Thursday, January 29, 2015

RAVPower Xtreme Series 18200 mAh External Battery Pack Review ( Model RP-PB26 )

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product for free so that I could provide product feedback to the company and post a product review. I was not required to write a positive review and I do not rate products higher than they should have been. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's requirements.

Battery pack and packaging
I recently received a RAVPower Xtreme Series 18200 mAh external battery pack ( model RP-PB26 ) for a product review. In addition to the battery pack itself, the package also included 2 USB to microUSB cables (one short, one long).

NOTE: My test unit was part of the first batch of this new product, I have been advised that future units will come with a carrying bag.

Battery pack and two USB-to-microUSB cables
I noticed the following things in comparison to some of the recently battery packs I have tested of similar (but less) capacity:

- The pack is a bit larger and slightly heavier than other battery packs I have that are high capacity (15000~16000 mAh range) but none are 18000+ mAh.
- Built-in LED flashlight which has been a common feature
- 3 USB outputs (instead of the common 2 USB outputs)
- LCD screen which displays the remaining capacity on a 0-100% scale when most other packs just use 4 LEDs to represent increments of 25%.

Normally once you get into the higher capacity battery packs, you aren't really worried about size and weight so I think those are not really major issues especially when you consider the extra features this unit has.

To test the battery pack, I used two DROK USB volt/amp meters and two load devices (switchable 1A/2A load).  From testing the devices, the volt/amp meters are not super accurate but they are a great way to perform some quick tests.

3 USB outputs.  The charging input is on the right, and the LED is below it.
Here is what I found during my tests:

- Output 1 ( Rated 1A ): Was able to handle over the 1A rated capacity.
- Output 2 ( Rated 1.5A ): Was able to handle over the 1.5A rated capacity.
- Output 3 ( Rated 2.4A ): Was able to handle over the 2.4A rated capacity.

Using Output 2 and Output 3, I was able to handle both 2A loads (total of 4A, measure at about 3.8A).  I even connected my Moto X on Output 1, and was able to charge it at 0.5A with both 2A loads going - total of 4.5A which isn't bad at all.

From real world tests, the smartphones and Nexus 7 tablet I have tested never went over 2A so I think this battery pack can easily handle 3 devices without any problem.

Fully charged and ready to go
"IN" shows up on the screen when charging
Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

High Capacity: Bottom line, this pack has 18200 mAh of capacity.  In theory, I could charge my Moto X and Nexus 7 tablet 3 times each before this pack runs out.  I know that is just based on simple math, but this should work great for a power user or family of tech users.

3 USB Outputs: Most of the packs I have tested only have 2 USB outputs, but this one has 3.  This is definitely a plus for a power user who may have multiple devices.  If you consider some people carry multiple devices (phones, tablets, speakers, even cellular hotspots) the extra port could come in handy.

LCD Display: I consider this more of a neat feature than a required one but for some users knowing how much capacity they have left may be important and the simple 4 LED approach many other packs use may not be enough.

Bottom line: If you need a high capacity battery pack with the ability to handle multiple devices at the same time, or need the ability to keep an eye on the capacity to a greater degree of accuracy then this external battery pack is a great option to consider.

Amazon Product Page: http://amzn.com/B00RYHVFXI

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