Power banks have revolutionized the concept of charging. The direct charging technology that was till date used for charging the mobile and other gadgets have been slowly replaced by this indirect charging that offer utmost convenience at the time of traveling or commuting. The smartphone owners around the world may have already included this external battery backup device in their wish-list, but here we have listed everything that one might know about the power bank.
Recommended reading: 6 Best Portable Solar Panel Phone Chargers.
What is power bank?
Though this device has gained lot of popularity, it is still very important to know what exactly this portable device has in store for you! Smartphones are battery guzzlers, and may be constantly in need of charging. Think of the situation where there is no external power source available and your device runs out of the battery. In that instance, power bank comes out as savior. It has two-way charging capacity that allows its battery to get charged from an external power source and later the same battery power is used to charge another device. The power runs both ways in this device and that makes it very useful for smartphone enthusiasts!
To know more about Power Banks please check this wiki page.
How does power bank work?
As discussed earlier, power flows both ways in power bank and this makes it ideal for charging. It is first connected to an external power source with the help of charger that is standard as used in mobile. Once the battery provided in the power bank is fully charged, it is ready to be carried along. The minimal power is lost when the power bank is carried along or is kept unused. Later, same battery is used to charge the mobile or tablet with the help of USB cable. This way the power bank charges the device through indirect charging and is quite different from the standard chargers.
Factors governing selection of the power bank
1. Capacity to charge
The sole use of power bank is charging another device without external power source. The battery fitted in this portable battery bank should be good enough to charge your device at least once or twice. If you look for bigger capacity then again it will turn out to be bulky and take up huge space in your bag. Again no power bank utilizes its capacity to the fullest which means if you use 12000 mAh battery then it won’t charge 6 phones with 2000 mAh capacity as there is some amount of power loss during transfer that cannot be ignored.
2. Battery type
The power banks are provided with two types of batteries; Li-Polymer Battery & Li-Ion Battery. The Li-Polymer battery is not very popular in the new age power banks as it is quite bulky and takes up lots of space. On the other hand, the new age battery, which is Li-Ion battery is sleek and would offer better battery backup. The power banks with this type of battery would be lighter, sleeker, and portable to carry along easily. The minimum capacity of Li-Ion battery would be 8000 mAh.
3. Charging time
It would be good to own a higher capacity power bank but when it comes to charging, you would find this bigger battery troublesome. The time is taken for charging such high capacity power banks would be very high and that would sometimes hinder your travel plans. So, look out for optimum capacity that is usually triple your phone battery capacity. This will ensure that your phone is charged at least twice.
4. Charging plug
The size of the plug would decide the charging time. The power banks come with 1A and 2A plugs. Faster charging is offered by 2A plug and hence check out for such faster-charging plug. The 2A plug will almost cut the charging time by half but only if it is supported by the device to be charged. So, first of all, ensure the compatibility of your device with 2A plug and then go for it.
Conclusion:
Above tips are good enough to make the right buying decision but always refrain from buying the cheaper duplicates. Opt for reputed e-tailer to make your purchase successful and fruitful. The cheaper options would not serve the purpose well and you will soon need a quick replacement. You may compare the pricing for branded power banks to get the cheapest deal for the best quality.
This article is written by Latestone.com. They have more than decade of experience in selling and marketing the gadgets and accessories. They have reviewed all new entries in the market till date after using it personally in diverse conditions.
Web developer and SEO specialist with 20+ years of experience in open-source web development, digital marketing, and search engine optimization. He is also the moderator of this blog "RS Web Solutions (RSWEBSOLS)".
