Develop Bugs

[Q] Portable Chargers

The stock charger provided with the Note 2 charges my phone extremely fast, after all we do know that it is rated at 2A. But naturally being a power hungry device I carry around a portable charger (5V 1A). It worked fine on my previous S2 but with the Note 2 the charge is insanely slow. Less than 10% per hour on standby. With that being said, if I use it while it's being charged, the battery % does not even budge.
Is this normal? Because if it is that slow, it defeats the purpose of carrying it around since it barely charges my phone. Are there alternatives? Do I need to resort to looking for a portable charger that also has a 2A output?
For the other Note 2 Users out there, do you experience similar issues?

Yes sir, normal.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Friend. I STRONGLY suggest you to get a Samsung Battery Charger Cradle Kit.
It comes with:
One Battery Charging cradle + Phone Stand
One Extra Battery
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I bought it for around $35USD. It may get cheaper but it solves all my problems. It charges your second battery while you use your phone, whenever your phone's battery is low, you swap the charged battery with the low battery one. That way you never have to keep your phone charging! Hell, one extra 3100mAh battery is less than $20 bucks, imagine Hurricane Sandy and you have saved up some leisure money to get a few extra batteries instead. You can last for a week without power.
It's a very good investment. Trust me. You can even ebay the used batteries when you upgrade your phone. Cos they are official accessories. Not those ugly battery sleeves.
BTW if you do want fast chargers, I recommend the Apple USB charger for iPAD. It is rated 2.1A. Any 1.0A chargers result in slow charge. Oh one more benefit, the battery cradle charger charges FASTER because there is no power drain on phone while you charge (compared to charging the battery inside the phone itself)
Hope it helps!

I'm curious on how you use the phone. The original charger fits in a pocket, and you can detach the cable and put that in a other pocket if you like. You travel around for so long that you are able to drain the battery and do not have access to either a usb port or a wall-outlet?
Regarding the stand/charger mentioned... The flimsy battery cover alone is a reason for me not to change batteries, unless the battery is broken. My future Otterbox totally wipes out any battery changing thoughts Personally I do not drain the battery so fast that I do not have time to access a usb port or a wall-outlet before it shuts down... I've even beat my record this weekend. 34% at 3d 6h 58m, 3.5h screen time with Juice Defender controlling the screen brightness. Some Facebook, surfing with Firefox, 10 minutes phone calls, reading (g-)mails, installing some apps and such...
A tip on portable chargers: https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/powermonkeyextreme/

swejuggalo said:
I'm curious on how you use the phone. The original charger fits in a pocket, and you can detach the cable and put that in a other pocket if you like. You travel around for so long that you are able to drain the battery and do not have access to either a usb port or a wall-outlet?
Regarding the stand/charger mentioned... The flimsy battery cover alone is a reason for me not to change batteries, unless the battery is broken. My future Otterbox totally wipes out any battery changing thoughts Personally I do not drain the battery so fast that I do not have time to access a usb port or a wall-outlet before it shuts down... I've even beat my record this weekend. 34% at 3d 6h 58m, 3.5h screen time with Juice Defender controlling the screen brightness. Some Facebook, surfing with Firefox, 10 minutes phone calls, reading (g-)mails, installing some apps and such...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks everyone for their comments. Yes indeed I do agree the stock charger isn't all that hard to carry around. But it's a good question that you asked about my usage. So to shed some light, my heaviest usage is during lectures. Some use notes, others fire up their laptops, another group their tablets. For me I whip out my Note 2, put it on a stand and I'm good to go. Wall outlets don't appear often, and even if I sit close to one, the cable length disallows me to use my note while charging. Other than that I would be on the move or in some classroom somewhere.
And yes I too am reluctant to remove my phone case and the flimsy back cover. But I will keep the spare battery option in view.
Right now what I'm doing is plug in my portable charger during lectures. It at least still can sustain the battery. My portal charger has a 5000 + mAh capacity. But the charging speed is so slow, it really doesn't matter. I also use it to listen to music while travelling, but that itself puts minimal strain on battery consumption.

Don't know if you have scanned through this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33585646&postcount=31
You can actually take out your favorite portable charger and test the charger v.s. cable combination to find the best match.
I am now using the YOOBAO 8400mAh which is a famous brand in China. I do not dare to use unknown brand in China, but this brand is famous and the quality is great. You can easily search on Amazon.
When I use the original Samsung USB cable with that portal charger, I can get a stable of 1.4A current during charging. Which is by far the best current I tested on 1A output portable charger. Some statistics for your reference:
When using USB cable with computer: 0.46A
When using bad cable with 2A output charger: < 1A
When using Samsung original charger + USB cable: 1.8A
So, if you could get a value between 1A and 1.8A, it is good enough to charge the note 2 in a quite reasonable short period of time!
Cable is very important, if you use an iPad charger (2A output) with a bad cable, you may get less than 1A output to the phone...

ardatdat said:
Don't know if you have scanned through this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33585646&postcount=31
You can actually take out your favorite portable charger and test the charger v.s. cable combination to find the best match.
I am now using the YOOBAO 8400mAh which is a famous brand in China. I do not dare to use unknown brand in China, but this brand is famous and the quality is great. You can easily search on Amazon.
When I use the original Samsung USB cable with that portal charger, I can get a stable of 1.4A current during charging. Which is by far the best current I tested on 1A output portable charger. Some statistics for your reference:
When using USB cable with computer: 0.46A
When using bad cable with 2A output charger: < 1A
When using Samsung original charger + USB cable: 1.8A
So, if you could get a value between 1A and 1.8A, it is good enough to charge the note 2 in a quite reasonable short period of time!
Cable is very important, if you use an iPad charger (2A output) with a bad cable, you may get less than 1A output to the phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have read your link. My phone is rooted, unfortunately due to known errors between Samsung and Windows Updates regarding the drivers to access the phone via USB, I at the moment cannot view my phone on my laptop. And unfortunately the app CurrentWidget does not work with Note 2.
My portable charger has a rated output of 1A. Provided along with it is a retractable charging cable that is much thinner than your conventional USB cable, presumably a dedicated charging cable. Now since it is the provided cable, I'm going to assume that the cable can release the full 1A? And here's another observation. Before this phone I had a Galaxy S2. It charges fine, and over time I can actually see the portable charger's power being drained. (It has 4 LED lights, 1 corresponding to 25%). Meaning from 4 lights, it becomes 3. So far, even after 2 hours of charging the note 2, the charger still registers at all 4 lights. Which is baffling, because this indicates that the charger, is charging my phone slower than it was compared to charging my previous S2. And indeed it does feel that way. A stock S2 charger is rated an output of 0.7A. So in the same amount of time, wouldn't my charger be drained faster from charging the Note 2? Is there some property of chargers that I'm not aware of? Like the phone only recognizes the stock charger to enable fast charge? It seems pretty apparent to me that somehow my phone is not tapping on to the full 1A output of the portable charger. I bought the charger at my local electronics store, also it worked well with my previous S2. So it's hard to imagine that the problem lies with a defective charger.
I'll add in some more information in case it helps:
- I have Juice Defender Plus and Advanced Task Killer. They do save my battery consumption.
- My brightness is always at 0% (I hate the glare, I do this on every screen I use. Laptop etc)
-I have the habit of restarting my phone after heavy use to ensure all background apps are closed properly (e.g. Lecture has ended and I'm hanging out with friends; or before I sleep)
- My phone is rooted, I use Gemini App Manager to disable the bloatware, so the respective background processes do not run anymore
- My ram usage is typically in the low 500s. After a restart It's in the 400s. I also have the habit of clearing my RAM via the task manager.
Edit:
I used ES File Explorer to view the files. And this is very weird. Using the charging cable, on both the laptop and portable charge, it showed an result of 100! I also tested it on my spare, micro-usb charger registered at 0.4A. The result is 400, which is correct.
So what happened here???

Guys the rear battery cover is not flimsy. It is thin But it has very high flexibility. It will not crack or deform unless you deliberately try to destroy it. It can be bent to 90 degrees without deformation.
I have put the cover on and off so many times that not even a single plastic clip has broken off. This is material science.
Get the charging cradle and battery pack. We are not iPhones with undetachable batteries. Utilize this advantage!
THE N7100 has a high power draw when you use it. It charges slowly especially when you are using it. Also, the USB cable grade and length IS VERY CRITICAL also. Try using a long micro USB cable n u will see How even more slowly it charges.
I have three batteries now n one charging cradle. I use my phone like I'm driving a Ferrari. Instant refuel When I'm out of batts.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

Ok an update. I experimented with the combinations. Using the default charger and cable, looking at the current_max, it gives me 1800. Current_now is 1698. But for that thin cable, it only gives me 100mAh.
Now here's the interesting thing. When I tried using the default cable with my portable charger, I also get the same numbers. 1800 and 1698. Also, by using other USB cables with the portable charger, I also get the same numbers.
My problem is solved. But for curiosity why is a charger, registered to have an output of 1000mAh, able to squeeze out as much as an 2000mAh wall charger? Or is it my phone that dictates how much power it wants to draw?

GreenBot said:
Guys the rear battery cover is not flimsy. It is thin But it has very high flexibility. It will not crack or deform unless you deliberately try to destroy it. It can be bent to 90 degrees without deformation.
I have put the cover on and off so many times that not even a single plastic clip has broken off. This is material science.
Get the charging cradle and battery pack. We are not iPhones with undetachable batteries. Utilize this advantage!
THE N7100 has a high power draw when you use it. It charges slowly especially when you are using it. Also, the USB cable grade and length IS VERY CRITICAL also. Try using a long micro USB cable n u will see How even more slowly it charges.
I have three batteries now n one charging cradle. I use my phone like I'm driving a Ferrari. Instant refuel When I'm out of batts.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm using the xtra battery kit with my s3, and now looking forward to purchase it for my note 2 also.
heavy user must buy this kit due to no time to wait/waste for it to be charged, enough said!
x3ternalx said:
Ok an update. I experimented with the combinations. Using the default charger and cable, looking at the current_max, it gives me 1800. Current_now is 1698. But for that thin cable, it only gives me 100mAh.
Now here's the interesting thing. When I tried using the default cable with my portable charger, I also get the same numbers. 1800 and 1698. Also, by using other USB cables with the portable charger, I also get the same numbers.
My problem is solved. But for curiosity why is a charger, registered to have an output of 1000mAh, able to squeeze out as much as an 2000mAh wall charger? Or is it my phone that dictates how much power it wants to draw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
must be the thin/cheap cable not having the right amount of circuit

Now I have a new question. Just now I have been monitoring my phone's charging speed. Looking at the current_max, it was at 1100. This was when the phone was at 40+ %. After 50%, no matter what combinations I used, even with the default charger, the max_current freezes at 400. Is this some feature the Note 2 has? That it cuts the charging speed after 50%?

Just to ask, how long did your phone take to charge completely with the stock charger and cable? And how do you monitor current charging value?

jujuburi said:
Just to ask, how long did your phone take to charge completely with the stock charger and cable? And how do you monitor current charging value?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the method described by ardatdat here:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33585646&postcount=31
As I'm doing work I just open up the current_max file to have a look. Starts off at 1000+ but after a couple of minutes it'll go right down to 400.
Now I've never actually timed it so I'm not sure.

Does the number of pins affect charging? Upon close inspection the micro usb end has 4 pins instead of what I believe usually is 5. I need to reconnect a few times for the charging rate to be stabilized at 1300. So perhaps that accounts for the weird numbers I've been getting?

Mine has 4 pins too, that's the way it is I think.
Btw- What other chargers are there with same freq/spec as Note 2's Stock charger, i.e 2A/5V? iPad or anything?

I have current max 1100 and current now 1700 with original charger. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Edit: with the galaxy s III's charger it's the same. Wtf
Sent from my Note II using Tapatalk

GreenBot said:
Friend. I STRONGLY suggest you to get a Samsung Battery Charger Cradle Kit.
It comes with:
One Battery Charging cradle + Phone Stand
One Extra Battery
I bought it for around $35USD. It may get cheaper but it solves all my problems. It charges your second battery while you use your phone, whenever your phone's battery is low, you swap the charged battery with the low battery one. That way you never have to keep your phone charging! Hell, one extra 3100mAh battery is less than $20 bucks, imagine Hurricane Sandy and you have saved up some leisure money to get a few extra batteries instead. You can last for a week without power.
It's a very good investment. Trust me. You can even ebay the used batteries when you upgrade your phone. Cos they are official accessories. Not those ugly battery sleeves.
BTW if you do want fast chargers, I recommend the Apple USB charger for iPAD. It is rated 2.1A. Any 1.0A chargers result in slow charge. Oh one more benefit, the battery cradle charger charges FASTER because there is no power drain on phone while you charge (compared to charging the battery inside the phone itself)
Hope it helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for this tip. bought a ipad car charger and it did charge faster than my old charger :good:

quertiy said:
I have current max 1100 and current now 1700 with original charger. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Edit: with the galaxy s III's charger it's the same. Wtf
Sent from my Note II using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's supposed to be that way. Refer to the post by ardatdat (Link in previous post). He says to look at current_max and current_avg. Not current_now. The value of current_now doesn't change no matter what charger you use. current_max and current_avg will display the amount of current going through at that moment. You can try plugging the usb cable to your PC. current_max will drop to probably 400 while your current_now is 1700. For me it always shows 1698.

I have some powerbank, which my friend bought to me in Singapore. It is 12000 mah with 2 outputs : 1A amd 2.1A. When i use cable that i got with powerbank i get 400 in max on 1A and 700 on 2.1A.
When i use Samsung cable with 2.1A i got 1400 in max.. Is that ok?
Handwritten from my Note 2

Laynee1 said:
I have some powerbank, which my friend bought to me in Singapore. It is 12000 mah with 2 outputs : 1A amd 2.1A. When i use cable that i got with powerbank i get 400 in max on 1A and 700 on 2.1A.
When i use Samsung cable with 2.1A i got 1400 in max.. Is that ok?
Handwritten from my Note 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it's ok. I get 1400 from the stock charger. I believe when you compare the stock usb cable to that of your power bank, it is thicker?

Review of Anker Astro Slim2 4500 mAh External battery w/pics!!!

This is a review of Anker Astro Slim2 4500 mAh dual output External battery (5V 1A Input, 5V 1A dual output with built in hideaway cable for one of the output ports): http://www.ianker.com/product/79ANS4552-BA
Every time I start to think about extended battery, I run into a big question of what am I going to do with all my cases that no longer going to fit the phone. That is why I decided to explore external battery solution. I don't trust no-name ebay brands because those have overly exaggerated capacity rating. So I turned to a trusted brand, Anker, since so many people in this forum had a lot of positive things to say about their products. In comparison to our stock 3100 mAh battery, this Slim2 external battery is not over the top with its 4500 mAh labeled capacity. If you take into consideration all the conversion factors between external lithium battery, USB port transport, and back to phone's battery, we are talking about final capacity which could realistically be closer to 3100 mAh (and actually stated in the manual as 30% internal power consumption due to losses). What makes the battery stand out is it's unbelievable slim form factor and all the design details that go with it.
When you first take it in your hand you can't believe how light and slim it is. We are talking about 10mm slim! I actually took exact measurement with my digital caliper and found it to be 4.97" x 2.52" x 0.41" (126.34mm x 64.08mm x 10.64mm) and weight to be 4.1 oz (116g) which also includes built-in micro-usb cable. I can see that a lot of thought went into it's design. The case of this external battery is made out of tough plastic with a matte finish and sides have a rubbery finish for a nice grip. The form factor is very slick, something that can go easily into your pocket or purse or even carried in one hand attached externally to your phone. The unit has one micro-usb input port which is cleverly covered by hideaway micro-usb output cable/connector, and another regular usb output port. Pretty much it eliminates a need to carry any external cables since the one you need for your Android device is already built-in. The cable for that external micro-usb connector is flat, flexible, and just long enough to wrap around the end of the battery pack, and it should be sufficient to connect to any phone or tablet. As part of the accessories that come with Slim2, you also get usb-to-micro-usb extension cable with additional mini-usb adapter and Apple 30pin adapter. This second regular usb Output port also comes very handy for another important reason. If you look at the pictures I took, you can see that hideaway micro-usb connector has trapezoid shape. It should work fine with most of the slim or rugged cases that have silicone or tpu inner shell/bumper surrounding micro-usb port opening. With my UAG case is was a very close call where I had to push it in with some force. This hideaway port will not work with Defender case due to its inner plastic shell suited and standard rectangular port opening. That's where 2nd usb output port comes in handy to use external usb cable with a regular micro-usb connector.
There is no power button, instead you have auto on/off capability and display of battery capacity using 4 led lights partitioned in 25% increments. Every time you plug/unplug power cable those lights lit up to show you capacity level or charging level. Also, auto shut off reassures that you will not overcharge the battery once it reaches 100%. I charged this battery to 100% (indicated by 4 solid lights), and used with my Note 2 which was down to 55%. To my surprise charging time was very fast considering it has 1A output, and I was able to get my phone back to 100% within 1.5 hour with 2 led lights remaining thus indicating that battery still had 50% of charge left. That is consistent with my assumption of battery capacity to be around 3100 mAh.
Overall, I'm very pleased with Slim2 as an emergency battery pack. It's slim, easy to grip, light weight, small footprint, NO need for external cables (unless if you have a case like Defender), and ability to charge 2 devices simultaneously. Furthermore, if you remember my mod with clip stand from a car mount, I actually found it to fit together really well which is great, for example, while watching a movie and charging your phone up at the same. Everything is captured in pictures below!
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With a clip-stand:

awesome, gonna get one

initial_k said:
awesome, gonna get one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind, you will get about 3100 mAh of actual charge, these external batteries actual rating is 30% down from the label due to usb 5V conversion factor.
This one is not the highest capacity, but it's the slimmest one for sure. It actually saved us a few times when our Nexus 7 tablet was drained and I just sticked it in between book-cover case and was using a tablet while charging it up (with 1A output you get a relatively decent charging speed).

vectron said:
Keep in mind, you will get about 3100 mAh of actual charge, these external batteries actual rating is 30% down from the label due to usb 5V conversion factor.
This one is not the highest capacity, but it's the slimmest one for sure. It actually saved us a few times when our Nexus 7 tablet was drained and I just sticked it in between book-cover case and was using a tablet while charging it up (with 1A output you get a relatively decent charging speed).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Need to get something for my kid's Droid DNA. It doesn't have a lot of power for a day traipsing in the wilderness, and won't take a larger external. This might fit the bill.

drnihili said:
Need to get something for my kid's Droid DNA. It doesn't have a lot of power for a day traipsing in the wilderness, and won't take a larger external. This might fit the bill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.

vectron said:
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No astro 4 is better 13000mAh
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

vectron said:
Anker Astro 3E is only $10 more and offers 10,000 mAh versus this 4500 mAh. Unless they need something super slim/light, Astro 3E is a better value in my opinion, and still has a relatively small footprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He'd like both.
We live (or soon will) in 70 acres of forest and he likes to go off wandering most of the day. Between camera, gps tracking and the like that can be a challenge for the DNA, especially if he's forgotten to top it off first. I'm really looking for something he can just toss in his pocket/daypack to be sure he has enough juice to get through the day. Looking at the 5600mah also. It may be more pocektable. He's never gone over multiple days unless I'm' with him, and I've got the ZL9300, so no worries there. I'll have a look at the 3E and the 4 to see how much bigger they are. Certainly they'r a better value per mah, but the key is finding something that's very easy for him to take. As with cameras, the best external battery is the one you have with you when you need it.
EDIT: I like the form factor of the 5600 and 8400 better, but I like the included cable of this model. An external battery is of no use if you don't have a cable, and you know how 14 year olds can be ...

5600 and 8400 from Anker are the old models.
Btw, I just received and charging Astro Pro 14400 mAh - that one is a monster with two usb ports and a separate 9V/12V DC outputs. Will have review in a day or two

Will the attached micro usb fit the case mate tough?
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app

vr_nguyen said:
Well the attached micro usb fit the case mate tough?
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should. With both UAG and CaseMate Tough cases the opening around micro-usb port is tpu material to that connector can wedge right in there. Tough port opening is wider than UAG, and I remember I had no issues wedging that micro usb connector right into UAG, so it should work with Tough as well.

I'm trying to think what's the advantage of this over an extra battery. It would make sense for those who carry several devices and does not want to carry several batteries. I for one only carry one device at a time, so I guess this would be useless for me.
Can you guys point out any other scenarios?
TIA
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app

vr_nguyen said:
I'm trying to think what's the advantage of this over an extra battery. It would make sense for those who carry several devices and does not want to carry several batteries. I for one only carry one device at a time, so I guess this would be useless for me.
Can you guys point out any other scenarios?
TIA
Sent from my SGH-I317M using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you're at home that's pretty much primarily use now the reason why the slim is more portable hence you can bring out on the road
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

The reason to use this ultra-slim battery is very simple, you can hold it connected to the phone while actually using the phone.
This is a picture from Anker webpage. So for example you are facing a scenario where your phone went dead or you are on call or browsing and down to 2% - but you have to continue using your phone and don't have time to wait for charging. This is the only battery that will allow you to do that because you can actually hold it physically together with your phone (and use built-in cable) and it will be charging your phone while you are using it.

I just purchased this for powering my phone and other equipment when away from chargers.
I really like the form factor and the micro-USB cable is very clever. However this battery has a glaring problem (in my opinion): you cannot charge your phone from the battery while charging the battery. When traveling light and grabbing an all-night recharge this would be a nice feature to have to not have to carry two chargers and cables.
- Juha

kuikkaj said:
I just purchased this for powering my phone and other equipment when away from chargers.
I really like the form factor and the micro-USB cable is very clever. However this battery has a glaring problem (in my opinion): you cannot charge your phone from the battery while charging the battery. When traveling light and grabbing an all-night recharge this would be a nice feature to have to not have to carry two chargers and cables.
- Juha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This feature disabled on purpose. I know some other vendors enable it, but it actually not good for the battery. You have two connections, from battery to a phone for charging of the phone, and from wall charger to a battery for charging of the battery. If you have both connected at the same time you will need a way to bypass charging of the battery until phone is charged up first - that pass will be extremely inefficient and it will take you almost twice as long to charge the battery due to all conversions. Then once you done, you will need another mechanism to stop charging of the phone and to switch to charging of the battery, and while you are doing that phone will be discharging so you will have to pick up it's charge as well. Too complicated, too inefficient, and complexity of control circuit will work against reliability of the device. At night it's much easier to charge phone from one outlet and battery from another, just need to get dual usb wall charger, like one of those 2A/1A ones. Charge the phone from 2A output and charge the battery from 1A output.

vectron said:
This feature disabled on purpose. I know some other vendors enable it, but it actually not good for the battery. You have two connections, from battery to a phone for charging of the phone, and from wall charger to a battery for charging of the battery. If you have both connected at the same time you will need a way to bypass charging of the battery until phone is charged up first - that pass will be extremely inefficient and it will take you almost twice as long to charge the battery due to all conversions. Then once you done, you will need another mechanism to stop charging of the phone and to switch to charging of the battery, and while you are doing that phone will be discharging so you will have to pick up it's charge as well. Too complicated, too inefficient, and complexity of control circuit will work against reliability of the device. At night it's much easier to charge phone from one outlet and battery from another, just need to get dual usb wall charger, like one of those 2A/1A ones. Charge the phone from 2A output and charge the battery from 1A output.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, the feature would make the design slightly more complex due to increased logic, unless the used charge IC supported something like that internally. It would not necessarily have to be inefficient as you can bypass the charger and just feed the input directly to output. Could be as simple as a switch controlled by the battery full information of the charger.
But I digress. For most people this is not an issue, I just like to travel light. :cyclops:
Would you by any chance know of a battery pack or vendor that would have this feature?
- Juha

kuikkaj said:
I agree, the feature would make the design slightly more complex due to increased logic, unless the used charge IC supported something like that internally. It would not necessarily have to be inefficient as you can bypass the charger and just feed the input directly to output. Could be as simple as a switch controlled by the battery full information of the charger.
But I digress. For most people this is not an issue, I just like to travel light. :cyclops:
Would you by any chance know of a battery pack or vendor that would have this feature?
- Juha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have reviewed so many Anker external batteries, already lost a count of everything lol!!! I think they had one that was charging both phone and charger, but they wouldn't recommend it. Or maybe that was one of the NewTrent batteries (NT70) I have reviewed in the past.
Btw, Anker is releasing AstroSlim3 in a week or so with 6000 mAh capacity (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEZJT2E) and new Astro 3 with 12000 mAh (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CEZBKTO) with led indicator for capacity and no power button, activated by shaking it. Don't know the pricing yet, and hopefully will get both of these units for review as well.

Review of Anker Astro E5 15000 mAh external battery w/pics!!!

This is a review of Anker Astro E5 15000 mAh external battery: http://www.ianker.com/product/79AN15K-WA
Being familiar with footprint of their E4 battery, when Anker announced a new E5 model with higher capacity I was expecting to see bigger and heavier model with a typical 30% efficiency loss. I know I bring it up in a lot of the reviews, but labeled capacity of ANY external battery is not what your phone battery going to see. Its a total capacity of cells inside of external battery which gets converted to 5V usb interface output and then back to your cell phone battery while charging - the efficiency loss during the conversion reduces the actual capacity by approximately 30%, with some batteries close to 40% and others maybe slightly better to 25%. On top of that, a lot of no name ebay HK sellers have batteries with super exaggerated capacity where you will be lucky to get even half of what they advertise on the label. That is why I only trust a few brands, Anker being one of them.
Once I received E5 unit for review to my surprise, the footprint stayed almost unchanged and difference in weight was negligible in comparison to previous E4 gen. But you actually get 2000 mAh more in capacity to bring it up to 15000 mAh. The battery cells are changing and improving, and I'm glad to see that Anker is keeping up with a new technology. E5 external battery is not exactly feather light, but at about 11.1 oz and 5"x3"x0.9" is manageable and actually the same as Note 2 with Zerolemon battery. The exterior is solid plastic, no flex, and comes in either white or black. For this review I chose a white unit and found it to be great to cover up any fingerprints. The top has a large power button with dual functionality to also turn on built-in led light. At full charged battery capacity, the light could last up to 700 hours if you only use it for that purpose. Next to power button you have 4-led capacity/charging indicator in 25% increments. Charging input to the battery is a standard micro-usb and has 1.5A charging speed for a fast charging of this battery. Output is a dual full usb port, rated at 2A and 1A both of which can be used simultaneously to deliver 3A of combined current. Each port current output is regulated where I confirmed charging Note 2 from one gave me max 2A and from the other one only up to 1A.
This extended battery comes with usb cable and interchangeable tips for micro-usb, mini-usb, and apple 30-pin connector. Also, it comes with a convenient storage pouch for a battery, cable, and attachment. It also comes with a detailed manual and 18-month warranty card. But there is also a big surprise. I have been reading other independent test reviews of this module and it turned out to have an actual capacity close to 11,800 mAh. We are talking about 21.5% efficiency loss which is very good considering typical batteries of such capacity have it at 30% or higher. This mean you can charge your Note 2 with a standard battery almost 4 times, or easily charge Zerolemon and have some juice still left - all this at a max 2A speed. Overall, I'm very impressed with this battery and its performance!
Here are the pictures.
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Awesome! Thanks for this! What are you using to measure the charge that is going in to the Note 2? I have an external battery rated at 12,000mah, that has both 1A and 2A ports, and would like to see what it's actually putting out, as well as check some wall adaptors that I have. Thanks for the review! Anker is also one of the few brands that I trust as well!
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium

stanglifemike said:
Awesome! Thanks for this! What are you using to measure the charge that is going in to the Note 2? I have an external battery rated at 12,000mah, that has both 1A and 2A ports, and would like to see what it's actually putting out, as well as check some wall adaptors that I have. Thanks for the review! Anker is also one of the few brands that I trust as well!
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it says it in the last screenshot dude, really? LOL
Galaxy Charging Current

Galaxy Charging Current *Lite* (free version): https://play.google.com/store/apps/...hbnRpcy5nYWxheHljaGFyZ2luZ2N1cnJlbnQuZnJlZSJd
I actually found it to be relatively accurate by comparing charging time versus charging percentage. Ignore "Now" value. Just look for Max/Avg as your charging currents. This app comes very handy for those without root, like myself, to measure your charging current.

vectron said:
Galaxy Charging Current *Lite* (free version): https://play.google.com/store/apps/...hbnRpcy5nYWxheHljaGFyZ2luZ2N1cnJlbnQuZnJlZSJd
I actually found it to be relatively accurate by comparing charging time versus charging percentage. Ignore "Now" value. Just look for Max/Avg as your charging currents. This app comes very handy for those without root, like myself, to measure your charging current.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!! Just tested it out. Like you said, the Now value isn't what the charging rate actually is. Took me reading some reviews on the Play Store to figure that out. The Now value is what the device recommends, while the Average value is what rate you're actually charging at.
I'm not sure how accurate it is though. While using my HTC wall chargers that came with my both my black Evo LTE and white one, the values are Maximum 900, Now 1798, and Average 900. I'm getting the same numbers while using the Samsung wall charger that came with my Note 2. I assume that 900 is correct for the HTC chargers, as they're only 1Amp chargers so I'm getting .9Amp from them. The Samsung charger is 2Amp though, so it should be twice as high as the HTC chargers.
EDIT : Just tested my 12,000mah PowerBank. I got 500 out of the 1Amp port, and 1700 out of the 2Amp port! Very happy with those numbers!! Especially it considering that it appears to be charging at a higher rate than my OEM Samsung wall charger!!!
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium

:good:Solid review bro! Something that powerful could almost charge the ZL battery twice, haha.

stanglifemike said:
...
I'm not sure how accurate it is though. While using my HTC wall chargers that came with my both my black Evo LTE and white one, the values are Maximum 900, Now 1798, and Average 900. I'm getting the same numbers while using the Samsung wall charger that came with my Note 2. I assume that 900 is correct for the HTC chargers, as they're only 1Amp chargers so I'm getting .9Amp from them. The Samsung charger is 2Amp though, so it should be twice as high as the HTC chargers.
EDIT : Just tested my 12,000mah PowerBank. I got 500 out of the 1Amp port, and 1700 out of the 2Amp port! Very happy with those numbers!! Especially it considering that it appears to be charging at a higher rate than my OEM Samsung wall charger!!!
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mike, which 12kmAh charger are you using? I know Anker stuff is universal for Apple/Android, while some other ones will drop your charging current to max 0.5A when connected to "apple" port. Another question, which usb cable are you using? Unless if its original Sammy cable that came with OEM charger or a cable like from monoprice with 24AWG/28AWG rating (thicker power wires to handle up to 3A of current), the cable itself its a bottleneck if its designed for a lower charging current. So for example, if you are using HTC charger/cable and then used their cable to connect to Samsung wall charger - you could be current limiting your phone (thinner wires, more resistance). And even if you are using OEM Samsung wall charger and cable - I noticed that in our house some outlets can't supply enough current depending on what other stuff is connected to the same shared power branch.

vectron said:
Mike, which 12kmAh charger are you using? I know Anker stuff is universal for Apple/Android, while some other ones will drop your charging current to max 0.5A when connected to "apple" port. Another question, which usb cable are you using? Unless if its original Sammy cable that came with OEM charger or a cable like from monoprice with 24AWG/28AWG rating (thicker power wires to handle up to 3A of current), the cable itself its a bottleneck if its designed for a lower charging current. So for example, if you are using HTC charger/cable and then used their cable to connect to Samsung wall charger - you could be current limiting your phone (thinner wires, more resistance). And even if you are using OEM Samsung wall charger and cable - I noticed that in our house some outlets can't supply enough current depending on what other stuff is connected to the same shared power branch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think PowerBank is the brand, and Long March is the model. There is a long thread in the Evo LTE Accessories subforum (my other phone), and that's how I heard about it. I normally wouldn't buy an off brand accessory, but with many XDA members giving great feedback, and some have had it close to a year, I decided to try it out. Very happy that I did!! I looks a lot like your Anker actually. It has 2 USB ports for charging other devices, a 1 Amp and a 2 Amp, and also has a little LED flashlight as well. It works great and this app you mentioned showed me that the 2 Amp port is charging at 1.7 Amp(while using my HTC micro USB cable, so it may charge at an even higher rate using the Samsung cable), so I'm happy with that.
For the Samsung wall charger, I'm using the Samsung wall charger and Samsung micro USB cable. I do have it plugged in to a power strip though, so I'll have to try it plugged directly in to a wall outlet with nothing else plugged in. Thanks for the info!
EDIT : Update - after trying the Samsung charger in a wall outlet instead of the power strip, I'm still getting 900(.9 Amp). Maybe my charger is just not putting out the Amperage it should anymore, and I should just buy another Samsung wall charger if I want to get the correct Amperage. I rarely use my wall charger though, as I just use my external battery charger to charge my extra Samsung battery. When I do plug in the phone, it's usually in to my PowerBank while I'm sitting outside playing on my phone and drinking/smoking (never smoke in my house!).
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium

stanglifemike said:
I think PowerBank is the brand, and Long March is the model. There is a long thread in the Evo LTE Accessories subforum (my other phone), and that's how I heard about it. I normally wouldn't buy an off brand accessory, but with many XDA members giving great feedback, and some have had it close to a year, I decided to try it out. Very happy that I did!! I looks a lot like your Anker actually. It has 2 USB ports for charging other devices, a 1 Amp and a 2 Amp, and also has a little LED flashlight as well. It works great and this app you mentioned showed me that the 2 Amp port is charging at 1.7 Amp(while using my HTC micro USB cable, so it may charge at an even higher rate using the Samsung cable), so I'm happy with that.
For the Samsung wall charger, I'm using the Samsung wall charger and Samsung micro USB cable. I do have it plugged in to a power strip though, so I'll have to try it plugged directly in to a wall outlet with nothing else plugged in. Thanks for the info!
EDIT : Update - after trying the Samsung charger in a wall outlet instead of the power strip, I'm still getting 900(.9 Amp). Maybe my charger is just not putting out the Amperage it should anymore, and I should just buy another Samsung wall charger if I want to get the correct Amperage. I rarely use my wall charger though, as I just use my external battery charger to charge my extra Samsung battery. When I do plug in the phone, it's usually in to my PowerBank while I'm sitting outside playing on my phone and drinking/smoking (never smoke in my house!).
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you refer to is Yoobao brand power bank model "Long March". Unfortunately, there is only one official reseller of Yoobao brand in US and its KeviKev (I reviewed Yoobao Thunder 13000 mAh from them before - http://kevikev.com/Samsung-Galaxy-NOTE-II-2-N7100-Cases-and-Accessories_c47.htm). Long March is 11,200 mAh model. Did you get it from Amazon or eBay? It's a Chinese knock off of Yoobao, but it doesn't matter since it works for you. They all use the same battery cells anyway, and original Yoobao stuff might be a bit more robust and have more durable plastic shell. But listen, if the one you have works - its all good and don't worry about it!!!
Strange about Samsung wall charger. Sounds like something is gone south. Btw, don't even bother buying anything labeled as "original OEM Samsung wall charger" from Amazon or eBay - it's all fake knock offs as well. For the fun I just look on Amazon reviews, and everybody complaining about Samsung OEM wall charger not even being able to supply 1A. That's a problem with Amazon, anybody can create a merchant account and list their product under original manufacturer listing. And the rest is history because you will never be able to find original Samsung part since everything else will be a fake copy But I assume you are using your original wall charger and cable which came from Samsung when you bought N2?

flynnchen said:
Yoobao brand is quite good. I had one before. Is anker battery stable now ? I just found out this post on xda
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1361749
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That explosion has nothing to do with Anker batteries. That was highly/almost 100% due to the black cheap/low amp charger. I had a random cheap black USB charger similar to that for charging low amp Emerson bluetooth headphones, which was 400 mAH output, and we charged my brother's IPAD 2 with it, and it started to smoke. Same issue happened when charging his S3 with that cheap charger. I think it was their mistake for providing such a terrible charger, which is why it seemed the white one was probably better. The lesson is: don't charge anything that has a higher capacity/requirement with something far below it's capacity - otherwise, you're just asking for a dangerous situation to occur. That's just my two cents and observation from what I have seen, read, and personally experienced

how to charge
Excellent and informative review! 2 questions (I am a novice...). How do I charge the charger...can I use either my iphone 5 plug (output 5V/1A) or ipad2 plug? And, when charging my devices, is it the 1A socket for iphone 5, and 2A socket for ipad 2? Thank you!
---------- Post added at 10:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 AM ----------
Excellent and informative review! 2 questions (I am a novice...). How do I charge the charger...can I use either my iphone 5 plug (output 5V/1A) or ipad2 plug? And, when charging my devices, is it the 1A socket for iphone 5, and 2A socket for ipad 2? Thank you!

maestrojohn said:
Excellent and informative review! 2 questions (I am a novice...). How do I charge the charger...can I use either my iphone 5 plug (output 5V/1A) or ipad2 plug? And, when charging my devices, is it the 1A socket for iphone 5, and 2A socket for ipad 2? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To charge the charger you can use any wall charger with micro-usb output. Since this is Android forum and Note 2 section, I assume you have one of those. Otherwise as you aware the charging cable for iPhone 5 is not micro-usb. But to charge your device, you can do that with any phone or tablet since charging/data cables have usb on one side (that will go into a charger) and whatever connector you are using on your device on the other side of the cable. In theory you can use either outputs.

Hello! Great review, I purchased it for 50 bucks on amazon 5 minutes ago because of the review. I am a noob, sorry in advance, I made this account to ask these two questions: 1: I just wanna use it for my iPhone 5, do i plug it in on the 1A or 2A? If both is ok, which one is better for the battery in the phone? 2: I will need an adapter, which one is better? Micro Usb to Lightning or 30pin to Lightning? I dont like the size of the 30 pin to lighting, so is it ok to purchase a micro usb to lighting instead? Does this affect anything like charging time?
Thanks for answering, have a nice day

flotschi13 said:
Hello! Great review, I purchased it for 50 bucks on amazon 5 minutes ago because of the review. I am a noob, sorry in advance, I made this account to ask these two questions: 1: I just wanna use it for my iPhone 5, do i plug it in on the 1A or 2A? If both is ok, which one is better for the battery in the phone? 2: I will need an adapter, which one is better? Micro Usb to Lightning or 30pin to Lightning? I dont like the size of the 30 pin to lighting, so is it ok to purchase a micro usb to lighting instead? Does this affect anything like charging time?
Thanks for answering, have a nice day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use either 1A or 2A outputs. Your phone has a fixed charging speed and will not draw more current that it's limited to. So for example if iPhone can charger at a speed of 1A per hour and you connect it to an output that can supply 2A per hour - it will only draw at 1A per hour speed. BUT, if you have Note 2 which takes advantage of 2A per hour charging and you plug it into 1A port, it will be charging at half the speed.
Regarding cable, try to minimize number of connecting adapters. For example, you get a cable with 30pin connector and you can add 30pin to Lighting adapter to it, but with every connection you add resistance which going to affect total amount of current and can slow down the charging, etc. You want to have point-to-point cable. So I would recommend using USB to Lighting connector cable. Not micro-usb, but usb because charing ports on this external power supply are full size usb. Only the port to charge this battery is micro-usb because of a common connection with other charging cables.

reply removed...

I wonder if you could try something for me.
Could you find out if the Anker will supply a phone/device while it is itself being charged? Also, whether it will keep supplying the phone/device without interruption when its own charging supply is connected and disconnected?
I want to use it like a mini-UPS for my phone while charging it from my bicycle dynamo, but for this, it needs to cope with a charging supply which stops and starts, while continuing to supply any connected devices.

I think I tried it before, and it didn't work. These external battery devices are not intended to work in pass-through mode. I think there are some other ones (I'm 100% sure if that was NewTrent), but the vendor will not guarantee the device under warranty because of an additional overheating and cut of the efficiency. This will really complicate the controller of such ext battery where it has to keep balance between charging and discharging of the same battery at the same time. I'm pretty sure Anker stuff will not allow that because they have smart current monitoring functionality built-in in order not to overcharge or over-drain the device.
But it would be an interesting experiment where you connect ext battery to the outlet and to the phone. I wonder if it starts charging battery first until it's full, and then switch to charging the phone

vectron said:
I think I tried it before, and it didn't work. These external battery devices are not intended to work in pass-through mode. I think there are some other ones (I'm 100% sure if that was NewTrent), but the vendor will not guarantee the device under warranty because of an additional overheating and cut of the efficiency. This will really complicate the controller of such ext battery where it has to keep balance between charging and discharging of the same battery at the same time. I'm pretty sure Anker stuff will not allow that because they have smart current monitoring functionality built-in in order not to overcharge or over-drain the device.
But it would be an interesting experiment where you connect ext battery to the outlet and to the phone. I wonder if it starts charging battery first until it's full, and then switch to charging the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did just that yesterday, and it worked fine. Now, the anker would not actually increase its charge due to simpe physics: it charges with 1.5A from the wall, and my nexus 10 used 1.2A of those, and adding some inefficiencies on that it would likely mean that it would just hold a charge level in the anker battery, not increase it. But as soon as the tablet ramps its current draw down the anker would suck up any left over juice. This becomes even worse of course if you charge a phone at the same time.
One little note: The battery in this is not the most awesome (also the capacity measurement is a simple voltage-based instead of counting coulumbs). While charging with ~1A from the 1A port, when I added my nexus 10 to the 2A port the charge indicator actually went from 50% to 25%. When removing the tablet the LEDs indicated 50% charge again. This is due to voltage sag which is itself due to internal resistance of the batteries. Meaning: The faster you charge the more heat will be wasted in the batteries. So to really prolong the battery life you should actually charge slowly, at least as far as the Anker is concerned.

Thanks for the review, I will probably be getting one now.

Review of Anker PowerCore + 20100 mAh USB/USB-C external battery w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of Anker PowerCore+ 20100 mAh USB/USB-C external battery. http://www.ianker.com/product/A1371011, also available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014ZO46LK/
It has been awhile since I reviewed external batteries because a lot of these new product releases became redundant. There was nothing new or exciting until QC2.0 was introduced. When you look on-line, there are multiple dozens of unknown re-branded external batteries, while only a handful of trusted manufacturers who stand behind their product with quality control, extended warranty, and adequate tech support. I always hold Anker in high regard and was a bit surprised they didn't jump on QC2.0 bandwagon right away. But now I quickly realized they were aiming higher, at the new USB-C standard.
USB-C topic has been a buzz for a while now, and we are finally starting to see more devices supporting it. What makes it stand out is the reversible connector which you can plug in either way by flipping it. It resembles micro-usb, but adds symmetrical layout which you can flip. No more trying to jam the connector upside down in the dark. Plus, USB-C will support 1.5A and 3A at 5V, depending on the device sinking the current. And speaking of devices, there are already a number of those that support USB-C standard, including 2015 MacBook, Google's Chromebook Pixel, and upcoming Nexus 5x and Nexus 6P. I personally don't have any of these devices yet, but still was excited to take a look into this next gen Anker external battery.
Unboxing.
Arrived in a nice sturdy cardboard box, I noticed that Anker changed their packaging. Still environmentally safe and without any non-recyclable plastic, but now with a little less generic look. There is no battery image on the cover, but the back has a clear message of "The Future of USB Connectivity has Arrived", listing different USB-C product solutions offered by Anker.
Inside of the box you have a partitioned area for the battery and accessories box.
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Accessories.
Beside the actual battery, included accessories are USB to micro-USB cable, USB to USB-C cable, and a storage pouch. Considering battery enclosure is all metal (aluminum), storage pouch is always a plus even while using the battery, so it creates an extra friction with a surface or keeps surface away from scratches. Now with support of USB-C, you have an option to charge other devices supporting this connector as well as using this cable to charge the battery. My only comment here, I wish two USB-C cables where included since you will always need to use one for charging of the battery because input is usb-c, and you need another one to charge devices with usb-c. But I'm sure it won't be a problem to buy a spare cable.
Design.
Considering 20100 mAh capacity of this new PowerCore+ battery, there shouldn't be any expectations of portable design. The battery dimensions are 185mm x 60mm x 23mm with a heft of 460g! The weight comes from the battery cells that hold this enormous charging capacity, and Anker usually open about using premium Panasonic cells. What I like about this battery, despite a noticeable weight, the design is very slim and elongated, making handling of this battery very easy with a comfortable grip. And even so the body is all aluminum shell, it feels very solid with no flex due to a reinforcement layer underneath. Also, the shell provides a good heat dissipation which enhances the efficiency of the battery.
The usb ports are located on one side where you have 2x full size USB Power IQ output ports, and one USB-C input port. Input power supports 2.4A @5V charging which can also accept QC2.0 from corresponding wall charger. Keep mind, you have to use usb-to-usb-C cable to charge this battery, thus my comment about having a spare one. The output USB ports do NOT support QC2.0, but they can source up to 2.4A at 5V. As a matter of fact, combined outputs are rated at 6A.
The only other control is a combined Power button with LED meter wheel, or as Anker refers to LED Power Wheel. In the last few years LED meter indicators undergone quite an evolution. Everybody was using 4-LED indicators for 25% increment charging/capacity. Then, some went for 5-LEDs to have a more "granular" 20% increment. There was also some with LCD display showing the actual percentage, but that added a drain to the battery itself. Anker was among first with 10-led circle indicator, but their designs required shaking to turn the power on or bringing up LED status. This new battery has a round power push-button with 10-led segments built into it - the BEST design to date. You don't need to shake anything, push button has a nice tactile response, and 10 bright LED dots give you an excellent visual feedback of the charging status or the battery capacity in more accurate 10% increments.
Charging.
Charging of the battery itself is very straight forward, and you have to keep in mind that large capacity takes a while to get fully charged. Even so you can use your regular 2A wall charger, it will take you half a day to charge it up. With QC2.0 wall charger, you can re-charge PowerCore+ itself in about 5 hours.
When it comes to charging of your devices, smartphone or tablet or laptops supporting usb-c, the current draw is dependent on your device and PowerIQ chip will determine the optimal charging speed. For example, my Note 4 can be charged at 2A rate, but connected to this battery it was only drawing 1.65A which is still fast enough.
The efficiency of the battery is over 90% meaning you will get over 18100 mAh, actually closer to 19000 mAh. The battery is very efficient, and it also has an advanced surge protection and short circuit prevention, especially important when charging high current usb-c devices.
Conclusion.
Even if you don't take into consideration USB-C support, this is one high quality and high capacity battery at a very reasonable price with 18-month of warranty and bulletproof build quality. Quite amazing that about a year ago 20k mAh capacity batteries used to be close to $100, while this PowerCore+ is under $60. The only real negative here is that battery can't charge other devices at QC2.0 quick charge rate. Other than that, you are getting an all aluminum shell construction, USB-C input/output port support, advanced power button with 10-led meter, rapid charging of the battery itself, 2 output ports supporting up to 6A of current and being compatible with both standards USB and USB-C, and a huge 20k mAh capacity. Definitely recommend this PowerCore+ if you want to future-proof your external battery.

A great review of this product. I would definitely look at it as an option in the future.

"The output USB ports do NOT support QC2.0, but they can source up to 2.4A at 5V. As a matter of fact, combined outputs are rated at 6A."
I can't recall can someone tell me how much quicker the quick charge 2.0 standard is compared to this 2.4A at 5V please?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

allsports said:
"The output USB ports do NOT support QC2.0, but they can source up to 2.4A at 5V. As a matter of fact, combined outputs are rated at 6A."
I can't recall can someone tell me how much quicker the quick charge 2.0 standard is compared to this 2.4A at 5V please?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QC2.0 works at higher voltage. So for example while I was able to charge my Note 4 with a regular charger at 1.7A @5.1V, QC2.0 charges it at 1.6A @6.6V. We are not talking about significantly faster but noticeably enough.

Why do we need to buy extra cables?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 04:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:00 PM ----------
It's better to buy Vinsic Alien 20a juicy pack and usb 2.0 to usb type c cable. Because it's very nice and comfortable.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

tharindunw said:
Why do we need to buy extra cables?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to buy any extra cables, everything is included. I'm just saying it would be convenient to use one cable to charge the battery itself, and another one to charge your devices. Just less wear on a cable

Someone should test if it can recharged at 2.4 amps (Input side) and it definitely will not support 3A at 5V (Output side) !
It's better to stay away from this item, as Anker will soon release the real USB-C PD charger. The real USB-C spec should support 3A at 5V both Input & Output side.

dealova2008 said:
Someone should test if it can recharged at 2.4 amps (Input side) and it definitely will not support 3A at 5V (Output side) !
It's better to stay away from this item, as Anker will soon release the real USB-C PD charger. The real USB-C spec should support 3A at 5V both Input & Output side.
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Click to collapse
What makes you say it "definitely will not support" 3A @5V? Did you test it with the latest Nexus or MacBook using charging meter to confirm that? I only mentioned in my review they are compliant with USB-C standard because Anker works directly with a lot of manufacturers and they have access to all the latest chipsets.
I don't want to mislead anybody and honestly tell you what I can and can't test, thus relying on you guys to reply back to share your own experience to either confirm or not if there is a problem. If you make a bold statement that it "will not" do something, please support it with your own test results. Ok bud?

@vectron : Because Anker says @ Amazon "Capable of charging the new MacBook at 5V/2.4A" , so why should we believe it will charge 3A at 5V
I have tested Anker 60W and the result was UNDERPERFORMED and we have discussed it before

dealova2008 said:
@vectron : Because Anker says @ Amazon "Capable of charging the new MacBook at 5V/2.4A" , so why should we believe it will charge 3A at 5V
I have tested Anker 60W and the result was UNDERPERFORMED and we have discussed it before
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The charger is a source which can supply up to the max rated amount of the current. It's up to a target, your smartphone or tablet or laptop, to sink (draw) this amount of current. My Note 4 is rated at 2A but can only draw 1.7A. Not the issue of the charger, but my phone.
Like I said, the only way to find out is for someone to test it. And if a vendor makes false claims, nobody going to buy from them. So far, Anker has been doing pretty good

vectron said:
The charger is a source which can supply up to the max rated amount of the current. It's up to a target, your smartphone or tablet or laptop, to sink (draw) this amount of current. My Note 4 is rated at 2A but can only draw 1.7A. Not the issue of the charger, but my phone.
Like I said, the only way to find out is for someone to test it. And if a vendor makes false claims, nobody going to buy from them. So far, Anker has been doing pretty good
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You're right, the device only draws what is required.
The problem is looks like the Anker 60W is not compatible with Xiaomi Power banks, it could not charged at 2 amps (tested). Let see when my PowerPort 4 arrives.

dealova2008 said:
You're right, the device only draws what is required.
The problem is looks like the Anker 60W is not compatible with Xiaomi Power banks, it could not charged at 2 amps (tested). Let see when my PowerPort 4 arrives.
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I'm also waiting to receive the latest Mi 20k mAh for testing, so will do a comparison.

vectron said:
I'm also waiting to receive the latest Mi 20k mAh for testing, so will do a comparison.
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Great news.......please do INPUT testing @50% - 60% battery with Anker wall chargers. Somebody already test it with other charger it could recharged at 1.9 amps which is acceptable.

it look great

RAVPower 20100mAh Quick Charge 3.0 Power Bank – Unboxing & Review

Introduction​
RAVPower has launched an impressive concentrate of portable power that features Quick Charge 3.0, the latest technology available from Qualcomm to charge QC 3.0 compatible devices much faster than using conventional charging technology, and even an USB Type-C port, that is becoming a standard nowadays with latest devices.
This is the RAVPower Turbo+ QC 3.0 20100mAh Battery Pack.
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This is the updated version of the Power Bank from RAVPower with QC 3.0 (Turbo+) support instead of the previous QC 2.0 (Turbo, without the "+" character). Luckily I had the possibility to compare both versions, so I’ll show you both.
Unboxing
Packaging (eco-friendly) comes with two Slim Micro-USB cables (~26cm & ~66cm), a Protective Pouch, a small Multilanguage Quick Start Guide, a Warranty Card and the Power Bank (of course).
Both versions come with the same accessories, only packaging is different.
I must admit that this Power Bank impressed me because it seems bulky, but in reality it is pretty lightweight and small enough to be handled easily in your bag without sacrifying too much space. I like its clean design, with rounded borders and opaque painting.
Don’t forget that this is a 20100mAh Battery Pack, so if you are going to buy it so must consider that it isn’t as portable as less powerful ones. (Batteries technology is improving day-by-day though so in the future we might be able to get smaller – but not less powerful – batteries)
It weighs 376g, its chassis is made of Plastic (feels strong though) and on the front side there are 4 Blue LEDs used to check battery remaining charge with a power button. The power button is only used to check battery remaining charge so you don’t have to press it to turn on the power bank. It turns on automatically when you connect a device whatever port you are using.
It comes with multiple USB ports:
- 1x Micro-USB port that support also Quick Charge
- 1x USB Type-C port that can be used in both ways (Input and Output)
- 2x Full-Size USB Ports (1x with Quick Charge support)​
As regards its performance, I am able to charge my Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500, Exynos Variant) at the same speed as with the Original Samsung Charger (with 2.0A output) without any voltage stability issue. (I have tested both USB Ports). I have also tried to charge a Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505, Qualcomm Variant) that comes with Quick Charge 1.0 technology support and it managed to charge the device in more or less 45 minutes. Also, I have tried the USB Type-C port with a Nexus 6P (luckily i have a friend at University that has it), and it does seem to work as good as with the Original Nexus Charger.
Battery Life​
Battery Life is simply amazing, it is hard to discharge the power bank completely in less than 1 week, especially if you need to charge only one smartphone that doesn’t come with a large battery. There is always some juice left even if there is only one LED lighted up (so it means less than 25% of available battery). When the battery level is extremely low, the LED starts to blink but I managed to charge a Sony PSVita (2210 mAh) nearly completely after the LED started to blink so this is pretty good.
This is a GIF that i made, unfortunately XDA doesn't support GIF playback so i had to convert and upload it on YouTube.
Efficiency​
I made some tests using an USB Tester with the included USB Cable (short variant), as you can see it is able to provide 1.9A without major issues (maybe a bit low voltage, but using another cable it is higher). I don’t have a 3A resistor so I won’t be able to show you a test under higher load, but I have stressed both USB ports at the same time and I can confirm you that it is able to handle more than 3A load without any issue at all.
Charging
I’m using a RAVPower Turbo+ QC 3.0 Charger to charge the battery. (Best Combo)
I left the battery connected to the charger at 23:30, and when I got up (08:15) the battery was fully charged and cold, so I can say that it took more or less 8 hours (probably 7 hours, because both battery & charger were cold) to charge completely. Remember that even if Qualcomm Quick Charge makes the whole charging process faster, it is also temperature controlled so if battery gets hot current output gets reduced to cool down the battery without causing damage.
Power Output seems to be extremely efficient here, voltage is much higher at 2A than using the Battery.
It is a bit heavy, but extremely powerful and feels pretty well made.
This is the best charger i have ever tried. I can recommend it even if you have to charge other kind of devices.
Conclusions​
This battery is one of the most complete available on the market, so if you need a full-optional and powerful Power Bank, then this is the right choice. I know, it isn’t easy to carry everywhere because it doesn’t fit in your pocket, so this is something useful if you carry a bag with you or if you have anything else where to fit the battery, but actually no other power banks offer so many USB ports, Quick Charge 3.0 support and Quality Battery Cells inside.
If you don’t need Quick Charge 3.0 support, I recommend you to get the QC 2.0 version to save some money. Also, i recommend you to get also the RAVPower Turbo+ QC 3.0 Charger (or Turbo QC 2.0) for best results.
I’ll add an additional review about reliability in 6 months more or less to let you know if I find any kind of issue during full-term usage.
Rating: 8.8
Packaging and Accessories: 8
Design and Materials: 9.5
Performance and Efficiency: 8
Battery Life: 10
Price: 8.5 (based on Amazon.it price)
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/vZwQN​

Reserved

Alberto96 said:
I left the battery connected to the charger at 23:30, and when I got up (08:15) the battery was fully charged and cold, so I can say that it took more or less 8 hours (probably 7 hours, because both battery & charger were cold) to charge completely. Remember that even if Qualcomm Quick Charge makes the whole charging process faster, it is also temperature controlled so if battery gets hot current output gets reduced to cool down the battery without causing damage.
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20100 mah = 20100x3.7= 74Watt hours
If it was fully charged in 7 hours, thats around 12W going into the power bank. This is slow.
I would have expected it to charge full within 5 hours which would be at least 15W or more going in.
The charger i have and what i find curious about it is if you look at the specs they are actually QC2.But it says QC3.0/2.0 on the charging port. Not on qualcom's list of certified QC3 chargers.
if you look at the battery specs they are QC3 and is on qualcom's list as certified QC3.
Would be good if you can get a double digit meter so we can see how much power that charger is actually putting into the pack.
Also have you been able to test with a QC3 phone and measure how long it took.

One Twelve said:
20100 mah = 20100x3.7= 74Watt hours
If it was fully charged in 7 hours, thats around 12W going into the power bank. This is slow.
I would have expected it to charge full within 5 hours which would be at least 15W or more going in.
The charger i have and what i find curious about it is if you look at the specs they are actually QC2.But it says QC3.0/2.0 on the charging port. Not on qualcom's list of certified QC3 chargers.
if you look at the battery specs they are QC3 and is on qualcom's list as certified QC3.
Would be good if you can get a double digit meter so we can see how much power that charger is actually putting into the pack.
Also have you been able to test with a QC3 phone and measure how long it took.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is something that i'll do as soon as possible.
Also, remember that you can't completely base your opinion on technical specs, because there are many other factors such as Temperature that might increase charging times.

Alberto96 said:
It is something that i'll do as soon as possible.
Also, remember that you can't completely base your opinion on technical specs, because there are many other factors such as Temperature that might decrease charging times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, quote or @ me when you do.
If you see here the times, with qc2 charger its 5.5 hrs.
With QC3 it should be better. Why your ravpower charger cannot do it ?
Would also request you to upgrade your usb meter and re-test with this power bank and charger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BkM8Hf5lmA
I do not speak Italian but i understood he is saying that meter works with xiaomi mi5 and qc3
PS: best of luck to your Azzuri tonight

Real Battery Capacity after 3 Months of Usage. Consider that the battery wasn't completely dead, with flashing low-battery leds, this might be a bit lower.
I haven't measured battery charging times this time because i had to use the Standard 5V charger in order to get the correct mAh value, next recharge will be made using the QC Charger.

Thanks for your post

Alberto96 said:
Real Battery Capacity after 3 Months of Usage. Consider that the battery wasn't completely dead, with flashing low-battery leds, this might be a bit lower.
I haven't measured battery charging times this time because i had to use the Standard 5V charger in order to get the correct mAh value, next recharge will be made using the QC Charger.
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Looks pretty close to stated capacity.
Can your power meter show two digits? Charge times is not so clear.

Cool review. It is useful . Have you found it is similar to Anker core 20100?

iLsyyyyyyy said:
Cool review. It is useful . Have you found it is similar to Anker core 20100?
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I did not have the chance to review the Anker one too.

Alberto96 said:
I did not have the chance to review the Anker one too.
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maybe you can look at this one, I bought it recently, it is 13400mah. Really like the durable design