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New Energizer phone can play videos for two days straight because of huge battery in back of handset

Bulging battery is nearly as thick as three iPhones on top of each other

Andrew Griffin
in Barcelona
Tuesday 26 February 2019 22:07 GMT
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A worker holds a new model of P18K POP Energizer phone, with 18,000mAh battery, at the Mobile World Congress wireless show, in Barcelona, Spain
A worker holds a new model of P18K POP Energizer phone, with 18,000mAh battery, at the Mobile World Congress wireless show, in Barcelona, Spain

A huge new phone that is almost entirely battery has shocked the world after being revealed in Barcelona this week.

The new handset was shown off at the Mobile World Congress industry event, drawing attention for the vast power brick that sits in its back.

Energizer's new handset is as big as its battery: though the phone can last for as long as two days playing videos, it requires a physically massive battery to do so.

At its biggest, the phone – and its battery – are 18mm thick. That is almost as big as three iPhones stacked on top of each other.

For all that size, the phone known as the P18K Pop has a 18,000 MAh battery. Those much smaller iPhones have batteries that are roughly 3,000 MAh.

The chunky new handset is being made by French phone company Avenir Telecom, which licenses the Energizer brand from the battery company.

The phone does feature some other notable features: a screen that sweeps all the way across the front of the phone, no headphone jack and an unusual battery that slides out of the top. But everyone who saw it remarked on just one feature in particular.

Tech website The Verge referred to the vast device as a battery that "has a phone in it".

Avenir said the new phone will go on sale in the summer.

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