Spigen SGP Kuel F60Q Backup Battery Pack Charger Review

Finding the right backup battery pack to keep your gadgets running can be a tiring search. With so many options to choose from, choosing the right pack all comes down to price and performance. It doesn't matter how good it looks because all you should care about is what's on the inside. Formally known as SGP, Spigen SGP's first battery pack offering is the Kuel F60Q, generously equipped with 6,000mAh of battery goodness. We love Spigen SGP's wide array of cases, but can the Kuel F60Q prove itself to be a valuable accessory you'll want to have in your gear bag?

The Kuel F60Q comes inside good packaging that's easy to open. Inside you'll find the pack itself with a USB to micro-USB charging cable for recharging the F60Q, and that pretty much sums it all up. You don't get the essential USB charging cable to charge up your iPhone, iPad or iPod that is included with almost every backup battery charger out there. And that's a bit of a letdown considering the F60Q's price tag. SGP skipped on the common charging cable in hopes that you'll be using your own. But when companies like Just Mobile include convenient short charging cables, the bang-for-your-buck dwindles down.

Perhaps what sets the Kuel F60Q apart from all the rest is its ability to be compatible with both Apple iOS and Android running devices insuring flawless support for either side. A little switch behind the door that covers up the micro-USB port used to recharge the F60Q is used to toggle between the OS running on your device. Which one should you choose if you plan on charging up a non-Apple and Android device isn't clear. Charging up other devices using the "Apple Charging" setting works just fine. Same goes when wanting to charge Palm, Windows Phone devices and so on and so forth.

SGP typically makes really good cases across the board no matter the device. The Kuel F60Q is another good example of that. This is one sexy looking battery pack I wouldn't mind saying. It's got a slim, rounded cylinder body with a high-gloss white finish reminiscent of Apple's white plastic products. The Kuel F60Q is really well built and looks to be tough enough to handle heavy use and tumbles inside gear bags while traveling across the world.

But sadly, all that glitters is not gold. The Kuel F60Q will set you back a whopping $125 setting it at one of the more expensive backup battery chargers considering it only packs 6,000mAh of battery capacity. 

SGP is using a Samsung made 6,000mAh Lithium-ion battery with safety features that will automatically stop charging once your device reaching a full charge. The Kuel F60Q features a single USB charging output, a slight drawback since there's plenty of juice to go around and spare room for a dual USB output ports for charging up more gadgets to save time. With that being said, we haven't reviewed many battery packs that boast more than a single USB charging port. To the F60Q's defense, its got a fast charging output of 5V (2A) and is itself a 10W charger. Pressing the power button once starts off the charging process. To stop, simply unplug your device or let the F60Q shut itself off once it has finished recharging your device.

As for performance, granted Spigen SGP has refrained from advertising any glorious claims, but putting the Kuel F60Q's 6,000mAh to the test, it was enough to charge a completely empty iPhone 4S fully twice plus was able to give an extra 35% charge. That's plenty of backup power to last you a few days if you've already fully charged up your iPhone or similar smartphone in battery capacity. As for the F60Q's ability to give life to a tablet, I've tested a fully empty iPad 2 with the F60Q being able to bring it back up to a 55% charged state. Not as impressive as the Gum Max and all of its 10,400mAh of batteryness, but good enough for a more compact backup battery pack to say the least.

You might say that comparing these two different backup batteries isn't all that fair, price and performance plays a big part here and the Gum Max clearly wins with more power for less at $110 and with more accessories included, respectively. But it is significantly more bulky and not as portable as the Kuel F60Q. Also, it isn't advertised to be compatible with Android devices. 

Four blue and might I add very bright LEDs serve as a battery status check when the power button is pressed. Not the most precise way of known exactly how much battery is left in the F60Q, but it's good enough. A red LED light will illuminate when recharging the F60Q back up and all four blue LEDs will let you know once charging is complete. Simple enough. 

Spigen SGP's Kuel F60Q backup battery pack is a great little performer in a sleek body, but it does lack accessories and is priced relatively high for what its got underneath all the white shiny plastic. Android users will most benefit from the Kuel F60Q as there aren't many backup batteries which fully support Android running devices. Unless you really like the compact form factor, think 6,000mAh is enough for you and aren't deep inside the Apple gadget ecosystem, the F60Q isn't the best choice for you considering the steep $125 price tag. If only had it been more competitively priced, we would have had no trouble recommending it. 

Spigen.com