Portable charger for iPad - HELIO

Can HELIO charge your iPad or Tablet?

That’s a common question here - how much can we power with HELIO - and the answer is based on battery sizes.

The quick answer is, YES, HELIO can put electricity into your tablets through its USB outlet. However, we want to remind you that HELIO is a device for off-grid use and emergencies. The battery storage in HELIO is smaller than the batteries found in most iPads and tablets (Surface, Fire, etc). Therefore, it will transfer energy to your device, but it will not be able to fill it completely. Additionally, it is not desirable for Li-ion batteries to be discharged completely so one would not want to transfer all of the energy in HELIO to the device.

Since HELIO is great in off-grid and emergency situations, the priority of device charging often comes secondary to lighting, and the priority between devices is likely to be given to a phone rather than a tablet.

In an absolute emergency, HELIO can add power to your tablet, but you might be better equipped if you dedicate that energy to lighting or a smaller device with communication capabilities, like a mobile phone.

If you want to get into the technical details, look at battery sizes on your devices. Most portable device batteries are measured by milliampere hours, indicated by mAh. HELIO, for instance, has a battery that is 5200 mAh (or 5.2 Ah). Many smartphones have between 2000 and 4000 mAh batteries while tablet batteries can be in the 10,000 - 13,000 mAh range. This means that the amount of energy in HELIO might fill two smartphones, but it might take two HELIOs to fill a tablet.

HELIO can charge your tablet, but in an emergency, do you really need it?