Energizer’s humongous 18,000mAh smartphone failed its crowdfunding campaign by 99%

Avenir Telecom debuted a plethora of new smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC) earlier this year under the Energizer name, but none stood out more than the ultra-thick 18,000mAh Power Max P18K prototype. The company hoped to crowdfund the P18K “Pro” as the world’s longest lasting smartphone, but sadly the campaign fell short of a staggering 99%.

Intended as a successor to last year’s Power Max P16K Pro, it seemed as though the buzz around the P18K Pro would be perfect to help raise manufacturing money for the device. Unfortunately, Avenir Telecom’s lofty $1.2 million (£923,791) goal on Indiegogo didn’t seem to be within reach.

The campaign began wavering just one week in, managing to entice three backers to part with $2,725 (£2,343) of their money. By the month’s end, just 11 people believed in the Power Max P18K Pro, crowdfunding a final figure of $15,005 (£11,551), equating to 1% of the entire campaign.

Although the device had promise, allowing consumers to watch two days’ worth of continuous videos, listen to 100 hours of music or call for up to 90 hours, it was easy to see why it didn’t manage to capture the market. System internals were powered by a mid-range Helio p70 SoC and core features such as basic waterproofing were nowhere to be seen. This, paired with its humongous 22mm thick chassis made the handset rather unappealing.

However, Avenir Telecom hasn’t given up on the smartphone as it plans to continue refining the device. ““Although it didn’t reach its goal, we will work on further improvement on the P18K (design, thickness, etc.) as we do believe there is a rising interest for smartphones with incredible battery life, which can also be used as power banks.”

KitGuru Says: Battery life is a big priority for me when I choose a smartphone, but there is no way I would invest in something that would barely fit in my pocket. Should the same sized battery be housed in something slimmer, I might consider it.

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