REVIEWED: MOS Go power bank
Capable of recharging some laptops, this high-speed USB-C battery could be a useful inflight gadget for long-haul travel. But where’s the cable?
Ever sat on a long-haul flight with work to do and a laptop that’s quickly running out of juice? To the rescue for road-warriors comes the MOS Go power bank, a massive 12,000mAh portable battery that refuel a laptop. So what’s the catch?
Catch of the day
Sadly, there are exceptions. Only laptops with a USB-C slot can be recharged by the MOS Go, which instantly rules out … almost every laptop around. Featured on the new Apple Macbook but also on the latest Windows laptops, USB-C isn’t exactly common. What’s more, it’s only going to partially charge-up a laptop, so this is a gadget that could be handy on a long-haul flight – nothing more.
A lot of tech
There’s a lot to like about MOS Go. For such a large capacity battery it’s surprisingly small and lightweight (at just 290g). On one end there’s a USB output for recharging any phone or tablet, but here we come to the main ‘problem’ with USB-C; it terminates in a different way to older USB cables.
Cable woes
So if you already travel with an Apple Lightning cable and a microUSB cable, you’re going to have to add a USB-C cable to that list. The MOS Go has an input and output for USB-C, but to use them – and to refuel the battery itself – you will need to invest in a USB-C cable. Sigh. A microUSB input would have been nice.
Nice design
Nicely curved and clad in aluminium, the MOS Go is evidence that portable batteries are at last being more carefully designed, but for now this one is all about the size of its charge.
Great travel companion
With several charges for a phone and as future-proof as it gets, MOS Go can not only be an excellent travel companion – if you can stand buying a USB-C cable – but if you upgrade to a USB-C laptop, it’s capable of being a useful inflight gadget, too. However, a bundled USB-C cable would have been really, really nice …