EBL USB Battery Charger Review

Manufacturer: EBL
Where to Buy: Amazon
RRP: £20.99

The Xbox Series controllers are undoubtedly the best on the market for comfort and usability, but one thing that is often shouted out as something people would like to see as an improvement is the inclusion of a built in battery. While the Elite Series 2 has gone down this route, for now, the standard pads still require a couple of AA’s to work. There are plenty of options out there for batteries to use, but ideally we want a quick and easy solution for rechargeable, and EBL have just the thing.

This 4-bay battery charger is as simple to use as plugging in via the included USB-A to Micro cable (or indeed, any such cable you currently have kicking around). It comes with 4 AA rechargeable batteries as well, and popping them in the device kicks off the charging instantly, the LED light showing Red to indicate juicing them up, and then Green when finished. It also supports AAA batteries too, though these aren’t included in this particular box.

I’ve charged all four batteries for use, but despite gaming every night for the last week and a bit, the two I put in first are still showing as mostly charged on the Xbox guide. I’ve put a good 20 hours in over this time (mostly playing Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, with bouts of Turbo Golf Racing and Shinorubi) and they show no sign of running out soon.

I’ve had mixed experiences with chargers in the past, either not charging batteries fully or breaking after a few months. Obviously I’ve only had this charger for a little over a week, but early impressions are good. These will definitely come in handy for the kids too, who are constantly forgetting to put their controllers on charge, and up until now I’ve had to forage for some new batteries or take them out of something else.

The form factor is nice and small too, barely bigger than the actual batteries, and it’s found a nice little home next to my other peripherals in my set up. At just over £20, this is a decent pick up for those looking for a way to keep their controllers charged and have them last for a long time.

Conclusion

Those looking for a good rechargeable solution for their gaming time would do well to check out this pack from EBL. It’s small, easy to use, and importantly the batteries have a great lifespan to them when charged.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.