Samsung's new Power Sharing cable lets you use your Galaxy device as a backup battery

[Himanshu Arora]

Samsung has launched a new accessory that allows you to conveniently transfer power directly from select smartphones and tablets to any Micro USB enabled device. Priced at $20, the Power Sharing cable, as the company has dubbed it, can draw power from some of the company's latest Android-powered devices, including the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Avant, Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and 8.4, and the Galaxy Alpha.

The cable has micro USB connectors on each end, with arrows on the tips for you to make sure that you have connected it correctly, and the power is flowing in the right direction. Link one end to a compatible Samsung device and the other to any Micro USB device that you want to charge.

There is also a Power Sharing app that not only lets you monitor the charging progress, but also allows you to manage the amount of charge you want to transfer. Although the new Power Sharing cable, which is available only in white, can be used to charge a variety of devices, it is primarily aimed at charging a smartwatch from its paired Samsung smartphone.

Aside from Samsung's latest product, Huawei's Ascend Mate II, which the company showed off at CES earlier this year, is also capable of charging other devices with its huge 4050mAh battery.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/58178-samsungs-new-power-sharing-cable-lets-you-use-your-galaxy-device-as-a-backup-battery.html

 

[Kibaruk]

I'd rather spend those $20 on a dedicated battery, so I could charge both the smartwatch and my phone without discharging neither.

 

[yRaz]

I'd rather spend those $20 on a dedicated battery, so I could charge both the smartwatch and my phone without discharging neither.

I have 5, 2500mah portable chargers that I got on dealextreme last year for $10 each. A cable is a little easier to fit into your pocket, but not by much.

Also, how is this cable any different than a 2 sided micro USB cable? You can get those online for less than $5. I'm not trying to hate on samsung here, I love samsung, I just don't understand how they can charge $20 for a glorified micro USB cable.

 

[Lionvibez]

So drain the battery in your watch to gain 25% charge on battery lol makes sense.

A charge stick is a far better idea and one that matches the capacity of your battery even better.

 

[Jamesbrah]

I'd rather spend those $20 on a dedicated battery, so I could charge both the smartwatch and my phone without discharging neither.

I have 5, 2500mah portable chargers that I got on dealextreme last year for $10 each. A cable is a little easier to fit into your pocket, but not by much.

Also, how is this cable any different than a 2 sided micro USB cable? You can get those online for less than $5. I'm not trying to hate on samsung here, I love samsung, I just don't understand how they can charge $20 for a glorified micro USB cable.

It's probably no different, but that's where companies make a lot of their revenue - on accessories. Chargers are already priced at this price point (with Apple charging an even higher premium) so consumers are happy to accept these prices. Honestly $20 seems okay compared to how it could have been..

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

$20 for a cable is nuts. Honestly I'd rather buy a portable charger if I ever needed to charge a device OTG.

 

[Kibaruk]

I have 5, 2500mah portable chargers that I got on dealextreme last year for $10 each. A cable is a little easier to fit into your pocket, but not by much.

Also, how is this cable any different than a 2 sided micro USB cable? You can get those online for less than $5. I'm not trying to hate on samsung here, I love samsung, I just don't understand how they can charge $20 for a glorified micro USB cable.

Since the article tells about a cable with ARROWS to differentiate where it charges from and what it charges, it IS a different cable than the normally found for $5.

It should have a special circuitry to tell where the charge is headed to, which should also have safety implemented to avoid overheating, overcharging, overvoltages, etc.

It's almost like asking why should I pay $10 for a brand charger when I can get a chinesse ripoff for $2, and I say ALMOST because in this case neither of them have the same functionality.