Eco 3 Review

If you are looking for a lightweight charger for emergencies, then Juice is supposedly a reputable brand. You can easily pick one of these power banks from just about anywhere, from online retailers like Amazon to supermarkets like Tesco. One of my friends once even bought a Juice charger from a vending machine. His phone had died whilst trying to order an uber on a night out and there was one at the station. It’s this convenience and availability that makes them so popular. 

But first impressions were not great for me. I originally ordered a Eco 1, wanting to review the smallest one available. I was thinking it would be great for emergencies or to fit into tech pouches. When it arrived it didn’t work, with a full charge being quoted at 8 hours. I spoke to Juice who were happy to replace it and offered the Eco 2 instead, a product from the same range but the next size up in capacity. After waiting a few weeks for this to arrive with delays caused by postal strikes and the Christmas period. I found the Eco 2 didn’t work either. This time only charging Apple devices but being incapable of charging any android, disappointing as everything I own is android.

So once again it went back to Juice and they upgraded again to the Juice Eco 3. Meaning my review is now being released six weeks later than intended. I can’t fault Juice’s customer service, they were friendly and convenient all the way. However this hasn’t left me with the biggest vote of confidence in their product lineup. 

The Eco 3 is one of the smaller entries in Juices line of portable chargers made from recycled plastic. Handily all the models are numbered not by what is the latest model, but by the number of charges they can supply an average smartphone. 1 being the smallest with a single full charge (or less than in the case of my phone) however the largest is the exception to the naming rule with the ECO MAX capable of 7 complete charges when full.

Juice pride themselves on offering charges that are ready to go out of the box. Perfect for when you are in an emergency and a store is nearby. That certainly is the case with the Eco 3, although not full it was around 75% which is perfect if you’re picking one up in a shop to use immediately. All you have to do is plug in and go.

Although there isn’t a cable physically built into the device (a trend that is increasingly becoming amongst portable chargers) it does come supplied with a Micro-USB cable. This cable is so small though, and with Micro-USB usage almost non-existent, it’s pretty much useless. The cable is too small for it to be practical charging up the power bank from a outlet. It’s also a lot slower charging than USB-C which its capable of using, so really its inclusion is a bit of a oddity.

As I have mentioned I received two faulty products in a row. So it casts some doubt as to how good picking one of these up in an emergency would be. More than likely to you would have to pick up a cable that is compatible with your device (seriously who uses Micro USB in 2023?) Meaning your emergency is going to be costly.

So certainly this power bank won’t be winning any awards for its looks anytime soon. It is what it is, and its not ashamed about it. They have kept it clean and simple, I do like that they have a range of colours to choose from though it it wins some style points there.

In terms of length and width it’s quite a small charger that my anker series, but then it comes at the cost of it being a thick device. It’s not really a good or bad thing, it honestly just comes to personal preference. I wouldn’t say it’s a huge device as it’s designed to be portable. Personally I prefer longer and slimmer designs of Anker power banks, but I can see the appeal as it may fit into some smaller bags easier.

So the Eco 3 has a capacity of 10,000mAh, which I think is a sweet spot when it comes to portable batteries. Certain Airlines have a max capacity on them, but rarely does it exceed 10,000. Any less and it’s really for emergency use only as they are more suited for topping up devices rather than fully charging them. 10,000 gives you potentially a couple of full charges depending on your device, or even a full charge and then more than 50% of a second at least.  

At the time of writing Juice are selling the Eco 3 for £19.99. For a 10,000mAh power bank I would say that would be a fair price. They are an established brand, it’s not exactly a bargain but it’s not over the top expensive, it’s around the amount I would expect to spend.

This charger is simple, it’s no-frills and it does what it says on the tin (if you get one that works). If you need something that can charge your devices in an emergency, then this is an option. However if you have the time to research and buy online, then due to the quality issues alone I would recommend other brands. I wont be trading in my Anker Powercore III for a a Juice Eco anytime soon.