Xiaomi 16000 mAh Power Bank

[GJHS]

To sort of continue a conversation from another thread, I received my Xiaomi Power Bank from GearBest to test. First impressions is how well made the power bank is, wrapped in brushed aluminum (aluminium) it really feels high end. The size is really nice too, about the same length as my Galaxy S5, width is slightly narrower and about and inch thick. It fits nicely in your hand and pocket if necessary.



What's most important to me in any USB battery pack is the cells and Xiaomi uses quality cells from LG, Samsung and Panasonic. It's not only about capacity, I had previously bought a cheap one a few years ago and while charging, it swelled up. The worse part is I didn't notice until after it charged, needless to say, I won't be buying any more mystery packs nor will I leave any battery unattended while charging. Be safe and always buy quality cells with quality protection circuits.

Xiaomi has also posted a video making it easy to determine if you received a genuine Xiaomi Power Bank since there are a lot of clones out there, along with a code on the box that you can enter online to check validity. It's seem a common trend of the better Chinese companies to protect their products and customers. It's nice to know you can confirm it easily without any guess work.

Right now I'm charging my IPad 2 and Galaxy S5 simultaneously while typing this on my iPad 2 and both are charging as quickly as the AC adapters. The battery is very very slightly warm and the USB connectors are cool, so it's not being overloaded. I will do more testing and report back when I have some figures and run times.

Here's the link http://www.gearbest.com/mobile-power-bank/pp_144271.html and the coupon code is XM16000

 

[runtohell121]

I currently own 3 Xiaomi 10400 mAh battery pack that my cousin got for me from China, and yes I agree with the good quality. That's one thing I like about Xiaomi's products, low cost and high quality parts usually.

I saw the 16000 mAh when I was in China a few months ago, at first I was going to ask my cousin to get me the 16000 mAh, but after seeing it in person, it was too long and a bit heavy in my opinion. I think the 10400 mAh is the right size, in terms of the physical dimension and weight. Just one downside of the 10400 mAh is that, there is only 1 USB output port, so only can charge one device, whereas the 16000 mAh have 2 ports.

 

[GJHS]

I went with the 16000 because of the size, I thought the 10400 was too wide and only had one USB port. My previous was a mystery capacity so I error on larger capacities to maximize it's usefullness in all situations including power outages. I really like the slim 5200 packs as well, it seems a good lightweight pocket option. Do you have any pics of your 10400 compared to a known like a cell phone?

 

[runtohell121]

I went with the 16000 because of the size, I thought the 10400 was too wide and only had one USB port. My previous was a mystery capacity so I error on larger capacities to maximize it's usefullness in all situations including power outages. I really like the slim 5200 packs as well, it seems a good lightweight pocket option. Do you have any pics of your 10400 compared to a known like a cell phone?

I will get some pictures soon to show on this forum.

 

[runtohell121]

Alright, here's 2 photos, just quick snapshot, but bad lighting.

Samsung Galaxy S II (SGH-i777) and iPhone 6 Plus


From left to right: Samsung Galaxy S II -> iPhone 6 Plus -> Xiaomi 10400 mAh -> Nintendo 3DS XL

 

[GJHS]

Wow, that's much smaller than I thought. Thanks for posting them

 

[GearBest]

Nice write up GJHS! Here there also coupons for 10,400 and 5000, 5000XM would bring 5000 to $12.99 and XMBANK would bring 10,400 to $15.88. Both will be expired at the end of this month

 

[GJHS]

Thanks! I found some disassembled photos showing which cells and protection circuit is used http://www.gizmochina.com/2014/11/11/xiaomi-power-bank-16000-tear-down/



This new model of LG batteries is the LGABE11865, with purple PVC jacket, they have a nominal capacity of 3200mAh (12.0Wh), a minimum capacity of 3100mAh (11.6Wh); charging cut-off voltage of 4.35V (± 0.05V), discharge cut-off voltage of 2.75V; batteries internal resistance of 50 milliohms or less the maximum discharge current of 4.65A; They each weigh about 49g or so, compared to LGABB41865 (2600mAh) is 48g heavier by only 1g, the new technology to make the energy density has been significantly improved.

These higher power 4.35V batteries are becoming popular and will replace the 4.20V soon enough. I wish the cut off voltage was higher, my Keeppower Panasonic 3400mAhs cut off at 2.90V. I will investigate to see at what point the Xiaomi protection circuit kicks in.

 

[BioHazarD]

@GJHS How long does it take to fully charge to 100%?

Although the charging time for my 10400mAh is said to be around 5,5 hours, in reality it takes around 10 hours to fully charge...

 

[Pavle]

I would like to add that power bank is great. Bought mine on GearBest, since only there I was sure it was 100% legit. There are many copies on sites such as AliExpress and even Ebay.
I asked their customer support and they assured me it is 100% original. Additionally you cant beat this promo price!

This is going to be useful for me to power up my action cameras while I hike. I will use a special DIY mount which will record from third person view, while its going to be powered via Xiaomi Power bank. I believe it will be enough for a while day.

As soon as I make a this DIY project, I will let you guys know how it worked.

 

[GJHS]

Charge time using a 2A AC adapter is 4-5 hours from 25% (1 out of 4 lights showing)

 

[Dashmellow]

It should be pointed out that for all practical purposes applicable to dash cam users, the Xiaomi 16,000 mAh power bank is not really a 16,000 mAh capacity battery bank as implied by the way it is marketed. This rating of 16,000 mAh is based on a current draw of 3.7V/1A. According to the specs from the company, (and prominently mentioned on the GearBest page, to their credit) this battery bank will have an actual capacity of only 10,800mAh @5V/1A. Since dash cams (and most USB devices) require 5V, rather than 3.7V, results will differ.

 

[Nigel]

It should be pointed out that for all practical purposes applicable to dash cam users, the Xiaomi 16,000 mAh power bank is not really a 16,000 mAh capacity battery bank as implied by the way it is marketed. This rating of 16,000 mAh is based on a current draw of 3.7V/1A. According to the specs from the company, (and prominently mentioned on the GearBest page, to their credit) this battery bank will have an actual capacity of only 10,800mAh @5V/1A. Since dash cams (and most USB devices) require 5V, rather than 3.7V, results will differ.

These things should be measured in watt hours not amp hours!

But it is normal for USB power banks to be specified by the mAh of the batteries they contain which all work at 3.7 volts so the 16,000 mAh is not misleading if comparing to other similar devices. Also, if you are using it to charge another device such as a phone then that also has a battery rated in mAh at 3.7 volts.

 

[Dashmellow]

These things should be measured in watt hours not amp hours!

But it is normal for USB power banks to be specified by the mAh of the batteries they contain which all work at 3.7 volts so the 16,000 mAh is not misleading if comparing to other similar devices. Also, if you are using it to charge another device such as a phone then that also has a battery rated in mAh at 3.7 volts.

For practical purposes when used to power a 5v dash cam, it will not be 16,000 mAh. This is stated by Xiaomi when they report how it has been rated.

 

[GJHS]

Yes they claim a minimum of, based on efficiency


Output depends on several factors including battery health, cable resistance and heat.

 

[Dashmellow]

You said in your first post that GearBest sent you this product to test but saying that "Xiaomi is still $15 cheaper", sounds more like promoting. Will you be doing any actual objective testing?

 

[GJHS]

Ouch, sorry you think that. I've been testing it and using it as the main charger for all my devices and so far it's performed well. I had planned to update the post later to express that. While, yes I did receive it to test, I wrote the $15 price difference as important because comparing Apples to Apples both the Xiaomi and Anker are even in specs. On my "Pro" list is that price and one of the two important reasons that I would recommend it. I actually was going to buy it based on that price difference, not wanting to spend $40 nor buy another mystery pack and when asking Sunny if there was a coupon, she said that she would send it if I reviewed it.

EDIT: Removed Anker comparison in original post since I don't have one to directly compare.

 

[russ331]

... Anker ... Both are using LG batteries and the Xiaomi is still $15 cheaper.

My Anker Astro E4 uses Samsung Grade A cells.

 

[Dashmellow]

My Anker Astro E4 uses Samsung Grade A cells.

Good point. I think that in order to recommend one product over another very similar product one needs to have both of them in hand and subject them to the same testing and evaluation before either or both can be endorsed or panned.

 

[efoo]

It should be pointed out that for all practical purposes applicable to dash cam users, the Xiaomi 16,000 mAh power bank is not really a 16,000 mAh capacity battery bank as implied by the way it is marketed. This rating of 16,000 mAh is based on a current draw of 3.7V/1A. According to the specs from the company, (and prominently mentioned on the GearBest page, to their credit) this battery bank will have an actual capacity of only 10,800mAh @5V/1A. Since dash cams (and most USB devices) require 5V, rather than 3.7V, results will differ.

Thanks Dashmellow for the info, I was wondering approximately how much charge this holds as I also bought one a few months ago. Pretty happy if it holds over 10,000mAh.