Samsung’s new cable lets you charge other devices using you smartphone

Samsung has a new accessory that will allow you to use your Samsung smartphone or tablet to charge other devices. This isn’t necessarily a new concept, there are products from Lenovo and other companies that offer this functionality, but it’s a new accessory from Samsung that the company will likely push with its family of gadgets. The product, officially dubbed the “Samsung Power Sharing Cable,” lets you move some of that extra battery life on your Galaxy S5, Galaxy Tab S, Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Avant or Galaxy Note 4 to any product with a microUSB port.

Samsung today launched a new accessory for its Galaxy line of products that isn’t just a gimmick but looks extremely useful: meet the Samsung Power Sharing cable for $19.99. In short, the cable lets you use select Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets to charge your other micro USB devices. Samsung lists the following compatible devices for being able to share power: Galaxy S 5, Galaxy Tab S 10.5, Galaxy Tab S 8.4, Galaxy Alpha, Galaxy Avant, and Galaxy Note 4. Thus if you bought a Galaxy device this year, you’re good to go. As for receiving power, Samsung promises that the cable is compatible with “any device that can be charged via Micro USB cable” (that means smartphones and tablets, but also wearables and Bluetooth headsets). The company does warn that there are limitations to the process, which requires Samsung’s Power Sharing app for Android. The full battery amount on your Galaxy device “cannot be transferred due to power loss or usage during the transfer process.” Nonetheless, if you can’t find a power outlet, and you don’t have a spare battery, this cable turns your Galaxy device into a savior.