An external battery is your “socket in your pocket” that can charge any mobile device: from smartphone to laptop. Modern gadgets were too powerful and voracious, so the built-in batteries are not able to support their work for a long time. Power bank elegantly solves this problem, allowing you to charge all electronic devices literally in the open field. But whether you choose it correctly will determine how long it will take and how long the battery itself will last until you get to a normal outlet.
Content:
The best manufacturers of external batteries - which company to choose
There is a simple rule on the digital equipment market: the more famous the manufacturer, the more reliable and more perfect the product will be.
This is almost the only area where a big name gives almost a 100% guarantee of quality. And all because of fierce competition: newcomers enter the market in dozens, and the patriarchs are trying their best to keep their positions. And they are quite successful.
Today, the best companies that produce external batteries are:
- Samsung;
- Xiaomi;
- Remax;
- Asus;
- Hiper Technology.
You will meet the most successful RV models from these companies in our ranking. Most likely, among the devices that hit the TOP, there are instances that are suitable for your needs.
If you are serious about buying mobile gadgets, we recommend that you first familiarize yourself with the basic parameters for choosing a power bank.
Operating principle and external battery device
Portable storage has a fairly simple design. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary box with a USB-outlet for powering mobile devices and a port for its own charging.
But inside it there are several more important elements:
1. Lithium-ion type 18650 batteries;
2. Electronic board that controls the progress of charging and is equipped with a number of protections (short-circuit, overcharge, etc.).
Then everything depends solely on the imagination of the manufacturer. Modern power banks may have a solar panel, a flashlight, flash memory and other nice little things that are not directly related to their main job.
External battery selection options
Battery capacity - stated and real
Capacity is one of the most important criteria that you need to focus on when buying. It will determine how long your mobile device will last offline, until you reach the outlet.
In order for an external battery to cope with its task, it is necessary to choose a device whose capacity is at least twice the same indicator of a phone or tablet battery.
1. The volume of the battery of a good smartphone is about 3000 mAh, which means that it will require an external 6000 mAh battery for charging. By the way, these are the characteristics of power banks, whose value for money is recognized as ideal.
2. If you need to charge a more powerful device or several devices at the same time, it is better to choose RVs with a capacity of 10,000-12,000 mAh.
3. You can find a model designed to charge a laptop, but then its volume should be about 20,000 mAh, and the output voltage should correspond to the standard 12-19 V (preferably with the ability to switch).
Alas, the passport data of external batteries rarely coincide with their real capabilities. About 80% of modern manufacturers offer banks with a capacity below the stated.Moreover, the difference is quite substantial: in some models it reaches 25%, that is, instead of the promised 10,000 mAh, you can only count on 7500-8000.
In fairness, we note that bona fide manufacturers have discrepancies, but for quite an objective reason. Yes, the actual capacity of their batteries is fully consistent with the passport, but the trouble is that the power bank simply cannot give up everything to the remainder.
First, the batteries installed in it have their own self-discharge rate - small, but still. Secondly, a controller is installed inside the RV-box, which increases the output voltage, and some of the energy is also expended on its operation.
Choosing an external battery with a certain amount of charge, do not forget to increase the required figure by about 20% in order to have an adequate supply of capacity.
If you just need an ambulance, which will let an unnecessarily voracious smartphone hold out until the end of the working day, you shouldn’t even chase large ampere hours - you may well need 1000-2000 mAh.
Current strength
This indicator indirectly affects the speed of charging phones or tablets. RVs themselves offer an output current in the range of 0.5-2 A.
1. For most smartphones, 1 Amp is enough.
2. In the case of tablets, this figure rises to 1.5-2 A. Of course, they can also be connected to single-amp batteries, but then the device will lie “on a leash” for a very long time.
3. If you have several different devices that require periodic recharging, it makes sense to choose a good power bank from 10,000 mAh with two ports: 1 and 2 Amps.
In any case, try to ensure that the output current of the external battery is equal to or exceeds the corresponding parameter on your mobile device.
Charging features
The number of connectors at the output of the battery depends on the number of mobile gadgets that it can charge in parallel.
The simplest portable devices have only one USB port, the more advanced two models - often with different output current strengths. However, when simultaneously connected to both jacks, a minimum amperage will be supplied, so the usefulness of such devices is greatly exaggerated.
The electronic board built into the power bank can also have its own additional functions that will not only simplify the use of an external battery, but also prolong its life by properly organizing the charging process:
1. Automatic power off - a useful option for those who do not follow the progress of charging and can easily leave the smartphone with RV for several hours. With a socket, these tricks pass, but if you use an external battery, without automatic shutdown, it will give up the accumulated energy until it completely sits down. But he has his limited time of service, which does not exceed 300-500 cycles of full charge and discharge.
2. Disconnecting the load is essentially the same option, but a power bank working “at the other end”. Here, the automation already controls the progress of charging the battery itself and stops it as soon as the batteries are fully restored.
When choosing an external battery, do not forget to ask how it will charge itself.
There are devices that work from an ordinary outlet and those that connect to the computer port or telephone memory via micro USB. There are models with backup solar panels and cans that charge from a car cigarette lighter - enough options.
Indicators
In Power Bank, they are of two types:
1. LED - it is three or four glowing lights on the body, which, in fact, will show the battery level. However, you should not blindly trust them, since such an “analog” presentation of information cannot be accurate in principle, and after a year of use, the LED sensors will begin to lie at all.
2. Digital - in such models information about the charge is already displayed on a small display located on the body of the external battery.Digital display is as accurate as possible, but the presence of a miniature screen increases the cost of portable charging by about 30%.
Body material
Enclosures for external batteries are made of the following materials:
1. Metal;
2. Plastic.
This does not affect their operation, but metal boxes better protect the batteries from physical damage. If the powerbank has a plastic case, it may crack or fall apart into pieces when it falls, whereas any, even the lowest grade alloy, in the worst case, just bends.
Dimensions and weight
The more powerful the external battery and the more ports it has, the larger and heavier it will be. After all, its main characteristics depend on the number of batteries installed inside. So do not expect from a compact device unreal capacity.
Assume that the one 18650th battery provides no more than 2500-3000 mAh. And this means that the powerbank at 6000 mAh will have an approximate dimensions of 100x60x15 mm and weigh at least 150 grams.
Choose a battery based on your lifestyle and where you will keep it. If in your pocket it is better to limit yourself to a standard device with 1-2 batteries, in other cases the weight of the device does not matter.
Completion and additional features
Usually banks come with a decent set of assorted plugs, with which you can charge almost any device. But to check whether there are adapters among them that you need is still necessary. Especially if you are the owner of Apple gadgets with their non-standard connectors.
As for the optional, but pleasant functions of the power bank - you determine their presence. Manufacturers, on their part, are ready to offer the following options:
1. LED flashlight;
2. Wi-Fi router;
3. Card reader;
4. Flash memory;
5. Clock with alarm;
6. Electric generator (dynamo).
Which external battery to choose
1. If you often leave your home for a long time, on the way you will need a power bank, which can charge both the phone and your tablet at least 3-4 times. A device with a capacity of 10,000 mAh and a current of 1-2 A will do. As for the number of ports, one will suffice here, since the probability of immediately setting both devices at zero is too low.
2. Those who leave “in the field” and cannot use the benefits of civilization can use a power bank with the same characteristics, but with the possibility of alternative recharging: using a solar battery, a dynamo knob or a cigarette lighter.
3. If your smartphone or tablet doesn’t work well in the evening, look for a compact external battery with a capacity of 1.5-2 times the battery performance of the mobile device itself (usually 4000-6000 mAh). Additional functions - at will.
4. Going on vacation with your family or friends, it is better to buy a powerful power bank from 12000 mAh with two output ports and an extensive set of adapters for different devices.
5. The same capacity is suitable for charging tablets, just make sure that the output current is not less than 2 A.
6. If you often need to recharge a laptop with a non-removable battery, you will have to look for an external battery with a maximum capacity of 20000 mAh. The port is only 2 ampere, select the output voltage in accordance with the characteristics of the laptop.
How much is an external battery
1. Prices for power banks with a capacity of up to 10,000 mAh range from 400-3000 rubles. Pocket models up to 4000 mAh start from 200 rubles at all.
2. For an external battery, issuing from 10 to 20 thousand mAh, in stores ask from 700 to 4600 rubles. The cost of even more powerful RV reaches 7-8 thousand rubles.
3. The price of devices with two USB output ports is not much different from solo chargers - from 500 rubles for a model of 5000 mAh to 4600 for a power bank of 16,000.
4. A device with solar panels on the case will cost you in the amount of from 1,400 to 2,900 rubles.
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