USB Type - C Power Bank Recommendations and Discussion

AdamFury on 22/11/2018 - 17:10

Hi all, with the recent deals around Type - C Power banks and the eBay 15% off deal tonight I have been on the lookout for a new travel companion. Essentially I have a Pixel 2 XL and an XPS 13 (9370) which both charge via USB C and I believe my XPS requires 45W.

Two power banks I am currently considering are the Cygnett CHARGEUP PRO USB-C 20,000mAh and the 27,000mah version while the 20k version is probably sufficient I like the 27k version having two type C ports and a higher output (60W over the 20k's 45W) in case I ever need it.

Size is also a factor and having a lighter and slimmer bank is preferable however obviously the bigger the battery the more this becomes unrealistic.

I have looked at the Kogan power banks however their type - C versions appear to be fairly bulky compared to other brands.

Happy to spend around the 100 dollar mark for something decent that will last. Interested to see what people here are using and what they recommend.

Thanks in advance,

Adam.

Electrical & Electronics Power Bank

Comments

  • HighAndDry on 22/11/2018 - 17:29
    +1

    Just posted today: Xiaomi ZMI 45W Powerbank QB815 $65 (15,000mAh), QB820 $96 (20,000mAh). Though whoa - if the Cygnett 27,000mAh ever goes on sale, that's an auto-buy for me. (I have way too many powerbanks). I got the Cygnett 20,000mAh model when it was on sale for $99 a few months back.

  • KaTst3R on 22/11/2018 - 18:22

    If you travel in and out of China, get something that is 20,000 mah or less. Anything above has to be checked in so you cant bring it on board.

    • AdamFury on 22/11/2018 - 21:43

      Hmm I always understood it as 100 watt hours which is roughly 27,000 mah @ 3.7v.

  • whooah1979 on 22/11/2018 - 19:01

    https://www.cygnett.com/products/chargep-pro27k-60w

    You can't take this with you on fights.

    • AdamFury on 22/11/2018 - 21:42

      I believe Cygnett advertises it as the largest allowed on flights hence the strange 27,000MaH. However I have a 30k AuKey one I've never had any issues with.

  • Gunther on 22/11/2018 - 19:55
    +1

    I own a QB820 - awesome powerbank. Even charges my Xiaomi laptop. Highly recommended!!

  • AdamFury on 23/11/2018 - 00:01

    Thanks again for the help everyone. Purchased one of the Cygnett 27,000 ChargeUp Pro's so lets see how it goes.

    • shelleywegs on 01/01/2019 - 11:56

      Did you end up buying from here https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cygnett-ChargeUp-Pro-27000-72W-U…? I'm looking to get one for my husband for his 40th. He has an ipad pro 12.9 (2017 model) and a Pixel 3XL. He'll be travelling a bit this year.

      • AdamFury on 01/01/2019 - 12:26

        Yep. That's the exact product and seller I bought from. Powerbank has been fantastic.

        • shelleywegs on 01/01/2019 - 12:41

          Awesome. So how come it's cheaper than this one? or are they both the same? https://www.cygnett.com/products/chargep-pro27k-60w

          • AdamFury on 01/01/2019 - 13:23

            @shelleywegs: Both exactly the same. Cygnett direct is usually more expensive unless they have one of their 30% sales which seem to be happening quite regularly lately.

            • shelleywegs on 01/01/2019 - 13:28

              @AdamFury: Thanks. Unfortunately the ebay one is out of stock. I need a power bank by 21/1 so I might bite the bullet and buy ity. Actually, if you sign up to their newsletter, you'll get 10% discount which brings it down to $162.

              • Mostly Melbourne on 02/01/2019 - 02:32

                @shelleywegs: What Charger do you plan to charge the powerbank with? That's probably another factor to take into consideration.

                • shelleywegs on 03/01/2019 - 10:41

                  @Mostly Melbourne: My husband has a Pixel 3 XL so I'm assuming he'd be using the Fast charging brick that comes with the phone? Will it not work?

                  • Mostly Melbourne on 03/01/2019 - 11:48

                    @shelleywegs: Yep that should work, it's a 18W USB PD charger so will take roughly 6 hours to fully charge the powerbank.

                    Just if you are looking to buy a 3rd party faster charger (the powerbank supports up to 30W so almost double the speed of the Pixel charger), look out for incompatibility issues as some have reported

                    • shelleywegs on 03/01/2019 - 12:08

                      @Mostly Melbourne: Thanks for that.

                      So, is there a PD charger you'd recommend to work with this power bank?

                      I was thinking of this one https://www.cygnett.com/collections/usb-wall-charger/product… but it's a bit pricey plus 60W would be a bit of an overkill as you correctly mentioned that the powerbank supports up to 30W.

                      • Mostly Melbourne on 03/01/2019 - 13:30
                        +1

                        @shelleywegs: Yeah the Cygnett one is quite pricey but sometimes the retailers have discounts on them (Jb Hifi etc.), lots of people on OZB pick up multi-port desktop charger like this Coosa one from Amazon, it's also quite useful when travelling, you just need to swap out the AC cord.

                        The other alternative is to get a USB-C Charger for laptops/Macbook which has higher power output and backward compatible with lower power devices. e.g. Apple 61W Charger (avoid 30W version), Dell, Lenovo and Xiaomi Chargers.

                        • shelleywegs on 03/01/2019 - 14:20

                          @Mostly Melbourne: I won't worry about buying the desktop charger for him. He can do that himself.

                          So, I'm, buying the power bank for him and this cable so that he'd be able to charge his ipad pro (2017) while travelling https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/accessories/cygn…. Is this okay?

                          • Mostly Melbourne on 03/01/2019 - 14:21
                            +2

                            @shelleywegs: This one is better, will actually fast charge the iPad rather than the standard USB-A to Lightning cable (speed max out at 12W). And the one you linked is a USB-C cable so won't work with 2017 iPad Pro which uses Lightning interface.
                            https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/accessories/appl…

                            • shelleywegs on 03/01/2019 - 15:06

                              @Mostly Melbourne: Thank you so much for all your help. Just final check that the Cygnett power bank is the best option for my husband to charge up his Pixel 3 XL and 2017 iPad Pro? lol. Just wishing it wasn't that expensive but not to worry.

                              • Mostly Melbourne on 03/01/2019 - 15:18
                                +2

                                @shelleywegs: The Cygnett Chargeup Pro 20k and 27k are definitely good USB-PD power banks that are versatile and capable for a wide range of devices.

                                However, I'd prefer the ZMI 10 Powerbank QB820 for its Aluminium body and metallic finish. But my opinion would be biased as we are selling the Xiaomi ZMI power banks on Amazon (as HighandDry linked at the top).

                                Other equivalently good powerbanks include RavPower PB058 and Anker PowerCore+ PD (hard to fine in Australia).

                                But if buying from a physical store, Cygnett would be the go-to option as it's available at JB, HN and TGG.

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