Power banks have become an important thing for smartphone users. Most people carry a power bank to charge their phones on the go. If you own a power bank, you will not have to restrict your smartphone usage to avoid battery drain. This is the reason, the power bank is a popular smartphone accessory and many companies have brought their power banks. If you look at the market, power banks are available in different battery capacities from 500 mAh to 25000 mAh. People also have a general perception that this total charge capacity is the actual charge they can use from this power bank to charge their phones. But, this is not the truth. There are various things that you should know if you are thinking to buy a power bank if you own a power bank.
In this article, we will discuss power banks and less known facts which will be helpful for you. If you are planning to buy a power bank, you can see our power bank finder tool to see all available power banks.
1. Mentioned capacity is not the actual usable
If you are buying a power bank of 12000 mAh capacity and you own a smartphone with a 2000 mAh battery capacity, you may think of charging your phone 6 times with this power bank. But this is not true. This calculation does not consider environmental conditions, conversion rate, phone usage, the temperature in the surroundings, and other things that affect the charge. If you want to do the real calculation, use this formula.
Total charge cycles for a phone = Real Capacity of Power Bank * Conversion Rate * Phone’s Battery Health / Phone’s Battery Capacity
Now use this formula. But, how will you determine the conversion ratio and battery health? Yes, this is why you can never guess the actual charge cycles just by the capacity of phone’s battery and power bank capacity. If your phone’s battery is good, you can use around 60-75% of mentioned battery capacity.
Also see: Best Power Banks Under Rs. 1000 in India
2. Never Keep your power bank discharged for a long time
If the power bank is fully discharged, it has to be charged again soon. If you keep it discharged for a long time, it affects the lifespan of the battery. So, try to charge it as soon as possible. If you do not wish to use it for a long time, charge it half before putting the on shelve.
3. Never keep the power bank idle for a long time
If you hardly use a power bank and bought it only to use it rarely while a long journey, you should still use your power bank at home. It is recommended to charge it fully and discharge it at least once a month. To improve the durability of the power bank, do not let it discharge completely.
4. Keep the power bank in good condition
Always keep your power bank in good condition and avoid high temperatures. Charge it with the correct input power voltage specified in the manual. Charging it with less power will take too much time in charging and charging it with high power can result in internal damage. Many power banks are designed to withstand high pressure but try not to check that and keep it safe.
5. Do not charge the power bank and your device at the same time
I have seen many people doing this. But, it is not recommended to charge the power bank and charge the phone from the same power bank at the same time. Even if several power banks now support pass-through charging, you shouldn’t until you are in urgency. It affects the battery health of Powerbank due to excessive heat production in both kinds of charging. Sometimes, it may also explode.
6. Choose Quality power banks
If you are thinking of buying a Power bank, always go with a quality power bank and avoid low-quality duplicate products to keep your phone safe. Low-quality power banks have less conversion rate and offer fewer charge cycles. These power banks can also explode while charging. So, always select a trusted brand and buy only from a trusted place. I have seen several duplicate Xiaomi power banks.
7. 5V/2A or 9V/2A; decide wisely
You may have seen power banks with charge output 5V with 2A and 9V with 2A. If you are not sure what to buy, you should know the charging behavior of your phone. If your phone supports fast charging with 9V 2A, you can go with a power bank according to that. Otherwise, It won’t speed up the charging of your phone. Now, most budget phones support 18W charging but a few now offer faster charging. There are plenty of power banks with support for 18W or higher charging speeds.
Mi Power bank 2i supports 18W fast charging.
8. Safety Features
Choose a power bank with safety features such as over-temperature protection, over-current protection, and short-circuit protection to prevent damage to your devices and the power bank itself.
9. Compatibility
Ensure that the power bank you choose is compatible with your devices. If you have a smartphone that comes with a charging cable that needs a Type-C adapter, you need a power bank with Type-c output.
I hope you find this article useful. If you have any doubts, you can comment below.
