Best seller again? Review of Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh

 

Xiaomi external batteries (Power Bank) have become widespread all over the world. According to company representatives, Xiaomi is the leader in this market.

 

The secret of such popularity is quite simple: despite the highest quality of the devices themselves, Mi Power Bank batteries have a very attractive price.

 

The new model Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh stands out from other power banks from Xiaomi. The aluminum casing of Xiaomi Mi Power Bank devices has already become a kind of calling card, but this time the manufacturer used a completely plastic casing.

 

Is it good or bad? On the one hand, the device still looks less premium. But the plastic case is more practical. There is less chance that you will scratch your gadget on the external battery case.

 

By the way, the quality of the plastic case of the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh is simply excellent.

 

 

The upper and lower surfaces have small pimples visible only at close range, which help the device not slip out of the palm.

 

This 20,000 mAh model is the most capacious in the Mi Power Bank line. Previously, the maximum capacity of Xiaomi external batteries was 16,000 mAh.

 

There is a single control button on the case, and four LEDs will tell you about the operating mode of the device and the remaining battery capacity. Such solutions are traditional for Xiaomi power banks.

 

The device comes with only a USB cable about 30 cm long. There is no power supply for charging the device. The absence of a power supply included with a power bank is a common situation for such devices.

 

When compared with its counterparts, the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh stands out for its better capacity/weight ratio. The device weighs only 338 g. For example, the Xiaomi 16,000 mAh model weighs 350 g, the 10,400 mAh model (four 18650 cells inside) weighs 254 g, the 10,000 mAh model (three 18650 cells inside) inside) – 207 g.

 

Equipment

 

Under the cover of the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh there is a set of 18650 Li-ion batteries manufactured by LG. There are six such cells in total, each with a capacity of 3350 mAh.

The power bank has two USB ports, each of which can output a current of up to 2.1 A. Moreover, the total current through the two ports should not exceed 3.6 A.

 

The device is able to determine the type of connected device being charged and, accordingly, adjusts the port parameters for the required level of output current (this mode in external batteries is often called intelligent). By the way, there is no Apple 2.4 A charging mode here. For such a powerful device, this can be considered a disadvantage.

 

The voltage on the USB ports of the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh is perfectly stabilized under various loads. By the way, the voltage level is slightly higher than the standard 5 V. This was done on purpose and is a common solution for high-power chargers. However, you don’t have to worry about damaging the connected device.

 

The model has a number of protections against overvoltage at the input and output, short circuit, controls the operation of battery cells, etc. These are standard features for a high-end power bank.

 

 

What was not previously available in Xiaomi power banks and is present in this Mi Power Bank 20000mAh model is support for Quick Charge 2.0 high-speed charging technology. This technology can significantly increase charging speed.

 

Unfortunately, with Quick Charge 2.0 in the Mi Power Bank 20000mAh, not everything is so smooth. Accelerated charging is supported here only for recharging the power bank itself. It cannot charge devices connected to the Mi Power Bank 20000mAh using Quick Charge 2.0.

 

It’s a pity, because the number of devices supporting Quick Charge is constantly growing.

 

We also note that we were unable to check how the Mi Power Bank 20000mAh is charged using Quick Charge 2.0 technology, since we did not have an appropriate charger.

 

Mi Power Bank 20000mAh supports transit charging. That is, it can charge connected devices when the power bank itself is charging.

 

Pull the charge

 

When testing the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh from the USB output at a load of about 1 A, we were able to draw a charge of 12,721 mAh. Why is it so small, since 20,000 mAh is stated?

 

Let us remind you once again that there is no need to directly compare the output capacity in mAh at the USB output and the declared capacity of the power bank, because this does not take into account the voltage, which affects the amount of energy output. With the same current but different voltage, different amounts of energy will be transferred per unit time.

 

By the way, for the same reason, you should not directly compare the capacity in mAh of smartphone batteries with the batteries of cameras, laptops, finger cells, etc. It is more correct to compare the capacity in units of Wh.

 

As a rule, manufacturers indicate the capacity of a power bank in mAh, based on the capacity of the batteries installed inside. In this case, the declared capacity is 20,000 mAh.

 

By the way, unlike many other manufacturers, Xiaomi also lists the capacity of the power bank in Wh (72 Wh). Moreover, Xiaomi also indicated the mAh capacity of the USB output (12,700 mAh). If all manufacturers did this with their power banks, there would be less confusion and users would have fewer questions.

 

So, let’s count and compare. The manufacturer stated the capacity of the power bank is 72 Wh, which is easy to calculate on your own. We multiply 20,000 mAh by 3.6 V (the nominal voltage of the installed batteries) and get 72 Wh.

 

Using a special device, we obtained a value of 12,721 mAh at the USB output. We multiply this value by 5.1 (USB output voltage) and get a capacity of 64.9 Wh. This value can already be compared with the declared 72 Wh. Why did you receive less than stated? Part of the energy is spent in the controller, which increases the voltage from the built-in batteries to the required voltage on the USB ports. This is absolutely normal.

 

In general, the capacity of the built-in batteries of this power bank is consistent with the declared value of 20,000 mAh.

 

If we compare the resulting capacity of the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh with the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 10000mAh, which participated in In our comparative test of external batterieswe get approximately a twofold advantage of the 20,000th model.

 

Application

 

With such a large capacity, Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh is capable of charging even very powerful smartphones several times; it is enough to charge a tablet with the most capacious batteries more than once.

 

This external battery can even be used to charge modern economical laptops (which can be charged from a USB port). The manufacturer indicates that with the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh it will be possible to charge a new MacBook (which has a single USB port) 1.2 times.

 

 

If you are going on a camping trip, fishing, or a long trip, such a high-capacity, but at the same time very compact and lightweight power bank will be an excellent option.

 

If you just need to protect your smartphone from discharge during the day in the “work/study-home” mode, then you can limit yourself to much more modest models.

 

Conclusions

 

Did Xiaomi get another hit power bank? Yes, it worked. The device is really very cool and at the same time quite affordable. We confidently recommend Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh as an excellent high-capacity external battery.

 

It has no significant drawbacks, but if we approach the assessment more scrupulously, then in a device of this class and such capacity we would already like to see support for the Apple 2.4 A charging mode, as well as the Quick Charge accelerated charging mode, which will work not only at the input, but also at the output of the device.

 

Characteristics of Xiaomi Mi Power Bank 20000mAh

Declared capacity:	20,000 (72) mAh (Wh)
Measured capacity from USB output:	12,721 (64.9) mAh (Wh)
Number of USB outputs:	2
Maximum current of USB output:	2.1 A
Maximum total output current:	3.6 A
Input current:	2 A, Quick Charge 2.0 technology is also supported
Transit charging:	yes
Dimensions:	141.9×73×21.8 mm
Weight:	338 g
Supplier:	ilounge.ua
Price:	1199 UAH ($44)

Rating:

+ good quality of materials and workmanship

+ light weight, taking into account the capacity of the device

+ transit charging

+ Quick Charge 2.0 support for charging the power bank itself

– output current could be higher

– Quick Charge 2.0 high-speed charging is available only for charging a power bank

 

Read also:

Bottomless barrel: a comparative review of seven external batteries

Small cars: review of external batteries TP- LINK TL-PB5200 and TL-PB2600