It’s a surprisingly sleek brick and it has a lot of ports to play with.
The folks at Monoprice sent their 20,000 mAh power bank for me to test and review.
Monoprice has a new trio of power banks featuring Power Delivery Quick Charge 3.0 and an LCD read out for remaining battery capacity.
Available in three configurations, a wired only 10,000 mAh battery, a wired only 20,000 mAh battery, and the version I’m reviewing, which takes the 20,000 mAh battery and adds wireless charging to the mix.
This version of the battery is capable of charging up to five devices at the same time.
A quick rundown on the specs:
- Capacity: 20,000 mAh
- Input: Micro USB or USB-C
- Input Power: 18W Max
- Ports: 2x USB-A (12W), 1x USB-A (22.5W), 1x USB-C (20W), Wireless (up to 15W)
- Weight: .84 lbs
- Price as Reviewed: $34.99
It’s a hefty brick of battery at almost a pound. I like the shape however, as it’s a narrower profile than some of my other big batteries. It’s slightly narrower than a Galaxy S10e.
Sometimes those squarer shapes can be hard to fit in backpack side pockets. It’s not the kind of power bank that will often live in pants pockets, even with my penchant for cargo shorts.
At this price tier, the experience is “low frill”. The case is a simple black plastic. There are no “feet” to keep the battery stable on a table, but there is a light rubbery ring around the wireless charger to keep your phone in place. The only other “feature” would be the holes for a lanyard strap.
But the display is handy. As battery capacity expands, the “four dot” method of measuring remaining charge can be clumsy. We know the percentage is likely not exactly accurate or consistent across the whole range of the battery, but it gives us a slightly better indication of where we might be. The side display showing “fast” charging in another color, also gives the user a quick notification on the load the battery is supplying.
Max output at 22.5W won’t set the world on fire. It’s plenty capable for topping off devices while traveling, and the draw here is to charge multiple devices at the same time. It’s right in line with other inexpensive batteries in this capacity range, and should be handy for a family of phones, tablets, and watches.
It introduces some issues with compatibility on thirstier gadgets though.
Laptops expecting higher wattage might completely ignore it, like my Pixelbook and my Surface Book Go. I was able to slow charge my Robo and Kala tablet, which is a Windows on ARM machine.
Connected to a thirstier device though, the battery is not able to sustain multiple other devices charging.
Ditto wireless charging, where the indicator for fast charging will turn off if you have one phone charging wirelessly and one wired. I don’t think that’s too surprising that the total output of the battery can’t support multiple devices drawing 15W-20W. At least, we shouldn’t expect a battery at this price to this and NOT become a fire hazard.
Lastly, the battery can slow charge other devices while it’s plugged in and charging itself.
When it comes down to the overall user experience, my main criticism would be the packaging Monoprice uses to ship the battery out. A thin cardboard outer container, with a thin plastic tray to “protect” the battery in transit.
The battery arrived with that internal plastic tray completely crushed, and offering little protection to the battery. Nothing was damaged, and my review unit is completely functional, but I was disappointed with that presentation. I’d ask Monoprice to start transitioning to plain cardboard instead. That likely adds some small cost to shipping, for being slightly heavier than plastic, but I think it would offer more protection. It would certainly deliver a nicer first impression of the product and the brand.
Otherwise, this is a solid option in a competitive market. Folks needing to charge multiple portable devices will be well served. Those looking for a laptop grade battery will likely have to step up to a higher price tier for more output.
We recently experienced some strange weather here in Southern California, and in prepping for a tropical storm, Marie and I rounded up all of our portable batteries and chargers. While we thankfully didn’t experience any serious or prolonged outages, these types of gadgets can help you feel a little more prepared.
Monoprice is one of the first places I shop for cables, connectors, and adapters. Their store brand accessories are likewise offering up a great bang for buck.