XTAR is a company that deals in USB rechargeable batteries among other things. In this case they asked if I was interested in reviewing their 4150mwh AA batteries and giving them a review. I agreed, but as these reviews take time, this is a running review of how they work for me.

TL;DR – running review last update August 5, 2024

In the past I had three USB rechargeable brands in a row that were, to put it nicely, not what was advertised. Each was filled to the brim with 5 star reviews talking about how much people were going to save but never any follow ups other than that they stopped working a couple of months in.

But, I tried USB rechargeable back in the early days, and also some relatively early consumer rechargeables, and my experiences were the same – worked for a couple of months and then I had spent $20 before they broke to replace $5 worth of standard batteries.

My experience with one USB rechargable battery manufacturer also showed me that attempting to get any after sale service (for 4 out of 8 batteries) was not worth it.

XTAR contacted me and asked if I wanted to try their 4150mwh USB rechargeable batteries and I figured why not? I’d love to see if rechargeable batteries have reached a point where they actually will pay for themselves, power my devices properly, and last as long as a normal.

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What was in the box (August 5, 2024)

I received one XTAR Wall Adapter which is a Qualcomm 3.0 USB wall charger, 4xAA batteries and a charging dock for them.

While I don’t think you require the USB wall adapter, you do apparently require a USB output higher than my standing desk was providing and unfortunately I don’t have the specs on it handy at the moment. Batteries appeared to be charging and then the unit would shut off. Plugged it into the charger they sent and it seemed fine.

I believe the batteries were sent in a nearly charged state as charging did not take long. Only thing to really note here is that the indicators for charging (red) or charged (green) are difficult to discern at an angle.

Now to put them in things and see how they work…

On of my biggest gripes with rechargeables is that the ones I’ve had last about a week and are dead, so here goes… 2 in my utility flashlight, 2 in a kid’s toy. Flashlight light appears as bright as using my Amazon Basics AA batteries.

Availability

They can be found on Amazon for about $30, or roughly the cost of 68 AA Amazon Basics batteries. This means they need to survive 17 full cycles to break even.

Trying AA rechargeable batteries again (XTAR running review) by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.

XTAR is a company that deals in USB rechargeable batteries among other things. In this case they asked if I was interested in reviewing their 4150mwh AA batteries and giving them a review. I agreed, but as these reviews take time, this is a running review of how they work for me.

TL;DR – running review last update August 5, 2024

In the past I had three USB rechargeable brands in a row that were, to put it nicely, not what was advertised. Each was filled to the brim with 5 star reviews talking about how much people were going to save but never any follow ups other than that they stopped working a couple of months in.

But, I tried USB rechargeable back in the early days, and also some relatively early consumer rechargeables, and my experiences were the same – worked for a couple of months and then I had spent $20 before they broke to replace $5 worth of standard batteries.

My experience with one USB rechargable battery manufacturer also showed me that attempting to get any after sale service (for 4 out of 8 batteries) was not worth it.

XTAR contacted me and asked if I wanted to try their 4150mwh USB rechargeable batteries and I figured why not? I’d love to see if rechargeable batteries have reached a point where they actually will pay for themselves, power my devices properly, and last as long as a normal.

---

What was in the box (August 5, 2024)

I received one XTAR Wall Adapter which is a Qualcomm 3.0 USB wall charger, 4xAA batteries and a charging dock for them.

While I don’t think you require the USB wall adapter, you do apparently require a USB output higher than my standing desk was providing and unfortunately I don’t have the specs on it handy at the moment. Batteries appeared to be charging and then the unit would shut off. Plugged it into the charger they sent and it seemed fine.

I believe the batteries were sent in a nearly charged state as charging did not take long. Only thing to really note here is that the indicators for charging (red) or charged (green) are difficult to discern at an angle.

Now to put them in things and see how they work…

On of my biggest gripes with rechargeables is that the ones I’ve had last about a week and are dead, so here goes… 2 in my utility flashlight, 2 in a kid’s toy. Flashlight light appears as bright as using my Amazon Basics AA batteries.

Availability

They can be found on Amazon for about $30, or roughly the cost of 68 AA Amazon Basics batteries. This means they need to survive 17 full cycles to break even.

Trying AA rechargeable batteries again (XTAR running review) by Paul E King first appeared on Pocketables.