Our trip to London and Dublin is in less than three weeks, and I have so much to do to get ready.
First, I am hoping that the new covid booster will make the last hurdle today, so I can make an appointment ASAP. Jeff got covid either in the airport in Raleigh where we spent 4 hours waiting for our delayed flight or else on the plane. I was so lucky not to get it. But Jeff now has 3 months of immunity, and my last covid booster was in April. Because covid is on the rise again both in the U.S. and in Great Britain, I want to get that shot!!
Next, I am thinking about packing. I’m taking a large-ish suitcase, and a tote bag with an removable cube. Although they should hold a lot, I’m the one who has to carry them. Ugh. But going on vacation as the weather and temperature changes means being ready for hot and cold, sun and rain.
One of the things that I thought might make my trip easier is an on-the-go charger for my phone. Although I can charge the phone every night at the hotel, I’ll be using it all day long to help us navigate the city: walking through the streets, taking the tube, taking the bus, calling an Uber, finding where we’re headed next, looking at maps, reading menus etc.
Although I already have an Otterbox portable Magsafe charger or Power Bank that I bought a couple of years ago, it doesn’t hold the charge for more than a day, so I constantly have to charge the charger. When I bought it, I bought the least expensive of the Otterbox power banks (3000 mAh), and that probably was a mistake. It isn’t strong enough to do more than top off my phone rather than charge it all the way.
Clutch Charger Pro for iPhone
As usual, I fell for an ad I saw over and over again on Facebook. The Clutch Charger. The Clutch is touted as the thinnest phone charger: a little larger than credit card and a bit heavier than a credit card at 2 oz (must lighter weight than the competitors). It works with the magnetic Magsafe ring on my iPhone 13 Pro Max, so it is easy to attach and carry around. The iPhone Pro Max in its Casely phone case with the Clutch magnetically attached still fits in my back pocket. When I’m not using the Clutch Pro, it fits in my wallet.
Before purchasing the device, I read all the reviews on the Clutch which were, by and large, extremely positive. Then Clutch introduced the Clutch Pro that’s 50% stronger at 5000 mAh. So when they had their most recent 20% off sale (Labor Day, I think), I went for it.
The Clutch Charger is made for iPhones and also for Android phones. It comes in three colors: black, white and pink. I went for pink, no surprise.
It arrived in a small minimalist pink box containing:
- the Clutch Pro charger
- a black dual end USB-C cord to charge the charger
- a tiny black credit card size card with 3 steps in mouse type to help you prepare to use the Clutch.
Unfortunately, either they didn’t tell me or I didn’t notice that it doesn’t come with a USB-C wall plug to charge the Clutch. The first step before using the Clutch is to charge it. Boo. I don’t have a USB-C wall plug. I might have been able to attach the Clutch to my iPhone and plug the iPhone into my lightning cord and attach that to my USB-B wall plug and see if that would charge the Clutch as well as the phone. But fortunately, the cord that came with the Otterbox power bank had a USB-C/USB-B power cord that I could plug into my wall adapter. Yay, all set at least for now.
Once the Clutch was charged, I wanted to try it out on my iPhone. I put it on the back of my Casely case, and it didn’t connect to the Magsafe magnet like the Otterbox does. Hmmm. I put on my reading glasses to read the black card with the tiny usage steps on it. Step 1: Charge the Clutch. Done. Step 2: Push the little button to see the 4 little white lights light up to confirm that the Clutch is charged. Done. Step 3: Charge your phone. Hey, not so easy. What am I supposed to do to get it to attach to the Magsafe and start charging? It doesn’t say!
I’m usually pretty good with tech things, but this took me a while to figure out by trial and error. Actually, it isn’t that hard if I knew what I should be looking for. Or if I went to the Clutch website for info!
Unlike the Otterbox power bank that attaches magnetically and wirelessly and starts working automatically, the Clutch has a tiny plastic cord with a lightning connector integrated into the device. You just have to know that you need this before the Clutch will charge!
Along the top edge of the Clutch on the end with the 4 little white charging lights, that’s where this small plastic cord is. I opened it, took out the mini-cord and plugged the lightning connector into the bottom of my iPhone. It made a little noise the way it does when I charge my iPhone via the wall plug. Easy peasy once you know that you need to do that. Why in heaven’s name didn’t Clutch print that on the credit card size instructions??
Charging my iPhone with the Clutch Pro takes about 20 minutes to charge my phone to 100% if the phone is almost empty. That’s a lot faster than charging with the Otterbox.
The Clutch Pro comes with a one year warranty, and they sell additional accident protection if you want it. I went with the one year warranty it comes with. Frankly, I wonder if the built-in tiny cord will last more than a year, but I’m looking on the bright side.
The Clutch Pro is priced at $49.99. With the 20% off and the tax, I paid $42. There’s fast free shipping. I decided to buy a USB-C wall adapter to charge the Clutch, so Jeff can use the Otterbox (that came with the USB-C/B wall adapter).
For me, all’s well that ends well so far with my little new Clutch Pro.
If you’re looking for a lightweight, pretty fast mobile phone charger, head to the Clutch Charger website and check it out. Now instead of 20% off, Clutch seems to be offering 20% cashback.
I’d never figure it out. I’m not a techie plus I have an old iPhone. I didn’t realize you were leaving so quickly. It’s so exciting. I hope the new Covid vaccine is approved soon since I’m due for one too.
Actually, we leave in about 2 weeks. I just have so much to do! My friend let me know that the vaccines got the final approval today. In fact, I made my appointment for the booster on Monday at CVS. I’m so relieved! (Happy New Year, Marcia, to you and yours! I hope this is a much better year for us all xo)