How to choose a Power Bank: tips and reviews. What to look for when choosing a power bank What types of power banks are there?

If you decide to buy a power bank, then our recommendations will allow you to choose exactly what you need.

Alas, the days when you could charge your phone a couple of times a week are left in the early 2000s. Most modern smartphones, for example, those based on Android, have difficulty surviving until the evening when actively used. And sometimes at the end of the working day they are completely discharged to zero.

If you are familiar with the situation when you urgently need to recharge your mobile phone, but there is no outlet nearby, then a special external battery called power bank. I suggest you find out today what this thing is and which one is right for you.

What is a power bank

A power bank is, in fact, an additional battery that allows you to power any portable devices via the built-in USB port. Modern power banks appeared not so long ago (around the end of the 2000s). However, their prototypes were created back in 2001. They were a small hollow capsule into which a AA battery or battery of a similar form factor was inserted and were called:

Power tubes still exist, but since the mid-2000s, the capacity of one battery has clearly become insufficient. Therefore, various developers began to combine several lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries in their devices. True, with the increase in capacity, the weight of the power bank inevitably increased, reaching up to 1 kg in some models!

And at the end of the 2000s, rather bulky lithium-ion batteries were replaced by flat lithium-polymer (Li-Pol) batteries. With the new batteries, power banks have become much lighter, and by combining up to 3 (and sometimes more) batteries in one case, they have been able to significantly increase the capacity without much increase in size.

A modern power bank can look different. Miniature models like the power tube are small in size, comparable to a tube of lipstick or even a keychain. Such devices allow you to simply recharge your phone a little during the day and usually last for no more than one charge. Usually they buy power banks that can charge a standard smartphone 2-3 times. As a rule, these are small flat boxes, which may also have a solar battery on one of their faces.

True, there are cooler power banks. They are usually more “plump”, have a display with an accurate charge display and can deliver a higher current (up to 2 A), which is suitable for charging tablets. In general, today there are power banks for every taste, requirement and budget, so let's delve into their differences in more detail.

Main characteristics of power banks

One of the main characteristics of a power bank is, naturally, its battery capacity. This indicator determines how many times you can charge your smartphone or tablet away from electrical outlets.

The capacity of a power bank, like batteries of other mobile devices, is indicated in milliamp-hours (mAh or mAh). In principle, the larger it is, the better, but if you see inexpensive Chinese devices with values ​​of 15,000 mAh or more, then most likely these values ​​will be greatly inflated. Unfortunately, it is impossible to check the actual capacity of a portable charger before purchasing, so it is better not to buy obviously suspicious models at all.

The minimum capacity of a power bank that is suitable for you can be calculated by knowing the battery capacity of the device you plan to charge. Let's say I have a 2200 mAh battery in my smartphone. This value must be multiplied by the energy conversion loss factor, which is approximately 1.3. As a result, we find out that the minimum power bank capacity for one full charge should be at least 2200 * 1.3 = 2860 mAh.

Let's do the reverse calculations. Let's say we decide to buy the popular model Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 10400. Its declared capacity is 10400 mAh. Accordingly, we divide it by the battery capacity of your smartphone (mine is 2200), and then by a factor of 1.3. We get approximately 3.6 charges, that is, three full and one at 60%. It’s enough to forget about sockets for three or four days :)

Another important characteristic that should be taken into account when choosing a power bank is delivered current strength. Most smartphones today use 1 ampere current to charge. In principle, you can charge with a low current (for example, 0.5A from the USB port of a computer or laptop), however, in this case, charging will last almost half as long as usual.

If you plan to charge, for example, a tablet from a power bank, then the required current strength is usually higher and amounts to 2 or 2.1A. Accordingly, when charging from a 1A port, the tablet will either charge very slowly or will not charge at all (especially if a low-quality cable is used for charging, causing additional current losses). Therefore, a universal model with two USB outputs of 1 and 2 amperes may be a good choice:

In addition to the above-mentioned characteristics, it is also worth paying attention to the type of battery in the power bank. It would be better if it was lithium polymer. Such batteries have a number of advantages over earlier models (for example, nickel-cadmium): lighter weight, greater capacity with the same dimensions, and the absence of the so-called “memory effect” (you can read more about different types of batteries).

Additional properties of power banks

The battery in a power bank is one of the main elements, but in addition to it there are a number of characteristics that are worth paying attention to secondarily.

An important property of an external battery is its dimensions. Today there are models, as they say, for every taste and color. There are low-capacity power banks the size of a credit card or key fob. They are more suitable as a souvenir than a real device. And there are quite impressively sized high-capacity metal boxes, the charge of which is enough for more than one full charge cycle!

If you like to travel and you don’t just need a pretty thing, I would recommend paying attention to good quality aluminum power cans. Such devices are usually not afraid of falls and negative environmental influences (dust, moisture, etc.). The downside of this choice can only be significantly greater weight, so in this matter you need to adhere to the “golden mean”:

In addition to shape and size, you should also pay attention to complete set power bank. Most models come with a short USB to microUSB cable. It is suitable both for connecting traditional Android devices to a power bank, and for charging the external battery itself.

This configuration is, in principle, sufficient if you plan to charge only a smartphone or tablet on Android. However, to charge Apple devices you will need additional cables or adapters. Some power bank models are equipped with several USB cords or even universal adapters for any connectors, which are popularly called “Gorynych serpent” or “10 in 1”:

In addition to cables, the package may also include various fastening mechanisms: carabiners, rings, tapes, etc. The presence of such additions is not particularly important, but, nevertheless, if they are there, they obviously will not hurt.

The last thing to note is additional functions. These include the presence of an LED flashlight, an informative display (instead of traditional light charging indicators), a solar battery, etc.

By the way, regarding solar battery. The charging speed of most power bank models from China from the sun is only 200 milliamps per hour. Through simple calculations, we can find out that in order to accumulate a charge sufficient to fully recharge a 2200 mAh smartphone battery, we will need the power bank to lie in direct sunlight for at least 11 hours (and taking into account the loss coefficient for energy conversion of 1.3, about 14-15 hours).

Roughly speaking, the power bank must lie in the bright sun from dawn to dusk just to charge the phone! I think there is no particular point in paying extra money for a dubious function. Unless you suddenly find yourself on a desert island and you want to charge at least a little there :) So, if you take a power bank with a solar battery, then you need to choose models with a large (usually folding) solar panel and be sure to look at the value charging speed.

Power bank instructions

So, you have decided to buy a power bank. It should come with instructions, but these instructions are often not very informative. But inexpensive Chinese devices may not have it at all, or it will be in Chinese :) Fortunately, most power banks are not particularly difficult devices to operate. Therefore, some general operating principles can be used for them.

Buttons and indicators

The bulk of power banks in their arsenal have only one power button "On/Off" and several LED indicators, which indicate the battery charge level.

A characteristic feature of the devices is that the button almost never works to turn off the power bank. It always works, but when it is not charging or the device is not charging, the power bank goes into standby mode. Pressing the button allows you to forcefully wake up the device, for example, to view the level of remaining charge.

Also, if your power bank is equipped with an LED flashlight, then double-pressing the power button will turn the light on and off.

As for indicators, there are usually from 3 to 5 of them (although there may be exceptions in any direction). By the number of diodes currently glowing, you can judge the percentage of charge remaining in the range from 0 (not a single LED is lit) to 100% (all LEDs are lit). It is recommended to charge the power bank when only one indicator remains lit.

Some powerbanks, when the charge reaches the end, begin to flash the last LED. And models with a solar battery may have an additional diode of a different color (for example, green or yellow), which lights up when charging from sunlight begins.

Inputs and outputs

The minimum set of ports on a power bank case is 2: a standard USB connector for connecting charged devices (usually labeled as “Output”) and a microUSB socket for charging the battery itself (“Input”). A single output port provides a current of 5 volts with a power of 1 ampere, and the input port accepts a similar current of 1 or less often 0.5A.

As mentioned above, more advanced models may have several outputs. For cheaper Chinese power banks, both of them supply a current of 1A, and for more expensive devices, one of the ports will be designed for charging tablets with a current consumption of 2A. For even more advanced power banks, the number of outputs can reach 6, and to speed up charging, such devices can have two incoming sockets at once!

How to charge a power bank

One of the most popular questions is how to properly charge a power bank. In principle, I have already given you coverage of the problem of charging batteries of different types more widely. Here I will just briefly summarize.

Most power banks use lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries. Both of these classes of batteries do not have the “memory effect” that not entirely conscientious sellers threaten users with. Accordingly, most power banks do not need so-called “training”. And even moreover, a complete discharge only harms such devices, destroying the internal structure of the battery.

For peace of mind, after purchasing, you can almost completely discharge the power bank (before the last indicator blinks or up to 5-10% on the display), and then fully charge it, keeping it connected to the network for about an hour after the 100% charge indication appears (the so-called "drop" charging). After this, simply recharge the device periodically, without letting it completely discharge, and it will serve you faithfully for quite a long time (unless, of course, it is a cheap Chinese counterfeit).

Results

If you have at least one modern smart device that runs on a battery, sooner or later you will think about where to get a portable charger to recharge it away from civilization. And just a power bank can be the ideal solution in your case. The main thing is to choose it correctly.

I think it’s better to spend money on buying a high-quality external battery, so that later you won’t be excruciatingly painful for wasted money and a broken phone or tablet as a result of poor charging. Therefore, if you decide to buy Chinese equipment, then only from a trusted manufacturer. Although I am not a supporter of “brandism,” this is exactly the case when it is better to trust world-famous developers.

P.S. Permission is granted to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

How long does your smartphone last without recharging? Two days? Day? Yes, you are lucky! My phone doesn’t always last until the evening without recharging. Especially for those who actively use mobile gadgets, digital electronics manufacturers have released a new class of devices - Power Bank or in Russian: an external portable battery. This is a very useful thing that takes up very little space and will not allow you to be left without communication at the most inopportune moment. I want to talk about the main technical characteristics and give some tips on how to choose the right Power Bank for your smartphone or tablet, so that it best meets your requirements and serves its owner faithfully for a long time.

Basic parameters for choosing a power bank

Let's look at the most basic technical characteristics of pocket batteries for phones, the choice of which will directly determine its operation and benefit for you.

Battery type

Currently, two types of batteries can be used in power banks:

• Li-ion(18650)
• Li-Polymer

Li-ion batteries have been used for quite a long time and have proven themselves well, thanks to their fairly good capacity and high reliability.
Later, a more modern and technically more advanced alternative appeared - lithium-polymer batteries (Li-pol, Li-polymer). The main difference between a Li-pol battery and a Li-ion battery is the base electrolyte used in it. In the new model, it is no longer a liquid, but a dry and solid polymer composition, somewhat reminiscent of foamed plastic.

In terms of operation, the main differences between them are:

1. Number of charge-discharge cycles. For Li-ion, its value usually does not exceed 1000 times, but for Li-pol the indicator is much better - on average up to 3000 times, and on the most expensive models - up to 5000 times.
2. Loss of capacity. Li-ion power banks gradually lose capacity from the first months of use. This was not noticed with polymer batteries. In addition, Li-ion has a higher self-discharge rate.
3. Temperature. As a rule, Li-ion samples heat up more during operation. At the same time, Li-pol does not work well at low temperatures and is poorly suited for working in the cold.
4. Price. A power bank with a Li-ion battery is much cheaper than a similar one with a Li-pol battery.
5. Capacity— In Li-ion, the energy density is higher, which means the capacity is much higher.

Which one should you choose?! I would recommend a model with polymer batteries. It will last longer. But on the street it’s still better to keep it under a jacket.

Battery capacity

Battery capacity is measured in mAh (milliampere/hour). Here I think that everyone knows that the higher the mAh value of an external battery, the longer it will work. But when choosing a Power Bank, you should not look at cheap Chinese models that say 50,000 mAh or even 100,000 mAh - such huge figures are unrealistic! Especially for 1500-2000 rubles. This is a scam. Look at high-quality models with a capacity of 4000-5000 mAh. They will be more than enough for you.

Another point - you need to correctly count the number of charges. For example, the battery of your smartphone is 2000 milliamps/hour, and the power bank has 10,000. Using simple mathematical calculations, it seems that the number of charges will be 5. But that was not the case. It is necessary to take into account the battery conversion of the Power Bank and the condition of the smartphone battery. As a result, at best we will get 3-4 charges. But that's not bad either!

Charging speed and output current

A power bank can have multiple charging output slots with different current ratings.

1 AMP: Can charge 1 smartphone at decent speed
2 AMP: Can charge 1 smartphone at high speed
2.4 AMP: Can charge 2 smartphones at optimal speed
5.4 AMP: can charge 2 tablets at optimal speed

The output voltage of the power bank should be equal to the output voltage of your device. If it is smaller, charging will not occur!

Brand

In recent years, Chinese gadgets that have a fairly low price have been gaining more and more popularity in our country. But don’t be tempted by this! Good things, even on AliExpress, are expensive. If you want a good quality device, choose a Power Bank from a well-known manufacturer:

A-DATA ASUS Energizer GP GygaByte Hiper Huawei Lenovo LG Remax Samsung Sony TP-Link Meizu Xiaomi

Of the “second wave” Power Banks, you can more or less trust the following brands:

Anker Canyon Hama InterStep iWalk Nobby SmartBuy

These are all more or less honest producers. In the specifications, on the manufacturer’s official website, pay attention to whether there is a number of full charges for iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, etc. Honest people write these numbers. Dishonest people usually hide. If you want to buy a Power Bank from a renowned manufacturer, then order through the official website, otherwise you may run into a fake.

This article will tell you which is the best Power Bank to choose for your smartphone.

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This article will tell you about what a Power Bank is, how to choose it, what it is needed for, and how to use it.

Modern technologies have made great strides forward, but this also affected smartphones, the capabilities of which are very extensive today. But since smartphones perform important functions such as making calls, sending messages, video calling on Skype, and many also use them as a navigation device, the battery capacity is sometimes not enough even for 2-3 hours.

Therefore, many manufacturers of the same smartphones decided that the idea of ​​​​creating an external battery in the form of an additional charging source is not at all bad, and implementation is also clearly important for many smartphone users.

What is an external battery or Power Bank?

An external battery or Power Bank is a portable charger that has 18650 lithium-ion batteries and is also equipped with a special case that houses the batteries. The phone charging outlets are 2 USB connectors, usually on 1A And 2A.

In more detail, then Power Bank- This is a class of universal mobile chargers. In this case, the versatility is due to the fact that this device is suitable for almost all modern digital and mobile devices that use charging via a USB cable.

Mobile called because this device is quite capable of charging any mobile or digital device without recharging to the network.

How to choose a Power Bank?

First of all, most external batteries differ from each other only in capacity, expressed in milliamp-hours (mAh), which is essentially the most important characteristic of any external battery.

Therefore, it is the amount of capacity that determines how much the external battery will weigh, as well as what its final dimensions will be.

In most cases, power banks use lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries. Their difference from others is that they have excellent performance characteristics, low self-discharge current, and maximum specific energy intensity.

Therefore, you should choose a specific model and capacity of an external battery based on the device for which it will be used.

For example, if you are going to use an external battery to charge your smartphone, then you should pay attention to "power banks" with capacity from 2500 mAh, and if you want to charge your tablet with it, then look at the capacity from 5000 mAh.

How long will it take to charge a smartphone using a Power Bank?

Many users use the usual formula, thanks to which they supposedly find out how many full charges of a smartphone an external battery will last. But you should understand that a power bank with a capacity of 9000 mAh will not be able to charge the battery 3000 mAh exactly three times, he can definitely do it twice. Because all batteries have a minimum self-discharge, and therefore, over time, the batteries begin to lose their previous characteristics.

It is worth remembering that no external battery is capable of delivering 100% of its capacity.

What details should you pay attention to when purchasing a Power Bank?

A very important parameter in the characteristics of an external battery is the charging current. A huge number of external batteries are capable of delivering a charging current in the range from 0.5 to 2 A. Therefore, when choosing a power bank, be sure to take this parameter into account.

External batteries are usually available with two USB connectors, one of which is intended for smartphones, with a charging current of 1 A, and the second for tablets, with a charging current of 2 A. But if you connect to an external battery to simultaneously charge two smartphones, then then the charging current for each connector will be 1 A.

Pay great attention to how the external battery itself is charged; many Chinese power banks are charged via an outlet, but it will be much more convenient if, instead of a plug, there is a standard microUSB, which is included in the kit for standard charging of a smartphone. It is also recommended to choose an external battery with a high charging current, because as you understand from mathematical calculations, you can determine that if the charging current is 500 mAh, and the battery capacity will be 15000 mAh, then complete Charging will take 30 hours.

There are external batteries with solar charging panels, which are at the same time very economical and convenient, especially if you travel very often and it is impossible to charge the external battery via the network.

This is perhaps the main parameters that need to be taken into account when purchasing an external battery. After all design, style, body, material- these are parameters, the choice of which is already on the buyer’s side, and their role does not at all play on the functionality and capabilities of the external battery, but only differ in their beautiful and attractive appearance.

Any person at least once in his life has encountered the battery of an urgently needed electronic device that was discharged at the wrong time, and many of us experience this kind of trouble regularly.

The way to solve the problem is simple - you just need to get a compact external battery, recharge it in a timely manner and don’t forget it at home when going on business. We offer you a rating of the best external batteries of 2018 - the first half of 2019, based on reviews from experts and ordinary buyers. Just don’t forget - to choose the best external battery, you need to realistically assess your needs and choose a device with optimal capacity. As a first approximation, its value should be twice as high as the corresponding battery indicator of the gadget that is supposed to be charged most often.

External battery capacity - what does it mean?

When indicating the rated capacity for their external batteries, manufacturers write the truth, but not the whole truth. For example, the 13,000 mAh declared for the Canyon CNE-CPB130 actually has a built-in battery. Only you can fully charge a smartphone with a 4,000 mAh battery with such a power bank only twice. The fact is that the nominal capacity here means the energy reserve accumulated by the device’s battery at its operating voltage. In this case, it is approximately 3.7 volts, which is noticeably lower than the value defined by the USB specification. And to the extent that mobile equipment has to be charged through this particular interface, the internal voltage is converted to standard 5 V with a proportional decrease in the available capacity. In addition, part of the energy is spent on the operation of the corresponding electronic circuit. For reference, current external batteries use lithium-ion (3.6-3.7 V) or lithium-polymer (3.85 V) batteries, and the efficiency of the converters ranges from 0.9 to 0.95.

Thus, knowing the “capacity” of the batteries of a power bank and a smartphone, it is easy to calculate how many times you can charge the second device with the first device. To do this, the nameplate value of the capacity of the external battery must be multiplied by the operating voltage of its own battery (if the type is unknown, take 3.6 V), divide by 5 volts of the USB interface, and multiply the result by the efficiency (set to 0.9). As a result, we will get the useful capacity of the device, which can be used when charging.

To complete our example, we have (13000 * 3.7 / 5) * 0.9 = 8658 mAh, which is enough for two full charges of, say, Xiaomi Redmi 4X with its 4,100 mAh battery. And there will still be a little left “in reserve.”