Powerbank: how to choose it and how to use it

Smartphones of the latest generation are capable of simultaneously performing many functions. But, unfortunately, most often this affects the battery charge. With the active use of most phones, recharging is necessary after a day, and some earlier. And it’s extremely disappointing if by the end of the day, when you need to make an important call, the phone turns off due to lack of charge.

In order to avoid such situations, you must either constantly carry a charger with you and indoors first of all look for a power outlet, or use portable batteries.

What is an external battery and how to choose it

An external battery is a portable lithium-ion battery, which is almost no different from ordinary batteries in a phone. From it you can charge smartphones, e-books and tablets, while you can use it in any convenient place - at work and study or while traveling.

The shape of the external battery can be different, as well as the material of the outer shell. You can find interesting models for yourself that will not only benefit, but also serve as an accessory. There are models in the shape of hearts, animals, bottles of energy, slices of pizza and even unicorns. Therefore, it is not necessary to carry a boring metal bar with you.

Portable battery option

The battery itself must be charged either from the mains or from a computer or laptop.

The assortment of portable batteries is amazing and it is difficult to choose a device from it that will be a permanent assistant. Here are some tips to help you make your choice.

How to choose an external battery

Tip 1 - Battery Capacity

The stores sell batteries with capacities from 850 to 44,000 mAh, the smallest are more suitable for e-books and smartphones, and powerful for tablets.

In fact, to recharge the phones you can buy a battery for 20,000 mAh, it depends on the purpose of its use. You can calculate approximately the required battery capacity from the following parameters:

1. Allowed weight and size of Power Bank, because the more its charge, the greater the size and weight.
2. The approximate required number of recharges, for example, if you use the portable daily to have enough phone charge until the evening, then the minimum battery capacity is enough.
3. The battery capacity in the phone, for example, the phone has a 2300 mAh battery, if it needs to be recharged two to three times, then Power Bank with a charge of 7 to 10 thousand mAh is suitable. And to recharge the tablet you will need a more energy-intensive device.

The actual capacity of a portable battery can be estimated only by approximately two factors. The first is that two types of batteries can be installed in power supplies - lithium-ion Li-Ion and lithium-polymer Li-Pol. Depending on this, the output voltage of the device may vary. The standard voltage for USB is 5 V, and if the battery has less, for example 3.7, then its operation time will be very small. Depending on the type of battery and its voltage, the amount of electricity that Power Bank can store in itself will also differ.

The second factor is that the battery gradually loses its power consumption even without connecting to a phone or tablet.This occurs under the influence of chemical and physical processes occurring inside the battery, as well as due to improper use and storage. This process is inevitable, therefore, the capacity is gradually reduced. According to statistics, over the year it can decrease by 15-35% from the original.

Based on this advice - the choice of Power Bank should be done with a reserve of energy intensity, so that if it really differs from the declared one, you will not suffer from this.

Tip 2 - Current

For a good and fast recharging, it is important not only the output voltage, but also the current strength. The larger it is, the faster your device will charge. The minimum current required to recharge is 1 A, but in fact, even it is not enough to charge a powerful smartphone.

For smartphones, the optimal indicator is 2 A, and for tablets 4 A. Some Power Bank models have several connectors for connecting USB wires, which differ in current strength.

Dual Battery

This option is suitable for continuous use best. Indeed, in addition to the fact that you can connect several devices to it at the same time, you will also have a choice which connector to connect your phone or tablet to for charging. And also if there are any problems with one of the connectors, then it will be possible to use others.

Tip 3 - check the real power consumption

In addition to the fact that the electric capacity depends on the voltage and may decrease slightly with time, some manufacturers deliberately declare it higher than it really is.

This is done in order to increase the cost of the model, because the larger the battery capacity, the more expensive it is.

To measure real capacity, you can contact specialists who use a multimeter or USB testers. On average, the difference between the declared electric capacity and the real one can differ by about 25%, which is quite significant.

Tip 4 - self-discharge battery

After the Power Bank is charged and disconnected from the electric network, it will gradually discharge even without connecting to a phone or tablet. On average, the battery charge decreases by 5-10% in two weeks. Therefore, if you rarely use a portable battery, then keep in mind that in the time elapsed since the last charge, it could be a little discharged. This is a normal process that is inevitable in any device. This is due to the fact that the battery continuously undergoes chemical processes that are independent of the connection of the portable battery to a phone or tablet.

You can check this using the charge indicator light, which is available in almost all models. It will show how fully charged the device is, and whether it needs additional recharging.

Charge indicator

Tip 5 - recommendations

When choosing a Power Bank, rely on the opinions of your acquaintances and friends who use similar ones. Because the reviews in online stores can be false and often paid by the manufacturers of these devices.

Only after real use can you understand how convenient this or that device is, and how well it is suitable for recharging.

How to use an external battery

Power Bank is designed to recharge tablets, smartphones and e-books. To do this, it must first be recharged, and then connected to the device, which must be recharged.

After the portable battery is completely discharged, you can recharge it and use it again.

Comparison of popular models

Inter-Step PB240004U

Inter-Step PB240004U

The advantages of this device include:

• Greater electric capacity - the manufacturer claims a battery capacity of 24,000 mAh, that is, it is suitable for charging even powerful tablets.
• Metal case.
• There are 4 ports for connecting USB cables, with a current strength of 1 A to 2.4 A, that is, you can charge 4 devices at the same time. If you connect the device in parallel directly to two ports, then you can achieve a current strength of 3.4 A.
• The battery has a display on which you can track the power bank charge.

But there are also disadvantages:

• The battery itself takes a very long time to charge.
• Large enough size.
• Users notice a discrepancy between the declared capacity and the real one.
• The cost is about 4000 rubles, models from other manufacturers with the same capacity can be purchased cheaper.
• The charge decreases nonlinearly, that is, when the battery is fully charged it decreases slowly, and when there is little charge left, it is very fast.

HIPER MP10000

HIPER MP10000

This manufacturer is one of the leading manufacturers of portable batteries and is responsible for the quality of its products. The advantages of this particular model include:

• Two connectors, with a current strength of 1 and 2.1 A.
• Strong case.
• Small size.
• Capacity - 10000 mAh.
• The cost of 1500 rubles.
• There is a short circuit protection.
• It is possible to use Power Bank as a card reader.

Minuses:

• Suitable only for recharging phones, energy consumption is not enough for a tablet.
• The protruding button, it can easily be damaged and become malfunctioning.

Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 2 20,000

Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 2 20,000

Xiaomi offers its customers inexpensive and high-quality electronics, including portable batteries. Specifically, this model costs only about 2 thousand rubles.

Pros:

• Two connectors with a current of 2.4 A.
• Plastic, durable and lightweight housing.
• Small size.
• You can enable the quick charge function.
• Large power consumption - 20,000 mAh.

Minuses:

• There is no display, instead a charge indicator light, which is difficult to distinguish in daylight.
• White, easily soiled body.

Canyon CNE-CPB130

Canyon CNE-CPB130

The Canyon brand is considered one of the leading manufacturers of portable batteries. This model costs 1200 rubles and differs from the previous ones in its versatility - the battery capacity of 13000 mAh is enough for both charging a smartphone and a tablet. In addition, specifically this Power Bank is very thin and light, so it is easy to take with you. But at the same time, the maximum current is only 2 A, which is not enough for a good recharge of the tablet.

FinePower Fox 15

FinePower Fox 15

One of the cheapest batteries with a similar capacity, it costs about 1 thousand rubles. At the same time, its energy consumption is 15,000 mAh, they can charge tablets and smartphones. It also has several outputs for USB cables. But the disadvantages of this model include low-quality assembly, users note a quick failure.