Power banks are becoming an essential part of a smartphone user’s life, thanks to the ever growing technology helping users get the best features on their devices, while not being able to pack in a battery that lasts for a good time. While we’ve seen several companies coming up with power banks for smartphones and tablets, each one has one or the other compromise.
We’ve to live with it, but still, when paying a decent amount for one, why not be wise and choose a good power bank that works as a companion for travelers and hardcore smartphone users? In comes OnePlus Power Bank, which isn’t the best of the lot, but not something that should go unnoticed.
Having used the OnePlus 10000 mAh power bank for months, I am very much convinced on how this is better than the other power banks I’ve used alongside, except for a couple of drawbacks.
First off, the design is much better than most of the soap-shaped power banks in the market. There are of course, a few exceptions but they cost quite a lot, and the availability is an issue, just like it is with the OnePlus power bank. Attractive with shape, and having the two unique surfaces, i.e. Silk white and Sandstone Black, the OnePlus Power Bank stands out in the crowd.
The capacity of 10000 mAh is commonly seen on many power banks, but the interesting thing here is the battery technology used. Unlike several others, the OnePlus Power Bank uses Lithium polymer battery, which is not just lighter but also quicker in getting charged. While comparing this with Xiaomi’s Mi 10400 mAh power bank and Asus Zenpower power bank, the OnePlus power bank took about 6 hours on average to get fully charged from a standard charger. On the other side, it was about 11 hours on average the other two took to get a full charge.
The output given by the OnePlus power bank is 5V/2A for one device, while it is 5V/1A when charging two devices at the same time. While it has all the good features, including a mechanism for Electrostatic, short-circuit, overcharging, overheating protection, one feature I really miss on the OnePlus Power Bank is pass-through charging. One cannot charge their phone from it, when the power bank itself is charging.
The battery indicator lights were confusing a bit initially, until I figured out that a hard shake is needed for the LEDs to light up and show the remaining charge left in the power bank.
Power banks don’t give the capacity as claimed by the manufacturer. If it is a 10000 mAh power bank, it is the battery capacity and not the charge it can give. The efficiency is usually about 75-80%, so you can expect about 7800 mAh of charge output from the OnePlus power bank. The quick charging of Li-polymer battery in this helps a bit.
One major issue with several power banks, irrespective of the material used on the exterior, is the heating up while charging or usage. Safe to say that the OnePlus Power Bank rarely heats up, and that is one of the reasons why I love carrying it in my pocket most of the times.
Having said all, the power bank isn’t the cheapest of all, and the absence of pass-through charging is another factor that could make people think against purchasing this, but if you are actually looking at a better designed, well performing power bank for your smartphone, the OnePlus Power Bank is a super good one.
