It’s become common practice for many consumers to upgrade to the newest smartphone only a year or two after the purchase of their last one.
While having the latest and greatest phone is a desire many of us have, the quick turnover can cause some perfectly good hardware to go to waste.
In steps ENLIGHTEN’s Better Re, an “upcycling” power pack looking to get a little more life out of your old smartphone battery.
The company is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter and so far has raised more than $42,000. A pledge of $49 will pre-order you a basic model, though the company also offers options with expansion packs and other add-ons. Delivery is planned for November this year.
For more information on Better Re check out the Kickstarter video below.
ENLIGHTEN, a company dedicated to finding sustainable energy solutions and lowering the impact on the environment, sees a problem with the large number of new lithium-ion batteries being produced. They are the batteries in our phones, tablets, laptops, and even the external power packs many people use to charge up when on the go.
So many batteries and many of them get thrown away before their full potential has been used. While ENLIGHTEN hasn’t come up with a solution for most of these used batteries, the company has found a use for the battery in your old smartphone.
The company claims that the average smartphone replacement cycle is 1.3 years, leaving tons of used batteries that still have around 80 percent efficiency remaining. ENLIGHTEN has dubbed these used batteries “sleeping smartphone batteries.”
Better Re is an external charger powered by your old smartphone battery rather than containing a battery of its own. The company boasts Better Re is universally compatible with all smartphone batteries on the market, no matter how small or big.
Take the battery out of your used phone, clip it into Better Re and that’s it. ENLIGHTEN claims your old battery can now charge any of your USB devices. Better Re also has a prolonged product life because when the battery has exhausted its efficiency you can replace it with another one.
While being able to recycle at least some part of an old phone is a great thought, not all smartphones have removable batteries. Samsung Galaxy models and iPhones are well-known examples of this. ENLIGHTEN does offer used batteries customers can buy for $10. The company claims all used batteries sold have been tested and are at 80 percent efficiency or better.
The amount of charge you could get from Better Re will depend on the battery used. The better capacity and condition of the battery, the better the charge. The rate your device can charge at will also be a factor. Better Re could end up working very well or very poorly, it just depends.
Image: ENLIGHTEN
Aira Bongco
this is definitely a need. I am glad that companies now went into upcycling as people are producing too much waste in a short period of time.