Just received this in an email from ShoppingSquare.
Genuine Xiaomi 10000mAh Power Bank Pro QC3.0 Polymer with Type-C Output
This is supposed to be the new model PLM03ZM, which supports QC3 for both directions. The price at $35 delivered, which at today's exchange rate is about HK$206, is only marginally higher than if purchased directly from Xiaomi's Hong Kong store (HK$199).
Available in gold or grey.
Direct shipping offer: Allow ~4-6 weeks for delivery
You are not alone. I too bought a power bank 2 during a stopover at HK last week, and will give this a pass.
Ha, me too. Bought that model last night! But don't have any QC3.0 gear.
Still was a bit cheaper at $28 delivered, then got $10 off - with ebay code ending last night. Should arrive Monday - Oz stock dispatched this morning.
At effectively $18 with fast delivery, I'm not complaining. But next time…
Can anyone confirm that these listed specs are correct for the Type-C port? (Type-C port should be able to input/output 3A at least)
Input: 5V/2.4A, 9V/2A,12V/1.5A
Output: 5V/2.4A, 9V/2A,12V/1.5A
This looks to me like the specs for the USB-A port rather than the Type-C.
I'm curious too. Specs seem to indicate that the USB C supports output?
From the specs of a listing on eBay I'm following, they appear to be the same
Specs:
Model: PLM03ZM
Battery Type: Li-Polymer
Input: Type-C - DC 5.0V/2.0A | 9.0V/2.0A | 12V/1.5A
Output: USB-A - 5.0V/2.4A | 9.0V/2.0A | 12V/1.5A
Battery: 3.85V / 10000mAh (38.5Wh)
ah cheers!
it may be due to the way they have wired it up inside…perhaps it is converting to type-c internally through a legacy connection or something, thus limiting it to legacy throughput (2.4A), similar to using a legacy usb-A to type-C cable.
I already have a powerbank with USB-A ports, so I'll wait for one that is confirmed 3A input/output through type-C port.
cheers.
Specs suggest it's doesn't have a "proper" Type C charge port - rather, it's a standard 2.4A charger with a Type C port.
can you explain for the uninitiated??
Have just re-read some of the above comments? is it becuase the input usb-c port does not have 3A options for input? Some are talking about using an on board controller and about usb a's rather than at rue usb c port? Am a bit confused why some are saying this and the technical knowledge behind it. Would be keen to understand so that I can look up/wait for a more appropriate power bank to pop up. I thought giving it supports up to the 18w for the input e.g. 9v x 2a or 12v x 1.5a that this meant it could be quick charged to full capacity, whilst similarly supporting QC3.0 to your phone?
The USB Type C standard requires 5V/3A power handling capability for full compliance. Both the cables and ports have been designed to support this, and Type C is supposed to be capable of sending power in both directions - both charge and discharge. So you can theoretically charge your phone from your laptop (not unusual) but also charge your laptop with your phone (for a short while).
For full Type C compliance, this battery bank would need to be capable of both charging and discharging at 5V/3A (15W), which most modern smartphones now support. According to the specifications supplied, it's only capable of 5V/2.4A (12W) input and output. That doesn't mean it won't charge a phone - it just means it would be 20% slower to charge a Type C device compared to a fully complaint charger.
Note that this charger is also compatible with QuickCharge 3.0 (a proprietary charging tech owned by Qualcomm) which means it's also capable of increasing charge voltage up to 12V/1.5A (18W) if the connected phone also supports QC3.0. That's great if your phone has QC3.0 support and can accept a higher voltage for faster charging, but no good if your phone uses the Type C standard which uses higher current to allow fast charging.
Someone may correct me on this BUT i believe this has an actual capacity of 7000mAh. You could get something like the Blitzwolf BW-P3 which is advertised as 10,000mAh as well but has an actual of 9,000mAh for the same price (plus 9% throw Cashrewards) but free shipping from somewhere like Banggood https://www.banggood.com/Qualcomm-Certified-BlitzWolf-BW-P3-… .
It's also QC3.0 and a bit smaller but not QC3.0 bi-directional.
Well, this has USB-C, whereas that one doesn't - need to compare like for like.
The mAh number quoted is usually (always?) at the internal battery voltage, i.e. 3.85V for the Li polymer and not the 5V USB output. The "~7000mAh" figure is the "equivalent" current capacity at 5V.
For apples-to-apples comparison, use the energy content Watt-hr figure which is independent of battery voltage and should be in the spec. The Xiaomi has a capacity of 38.5Wh, whereas the Blitzwolf you mentioned has only 33.33Wh.
For the uninitiated could you please explain in laymans how one can calculate the 'real' mah figure? E.g. if you had a 3,5000 mah phone you'd be interested to know that real capacity is only 7,000 mah (2 charges full) vs the 10,000 advertised. I just don't understand the whole voltage, internal battery voltage etc. and how to convert/compare to the correct items to get real capacity?
The "real", energy capacity is measured in Wh, which is calculated as the voltage x ampere-hr. The Xiaomi is based on a LiPo battery with a rated voltage of 3.85V, hence for 10,000mAh the capacity is 3.85x10,000/1000=38.5Wh. The Blitzwolf uses Li-ion cells rated at 3.7V, so for 9,000mAh, the capacity is 3.7x9,000/1000=33.33Wh.
Most if not all phones use cells with voltage around 3.7V so the mAh figures can be directly used for nominal capacity comparison between them. The energy capacity need to be considered when voltage is different e.g. charging. Battery charging is never 100% efficient, with losses both in the battery chemistry and the circuits. We can all feel the phone, charger, or power pack warm up during the process. Hence a 3,500mAh battery pack will not fully charge a 3,500mAh phone battery, as the input required for a full charge is significantly higher than the battery's output capacity.
However most phones have rated charging times, e.g. a 3,500mAh phone may say it will be fully charged by a 5V 1A charger in 4 hours. That translates to 1A x 4h = 4000mAh at 5V = 20Wh. For a 10000mAh-3.85V power bank, you either compare this to 7000mAh at 5V, or 38.5Wh, both telling you that you will just shy of getting 2 full charges.
Above based on high school physics learnt many years ago, so I stand corrected.
The disparity is because the battery stores its charge at 3.85V (typical for a LiPo battery) but we charge our phones at 5V due to the USB standard, which was not originally designed for charging phones.
A battery's stated capacity can be expressed in a couple of ways, but the most common is in Ah - how long the battery can output energy at its nominal voltage. In this case, it's 10,000mAh, or 10Ah. So the battery can output 3.85V at 10A for 1 hour. Or more realistically, 1A for 10 hours or 2A for 5 hours.
So in this particular battery bank, the battery itself is capable of outputting at its own nominal voltage of 3.85V. But because we charge our phones at 5V, the battery bank also contains an electronic transformer circuit that converts the 3.85V output from the battery to the 5V output needed to charge a phone. That higher potential means that some capacity is "lost" through the conversion process.
Your phone's battery is also very likely a LiPo cell. Which means your phone's internal charging circuit has to convert the 5V output from the battery bank back down to 3.85V to store the energy in your phone's internal battery.
Thanks. still some question marks but a great explanation for the uninitiated and not so tech/electrical savvy.
The question I have is why do phones charge at 5V then if they internally convert backwith this LiPo cell from 5v back down to 3.85 v to store energy internally? Why not just charge from 3.85V from the powerbank straight ot the phone to avoid energy conversion loss?
Is it becuase usb a to usb c cords can only work via 5v? I assume not as QC 3.0 someone stated has 9v x 2A, and 12v x 1.5a which is well above the 5V? Or i coudl just be muddling up things with my lack of electrical knowledge.
Phones all charge at 5V because that's what the international USB standard has always dictated. Regardless of what device you plug your USB cable into - wall chargers, car chargers, desktop and laptop PCs, car head units - you name it, they all have a regulated 5V power supply. Mobile phone manufacturers have all designed their devices to conform to this standard long ago, and so they all require a 5V input for charging.
Battery banks like this one need to conform to the USB standard as well, to ensure they're capable of charging all phones.
Note that not all battery banks use the same internal battery voltage - this tends to vary based on the chemistry of the battery inside. LiPo batteries are usually around 3.7V, while the older NiCad and NiMH cells are usually around 1.5V.
Technologies like QuickCharge and DashCharge actually all the charging voltage to be intelligently boosted up to 12V to permit faster charging while keeping current (which generates heat) low. But they all start at 5V for safety and maximum compatibility.
Was $149.00 lol
Any guess at the shipping time from these guys? The product page says 2 days handling, couldn't see further information from my mobile.
2 days handling
3 days getting coffee
5 days playing with their balls
Your order then gets strapped to a dolphin who takes about 4 weeks to arrive in Australia (if he doesn't get lost along the way)
Then AusPo needs their coffee and ball scratching also.
The problem is that yours get delivered by a male dolphin. If it's a female dolphin, it would have been much quicker. Everyone knows that male dolphins never ask for directions when they get lost :)
I ordered my one 26/04/2017, its meant to come today… I doubt it though.
I bought a Xiaomi Power Bank on 14 April, the order was dispatched on 21 April, and I still have yet to receive it….
Sent them an email 2 weeks ago and they have sent a replacement yesterday.
The replacement was sent from Sydney, hopefully I can receive it soon….
Is that gold or is it pink?
I bought the QC2 one a few weeks ago from them. Still haven't received.
I'd much rather this. I wish I hadn't bought that one now.
Would this be suitable for the switch?
am looking to upgrade my old normal 10,000 mah xiaomi. Abit of a noob, but what is the difference between this bi-directional usb-c style powerbanks to the blitzwolf etc. ones mentioned above?
I mean why do you need usb-c input into the powerbank? Is it mainly so you can reverse your charging cord and input usb-c into it and usb on the power point charger? Or does it actually charge the powerbank faster by using usb-c input into the powerbank?
I'm assuming if it's QC 3.0 it means that it charges QC3.0 to say my s8, but does this mean the powerbank itself also charges under similar QC3.0 speeds? Or is QC3.0 only for the charging phone to take advantage of? Sorry just abit new to this whole QC tech and usb-c, all of which are a first for me on my new s8.
This powerbank (10000mah pro) has bidirectional QC 3.0 charging. That means the powerbank can fast charge if it has a QC 3.0 source. It can also act as a QC 3.0 source and quick charge QC 3.0 compatible devices.
How does it differ from the 10000 mAh v2 (but not pro) example. The latter has a micro USB input. This might be more convenient for you now, but the USB C ones are more future proof as USB C becomes more ubiquitous. Furthermore, the latter only support bidirectional QC 2.0 charging. The 10000 mAh v2 (not pro) is also slightly thicker.
The USB C v micro USB makes no difference besides the type of port. As long as your charging source and charging cable supports the relevant technology, each port is capable of charging at the same rate.
This powerbank seems to be a newer version of the first 10000mAh pro. Both are the same size, but the newer one seems to support QC 3.0 instead of QC 2.0. It also comes in pink, and it looks like you can also charge out from the USB C port which you couldn't before. I'm not sure whether this means you can charge two devices at once.
Thanks heaps for your explanation. It appears this comes in gold (which maybe looks pink in the linked sale item) or grey though.
Your explanation helps alot. So basically model wise: powerbank 2 which you linked: micro usb input - old style of battery packs. Also only QC 2.0, thicker - less future proof?
Meanwhile - how does this powerbank 2 compare to the pro 1? Both are QC 2.0, is the pro 1 an usb c input?
This new one on sale is like the 'pro 2' basically, so it upgrades from QC 2.0 to QC3.0. However both powerbank 2, and pro 1 are all bi directional albeit QC 2.0?
So basically if one wants good wireless chargers, powerbanks etc. going forward with QC3.0 you must ensure it is bidirectional in order to not only charge your phone and recipients fast, but also to charge these battery/power packs fast under QC 3.0?
I am abit unsure though how having a USB C input port such as this one offers future proofing? Wouldn't that mean if indeed this USB C input port can charge the powerbank, and also output a second source of charge to a device, that you would need a usb c to usb c cable? I would have thought the majority of cables lying around and 'future' proofing would involve an usb to usb-c head cable?
Not sure if they are making tech that will be usb-c to usb-c cables, in which case having an usb c input port such as this powerbank that can be used to charge the pack or output power, woudl definitely make future proof sense?
I say the 10,000 mAh powerbank 2.0 with micro USB is "less future proof" because micro USB is becoming more redundant. USB C is the new standard, and will become more and more ubiquitous, especially in the next year. There is nothing wrong with this powerbank.
The pro 2 is different to the pro 1 as it supports QC 3.0, compared to the pro 1 which only supports QC 2.0. I think USB C male to USB C female cables will become more common. Example, charging this powerbank,, or charging your USB C compatible phone from a laptop with only USB C ports. It makes sense. USB A -> Micro USB cables only exist, because technology was staggered. Now USB C ports are small enough to fit on an ultrabook AND on a smartphone or tablet.
Looks like maybe the new powerbanks can't output from the USB C port. You'll have to investigate yourself.
So basically if one wants good wireless chargers, powerbanks etc. going forward with QC3.0 you must ensure it is bidirectional in order to not only charge your phone and recipients fast, but also to charge these battery/power packs fast under QC 3.0?
Yep. Be careful. Some powerbanks have QC out, but not QC in, so the powerbanks can't quick charge, even though they can quick charge out. Also need to make sure your power source and cable supports QC.
Not sure if they are making tech that will be usb-c to usb-c cables
Lol, usb-c is just the connector, and that the whole point of usb-c is to replace usb-a. Not only are there usb-c to usb-c cables already, but these are the "proper" cables, that will be the norm in the future.
Usb-a to usb-c is referred to as a "legacy" cable - it is basically an adapter to allow use of USB-c devices with old (legacy) ports, but at a lower charging rate (not at full capacity). These cables lying around are basically a stop-gap until people convert over fully to the new standard (usb-c).
You should be using usb-c ports with your usb-c devices, for them to work at full capacity. This is especially the case in terms of usb3.1 PD (power delivery), which allows for charging higher at amperages (eg. MacBook and Pixel C).
To be fair, though, this charger will probably be long dead before usb-c takes over from usb-a, and this charger doesn't even charge over usb-c at 3A…so this particular charger is not much use in future proofing! :)
I"m not much of a tech head but from your last paragraph are you saying htis powerbank supports QC 3.0 out, but can't QC input? in other words the charging mechanism of this powerbank doesn't support quick charging back to full due to no 3A?
Ideally for QC3.0 what sort of AMPS and watts does one look for for maximum charging speed?
True, now that you mention that having usb -c ports on a new laptop would indeed require you to charge your powerbank with an usb c to usb c cable. YOu mention usb c male to usb c female cables. I haven't seen male to female, so I have no idea the difference in the head, apart from the usb-c male heads that plug into your phone anyway to begin with (and therefore the xiaomi powerbank too).
Well you've got me sold on the future of usb-c… i guess the issue is whether a 12,000 mah or slightly higher xiaomi will pop up in time.
WIth your last paragraph though, in order to ensure a QC 3.0 device charges, what sort of 'cable' specs must it have to be QC approved, and more importantly what sort of usb charger must you have in terms of volts, amps and watts combinations to offer QC 3.0? As I am looking to get some spare usb powerpoint chargers and perhaps an in-car charger (say one of the blitzwolf car chargers).
I will note caprimulgus's comment below - last paragraph - is this implying that this powerbank per this post is indeed not able to be QC 3.0 up to full capacity based on its specs??
Dilemma!
Order from these guys at approx $35 each (inc postage) and wait a month for it to arrive, if ever.
Or wait for an eBay seller I'm following to get them back in stock in a month that has them in AUS already and use one of the eBay codes.
If you're confident the price of the AUS one will be favorable, get that one instead.
will this pricing be pretty favourable based on prior xiaomi pricing? am not familiar if i should jump for this shopping square one.
If I could predict things like that, I wouldn't be hanging around in a bargain site, and would instead be fine dining and watching theatre.
The person who originally asked the question wanted to know if he should buy it now from SS, or wait for more expensive AUS located stock that will be subsidized by ebay. Whether ebay's 20% offs will cover the retailer selling the Xiaomi products or not is anyone's guess. Or when they will next do a 15% off sitewide. And whether people will mark up prices during the sale. These are hard to predict.
If you wait long enough it will eventually be cheaper. He sounds like he doesn't want to wait more than a month.
Guessing prices can be like predicting the sharemarket.
We've all purchased things here that we thought were a good deal after being frustrated waiting too long, and then got angry when not long later it appears cheaper somewhere else. Or not jumped in when there was a deal we balked on, but decided we wanted it but too late, and it never appears at that price again.
Because we suck at predicting.
Correct, I'd rather pay a few $$ more (hoping there is an eBay code to get a similar price to this deal) for AUS stock that is more likely to arrive. I still have to wait a month either way for them to restock or for SS to deliver.
Anyway, ended up trying my luck with SS.
Been a month since I ordered a Xiaomi camera off them. Still waiting. Sounds about right.
I still haven't received my power bank from last may of the 5th when they dispatch it. Might dispute it. Just be careful when you're placing your order. Might take 3 months to get to you lol
Yeah SS normally takes 2+ months because they send these power banks via seamail.
oh god cant be serious i just bought the 10000mah power bank 2 that only have qc 2.0 3 days ago