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With all the shocks Pikachu has given Ash Ketchum over the years, it’s only natural to wonder if the electric mouse Pokémon would be any good at charging a cell phone. Teknofun’s officially licensed Pikachu Induction Charger attempts to answer that very question, and the results are mostly impressive.
The first thing Pokémon fans will notice with Teknofun’s charger is the product’s size; it’s really quite massive. When the box arrived at my house, I thought there must have been some kind of mistake, but Pikachu really is that big, dwarfing the size of the rest of my electric mouse merchandise. I assumed it would fit on my nightstand, but the item found itself nestled on the kitchen table, due to its awkward dimensions. Despite the inconvenient size, it’s a rather cute design, featuring Pikachu lying flat on its belly, with its tail against its head. The red lights on Pikachu’s cheeks light up whenever the charger is turned on, but they glow more brightly when the induction charger is in use.
Pikachu’s tail houses the unit’s induction (wireless) charger. The induction charger works with iPhone 8 and X models as well as Samsung Note 5, S6 edge +, S7, S7 edge +, S8 and S8+. For convenience, the induction charger is kind of nice, particularly when you’re just looking to get your phone a quick extra charge. Sometimes, it’s just easier to put your phone down, rather than tracking down a charger and plugging it in for a couple minutes. On the downside, I found that I sometimes had to move my phone around to find the “sweet spot” but, once on, it worked very well.
The charger also includes a receiving card adapter that will help Lightning cable-era iPhone models use the induction charger. By placing the provided piece in the phone’s outlet and placing the phone on its back, older iPhones charge on Pikachu’s tail just like the newer models. The inclusion is somewhat redundant since Pikachu also has three USB ports on its side, which work just as fast. It also kind of negates the convenience factor when you’re trying to make sure the piece is correctly in place on both the phone’s back and Pikachu’s tail. However, if you need to charge four items at once, or you just really want to experience the novelty of the induction charge, it could come in handy.
As far as speed goes, Teknofun’s charger stacked up well against my normal chargers. I used both interchangeably over the course of a few weeks, and I found no discernible differences in the amount of time it took to get my phone up to one hundred percent charge. Most importantly, it also worked through my phone case, meaning I didn’t have to remove my Otter Box in order to use the induction charger.
It’s kind of difficult to pinpoint the exact market for Teknofun’s Pikachu Induction Charger. Its large size makes it a bit less practical for older collectors, but its $49.99 MSRP likely puts it out of purchase range for younger gamers. Still, diehard Pokémon fans looking for a way to charge multiple devices in style can’t go wrong with this purchase: it’s cute and it works well. Just know you’re gonna have to make some space for it.
Teknofun’s Pikachu Induction Charger is now available for purchase from GameStop.
Nintendojo was provided this item for review by a third party, though that does not affect our recommendation. For every review, Nintendojo uses a standard criteria.
