Energizer P18K Pop With 18,000mAh Battery Spectacularly Fails to Raise Funding Target

The phone only managed to raise 1 percent of the funding needed.

By Ali Pardiwala | Updated: 1 May 2019 12:10 IST

Highlights

The Energizer P18K Pop did not meet its Indiegogo funding target
The phone was announced at MWC this year with an 18,000mAh battery
The phone is unlikely to receive a consumer launch now

The Energizer-branded device was showcased at MWC this year

Energizer is a well-known name in the battery market, making among the best disposable batteries around. It's a name you associate less with smartphones, but indeed Energizer-branded smartphones are a thing. French smartphone maker Avenir Telecom has licensed the brand, and announced the Energizer P18K Pop smartphone with a massive 18,000mAh battery at MWC this year. However, a failed Indiegogo funding campaign that achieved just 1 percent of its target means that the phone is unlikely to see a consumer launch after all.

The Energizer P18K Pop was listed on Indiegogo with a funding goal of $1.2 million and priced at $549 (approximately Rs. 38,400), but received only $15,005 in pledged support. This means that the project won't receive any funding, and all pledges will be cancelled, considering that the project received only 1 percent of its funding goal. Although Avenir Telecom could easily manufacture and market the device if it was so inclined, the lack of interest on Indiegogo could mean that the project is shelved entirely.

The smartphone from Avenir Telecom managed to raise a few eyebrows when it was showcased at MWC earlier this year, largely because of its massive 18,000mAh battery. The large battery also makes the phone considerably thicker than most other devices today; an odd form factor at a time when devices are getting thinner. The device also has a pop-up dual-camera setup at the front, and a triple-camera setup at the back, with a 6.2-inch full-HD+ screen and a MediaTek Helio P70 SoC. While the draw of week-long battery life might have been tempting for some, the phone didn't quite have the pizazz to make it worth its rather high asking price.

Avenir Telecom currently holds the brand licensing rights for the Energizer brand, and uses it to market battery-focused affordable smartphones the world over. The P18K Pop was an experiment in pushing the boundaries in both battery capacity and pricing, but it's clearly not something a lot of people wanted.