Power banks are in essence, a relatively high capacity external battery that you can charge your gadget with. As of late, they have been more and more popular for heavy gadget users, those who find themselves constantly on use with multiple gadgets will undoubtedly find them essential. Businesses can also use them to provide free charging for their customer where stop contact placement would be awkward. But these are about everything that the average people know about them. So here are some facts that you may find interesting about them.
1. Power bank capacity
Among the many different properties that a power bank has, power bank capacity is denoted by the figure mAh. The more its mAh is, the more energy that it can contain. Generally you’ll want one that has at least twice or thrice the capacity that your gadget has. Also note however, that the power bank’s indicated capacity is not exactly what you will be getting, it’s generally a little less than that, so you have to take that into account.
2. Power bank recharge time
It mostly depends on the power bank’s capacity and voltage. Higher capacity power bank naturally charges for longer, power banks with a capacity of 20000 mAh for example can charge for around 40 hours. Voltage on the other hand, dictate the amount of the energy flow at a given time, so if you want a power bank that recharges quickly, you’ll want one that has a high voltage value. Do note however, that not all devices can handle high voltages flowing through them.
Read also: 6 ways in keeping your power bank durable
3. Power bank lifetime
Generally power banks sees a decrease in quality after around 200 to 1000 charging cycles depending on their quality. This means that higher capacity power banks have more longevity compared to the lower ones, since each power bank charging cycle sees more use in them. Therefore, it’s better to get higher capacity power bank if you want more value to your money.
4. You may not carry specific types into airplanes
In some places, there may be a rule that prohibit you from carrying a specific type of power banks into airplanes. It is well known that airlines never allow materials that can be construed as flammable and/or explosive (among others) in them. And Lithium battery, widely used in power banks, can explode when overheated or short-circuited.
Depending on the capacity of the power bank, the security measures taken against them also differs. It ranges from lower capacity power bank that has no prohibition against them whatsoever to high capacity power bank that is completely prohibited. Some medium capacity power bank may not be allowed in the cabin, but can be carried in the baggage however. The specific of these rules are your responsibility to check.
5. Some type can be used to charge non handhelds
Although not all of them can, some power bank can be used to charge larger devices such as laptop and television. Most power bank in the market has only 5V USB output, whereas to charge laptop you need at least 16–20V USB output. More advanced power bank even allows you to choose the right voltage to operate bigger devices such as a television.
