Estimating the Mi portable charger is not complicated by the difficulty of finding this model, but rather by the difficulty of obtaining an external battery from a reliable source. Xiaomi has established itself as one of the best manufacturers of inexpensive equipment, but due to such popularity, the market is now flooded with fakes that are very difficult to distinguish from the original. An example of this is the Xiaomi Piston headphones. Fortunately, there are a number of online stores that work directly with Xiaomi distributors and sell original licensed products. Therefore, reviews are advised to choose Mi Power Bank 20000 mAh from reliable sellers, this is necessary to ensure that you receive a genuine product. In addition, Xiaomi provides each released copy with a 20-digit code, the authenticity of which can be checked on the official website of the manufacturer.
The so-called Solar Power Bank should not be classified as such. User reviews warn that this device has nothing to do with Xiaomi and is not suitable for charging smartphones.
Unboxing and accessories
The model is packed in a small white box without fancy graphics andcolorful images, with a modest Mi logo on the top and a specification in Chinese on the side surface. We should separately mention the sticker confirming the authenticity of Xiaomi Power Bank. Feedback from users with sufficient experience in this matter suggests that these protections are often faked and only a trusted seller can be trusted.
Package
Together with a box that is not rich in external design, the buyer receives the only accessory, a high-quality and very durable flat micro-USB cable in completely white color. The style of the product, composed of plain white packaging, plain white power bank and plain white USB cable, is reminiscent of Apple products. However, the complete set of Mi Power Bank reviews of the owners is called incomplete. Lacks AC adapter and USB-C cable. The need for the latter can not be guessed if you do not read that the battery is capable of recharging new MacBook laptops using this type of cable. This makes sense, given that the portable charger supports an output voltage of 5 V and a current of 3.6 A. It is not clear why the company does not directly advertise this functionality, because reviews call this Mi Power Bank technology the main marketing advantage of the battery. The USB-C standard is implemented, for example, in the latest Google Chromebook Pixel, MacBook and Nexus 6P.
Design
Minimalist packaging smoothly transitions into minimalistwhite design of the device itself. The inscription Mi is applied on top. Even the label on the back is printed in light gray on white, which makes it difficult to read and continues the laconic style of the model. But if you take a closer look, it becomes clear what lies behind it. To achieve the surprisingly light weight of the 20,000 mAh battery of just 338g, Xiaomi has used a strong but environmentally friendly combination of propylene carbonate and ABS resin with fine nubs to prevent the surface from slipping and protect it from scratches. The device is lighter than the 16,000mAh model from the same manufacturer, which is impressive. The plastic case of the Power Bank 20000 is rated higher than the slippery and scratch-prone aluminum used in previous modifications of external batteries. The coating withstands external heating up to 90 °C (the device itself does not heat up to this temperature when charging). Rounded edges and textured surface provide a secure grip. In addition, despite its huge capacity, the energy storage is only 142mm x 73mm x 22mm, making it one of the smallest and lightest in the world.
Connectivity
The battery has a power button on the side of the battery that, when turned on, lights up a 4-LED indicator to let you know how much capacity is left. However, you do not need to press the switch to start charging your phone. The device automatically activates and deactivates when a charging gadget is connected. On the topThe panel has 2 full-size USB ports, 1 microUSB and 4 LEDs indicating the battery charge level. Such a number of indicators in the Mi Power Bank is called a step backwards by the owners, since this allows you to evaluate this parameter with an accuracy of only 25%. For example, the Anker battery uses 10 segments for this. The owners do not quite understand why Xiaomi decided to install such a simplified power indicator, although they assume that this is done in order to keep the dimensions of the device to a minimum.
Specifications
Obviously, the manufacturer did not expect the worldwide sale of this battery, because all instructions are written exclusively in Chinese. Therefore, it becomes clear why sites like Gearbest provide maximum information on their web pages. Reading the specs and seeing some of the marketing images helps you understand what's inside a power bank.
First of all, this is a micro-USB input for replenishing the energy of the power bank itself. 20,000 mAh is a huge capacity, so you should forget about using any outdated wall adapters with a current of 1 A. According to Xiaomi, the external battery supports DC fast charging with a voltage of 5.9 and 12 volts with a current of 2.2 and 1.5 amps, respectively, which indicates support for QC2.0. Of course, the device also provides the usual fast 2-amp charging at 5 V, but it's nice to have both options. In any case, full recovery time Power Bank 20000 reviewsestimated at 7-8 hours, which is not bad for such a high capacity. The power bank is able to automatically adjust the level of current and voltage, adjusting to the needs of the device being charged.
Performance
The two USB output ports support 5.1V with a maximum output current of 3.6A, equivalent to 18.36W output power. With a typical smartphone charging, its value is 2 A, using USB-C increases the current to 3 A. The last possibility of Power Bank batteries is considered by the owners as a guarantee that batteries will be in demand in the future. And compared to other 2-amp models, this portable charger performs just as well. The conversion efficiency is close to 90%, which is very high considering the transition from the Mi internal battery to the USB port, and then through the USB cable to the phone and back from micro-USB to the internal battery, which is associated with some transformation losses with 3.7 to 5 V. Therefore, the real capacity of the device is about 18 thousand mA∙h
Travel insurance
With a capacity of 20K mAh, the battery can charge 2 devices at the same time and still have enough power left for others. The performance of the Power Bank external battery is highly rated by users. Nexus 4 and iPad mini can be charged just over 6 times, Xiaomi4 - 4.5 times and MacBook - 1.2 times. With such a capacity, the power bank is an ideal choice for peoplewho often travel, as the model gives a feeling of confidence that there will always be enough energy, even on the road. In addition, Mi can be used to charge large devices such as iPads or Android tablets. According to the owners, on average, an energy bank can charge a smartphone from 30 to 100% daily for a week, which takes about an hour. After that, the portable battery itself will need to be recharged. Given the capacity of the external battery, it will take him 11-12 hours. Fortunately, the input port supports the Quick Charge 2.0 standard. When using an 18 W charger, the Mi Power Bank charging time is estimated at 8-9 hours. If the energy bank is left unused for a long period of time, this will have almost no effect on its performance.
Batteries
The power supply contains 6 high-quality lithium-ion batteries from LG and Panasonic, each with a capacity of 3350 mAh, and is equipped with 9-level electronic protection made by Texas Instruments. The S9 system constantly checks the parameters of the power supply to ensure the safety of charging devices and prevent short circuits or input and output overloads. The temperature sensor allows you to turn off the output current of the external battery. All this makes it quite safe and reliable.
Conclusion
Xiaomi Mi Power Bank batteries are positively evaluated by users. It is one of the smallest and lightestportable batteries with a capacity of 20 thousand mAh today. Although it doesn't have an aluminum body or a more informative battery indicator, which forces you to put up with plastic and 4 LEDs, the model has a high quality build, great functionality and capacity, full electronics protection and an incredibly low price.
All of this is true as long as it is an original device and not a counterfeit that you might encounter when purchasing a power bank from an unverified dealer.
Many people wonder: why is Xiaomi's $25 power bank so cheap? After all, batteries with 3 times less capacity are sold at 2 times more expensive. Is there a trick here? But after a long period of intensive use without a single complaint, it becomes clear that this is indeed a very high quality product sold at a very good price.
