Phones used to last days and sometimes a week on a single charge, but in the smartphone era, that’s a dream long past. Many of the best handsets out there can be lucky if they last a full day, but usually not much more beyond that. If you want to return to these good old days and value battery life above literally anything else, Energizer’s new 28,000mAh smartphone brickphone might be for you.
While other smartphones, no matter the price, are becoming sleeker and ever-better looking, Energizer’s Hard Case P28K goes into the opposite direction. At 570g and a thickness of 27.8mm, it feels more like a small brick than a filigree accessory. The rugged plastic build adds to that aesthetic that’s more in line with a work tool than a phone. But the form factor comes with the single huge advantage of a 28,000mAh battery that, according to the manufacturer, can last up to 2252 hours on standby or 122 hours of talk time. That’s roughly 94 days and 5 days, respectively. The phone only charges at 33W, with the company saying it takes just 1 hour and 30 minutes to top up.
Beyond the stellar battery life, the Hard Case P28K is decidedly entry-level. It’s powered by a Mediathek MT6789 and comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. On the front, an IPS screen gives you a Full HD image at a size of 6.8 inches. The camera setup comprises a 64MP primary and a 20MP ultra-wide as well as a 2MP auxiliary sensor. When it comes to software, we’re looking at Android 14.
In the end, the phone is more of a showcase of what you can do with phones when you don’t care about ergonomics and pocketability. The P28K is definitely not something you’re going to like to hold in your hands and use for extended periods of time. It’s likely a better fit for extreme use cases, like for people who are off the grid for extended periods of time and don’t want to worry about charging their handset with an extra battery. The rugged design and the IP69 rating make that clear.
Energizer previously attempted to build a phone like this before. At MWC 2019, as covered by The Verge, the company introduced an 18,000mAh phone with similar dimensions. Unfortunately, the 2019 edition failed to materialize due to a missed crowdfunding goal. It’s possible that it just didn’t have a big enough battery to woo the public. After all, 18,000mAh is absolutely meager compared to 28,000mAh.
If you want to get your hands on the massive P28K, you won’t even have to spend as much money as you may think given the specialty form factor. In Europe, it’ll be €250, which is roughly $270.
Update Feb 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM ET: More charging speed and specs details added.
