You would have used a device powered by lithium-ion batteries, they are in pretty much everything portable. And unless you have been a hermit and totally off grid for the past two decades or so, you would likely have heard of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery fire risks. Airlines have limited them to carry on only and up to a certain capacity.
ChargeCore, a sub brand of Aussie brand Laser, has recently launched an Australian first – a LiFePO₄ powerbank range, the ChargeCore SafeCharge Max.
WTF is LiFePO₄ why not all batteries are the same?
Lithium Iron Phosphate. The chemical symbols for Lithium (Li), Iron (Fe), Phosphate (PO₄ 3-) combined, is a subtype of lithium-ion batteries that we are using.
A throwback to high school physics. Or chemistry. Or both.
All batteries have the same fundamental design. Think of your average AA battery. You have a positive end and a negative end. If you put the batteries in the wrong way, your device doesn’t get powered.
The positive end is called the cathode. The negative end is called the anode. Which end is positive and which end is negative is interchangeable depending if you are draining the battery, or charging it. That is a highly simplified explanation.
In the case of LiFePO₄, this is the cathode. The anode is typically carbon and the electrolyte is a lithium salt in an organic solvent.
LiFePO4 batteries are often considered safer compared to Li-ion in fire risk research due to their chemistry, which is less prone to overheating or exploding. The battery is more stable and less prone to thermal runaway and overheating issues.
Not so fun facts. US FAA listed 89 incidents that involved lithium battery just in 2024. Most recently on 28 January 2025, Air Busan Airbus 321 caught fire on the tarmac at Gimhae International Airport (Busan, South Korea).
Fire suppression systems such as Halon 1301 or oxygen starvation are generally not effective at stopping a thermal runaway event such as those caused by lithium-ion battery. This is why you see so much concern and footage of EV fires. They are extremely difficult and problematic to extinguish.
I personally know people who’s iPhone has caught fire whilst on charge overnight. And I have had lithium-ion power banks swell on me.
Why LiFePO₄?
Phosphate based batteries, compared to your “basic” Li-ion type, offers superior chemical and mechanical structure and does not overheat to unsafe levels – the thing that causes thermal runaway and then carry the fire and explosion risk.
If you want to geek out, Iron phosphate-oxide chemical bond is stronger than the cobalt-oxide bond. When a battery is overcharged or subjected to physical damage, the phosphate-oxide bond remains structurally stable. In contrast, cobalt-oxide and other types of lithium oxide bonds beings to break down and as a chemical reaction, release excessive heat.
Lithium phosphate cells are incombustible, and can withstand harsh operating conditions such as heat and cold or transport over rough terrain.
Additional bonus, LiFePO₄, batteries contains no rare earth metals, are non-toxic and non-contaminating.
Oh, LiFePO₄, batteries life span can last up to ten years when managed in the right conditions. Every mobile phone users know that lithium-ion would last two to three years before your screen on time start to suck.
It’s the magic answer to portable power!
Well not quite. Because LiFePO₄ has a lower energy density compared to lithium ion. What is energy density? It is the amount of energy stored within a given volume or mass of a battery. Or more simply, how much energy a battery can hold relative to it’s size or weight.
Where Li-ion has a typical energy density between 100 – 265 Wh per kg, LiFePO₄ sits around 90-120 Wh per kg.
It is also, at the moment, more expensive compared to Li-ion.
First Impressions
ChargeCore was kind enough to send me their 5000 mAh and 10000 mAh versions of their SafeCharge Max range. It is also available in 20000 mAh size.
I used the 10000 mAh for this review because it came in the coral sunset colourway, or kind of pink.
It is a rectangular unit, a little narrower and shorter than my Pixel 8 Pro and just a little thicker.
On the business end is two USB-A and one USB-C port. ChargeCore has also included a 30cm three-in-one cable. USB-A on one end, two USB-C and a Lightning connector on the other end. It is capable of charging three devices at the same time, but only out of the USB-A port.
There is a little display on the top left corner to show you the percentage.
The design is very smartphone-sque, and little Miss A has a number of times came to my desk and go, ohh, pink phone.
On the packaging ChargeCore makes a mention of the shell being made of fire-resistant ABS V0+. I find that a little amusing when LiFePO₄ is essentially incombustible.
ABS is a type of plastic with good strength, impact resistance and holds it’s shape. The V0 designation means this variant has been engineered with fire-retardant properties in line with the UL 94 V-0 specific flammability standards. It has excellent resistance to ignition and self-extinguishing properties, and is primarily focuses on horizontal burning characteristics.
In Use
It’s a powerbank and there is little to say about it.
A few things I have noticed though, and this is hardly scientifically measured, is that it feels like the power draw on the battery bank is faster than what I am used to.
Granted that I normally pack a 25000 mAh unit in my work bag so there is that difference. Having it charge my earbuds instead of a phone saw it discharge at a much slower rate.
I left it charging the Aspera Nitro2 overnight, which packs a 5000 mAh battery. I was a bit surprised to find that the ChargeCore was showing completely drained in the morning. I would not have imagined a phone that does barely anything most of the time, would discharge enough to run through 10000 mAh of juice overnight.
The USB-C port is rated at PD20W. 20W of goodness that is rated to charge an iPhone 16 to 50% in 30 minutes. The caveat is that you have to bring your own USB-C to USB-C cable to do that. The included cable is USB-A only. You can’t utilise the two USB-C ports on that to make things work.
Bringing it back to the point made earlier that LiFePO₄ has a lower energy density. As can be seen in the photos below next to a 10000 mAh Belkin, it is roughly the same volume. The ChargeCore would be just a little bigger overall but not unreasonably so.
Conclusions
I am all for better battery technologies, particularly when they are safer and a longer functional lifespan.
The ChargeCore SafeCharge Max is a no-frills power bank with nothing remarkable function wise. But they are an Aussie first LiFePO₄ powerbank, and delivers on the benefits that comes with the LiFePO₄ technology.
I would like to see the next gen to come as Qi2 compatible. That said, the pricing of the current range is very reasonable so it is not a deal breaker.
The SafeCharge Max by ChargeCore is now available at Laser.co, Harvey Norman and Amazon.
- 20,000mAh | RRP $69.95 | Available in Black Titanium and White Titanium
- 10,000mAh | RRP $49.95 | Available in Black Titanium, White Titanium, Aquatic Awe, Sunset Coral
- 5,000mAh | RRP $29.95 | Available in Black Titanium, White Titanium, Aquatic Awe, Sunset Coral
DRN would like to thank ChargeCore for providing the review units.
Key features at a glance
- Temperature Resilience- Performs better in temperature extremes compared to lithium-ion
- Recyclable- Uses Phosphate instead of less recyclable Metal oxides
- Non-Toxic- No toxic Cobalt, Nickel, or Lead
- Lighter- 70% lighter than Lead Acid and 30% lighter than Lithium Ion.
- More Charge Cycles- Up to 5000 charge cycles
- Safer- Will not explode if dropped or punctured
- Long Lasting- 5x longer than Lithium Ion
- Fast Charging- 85% in under 90 minutes
