functionality on the Macbook. As wonderful as the Cabin may sound, it is unfortunately only compatible with the iPhone 5/5s at this point (Sorry, 5c users). HEVO Labs also stated in their campaign that they are “currently taking advice about legal steps and adjustments to avoid” any infringement, and also admitted that the Cabin “must pass a variety of security certifications and licenses after manufacturing”.
If you are an iPhone 5/5s user, and are optimistic about the challenges the creators of the Cabin may face in the manufacturing process, head down to their Kickstarter campaign to grab yourself one. At the time of writing, the campaign has amassed $170,548 in pledges with 15 days to go, surpassing its original goal of $50,000 by about 250%.