24 August 2017, Comments: Comments Off on USB-C Power Bank & Wall Charger Comparison

 August 2017         Ian Chiu

One of the many highlights of the reversible USB-C connector and cable is undoubtedly the increase of guaranteed power, more than triple from USB 3.1’s 4.5W (5V 0.9A) to current 15W (5V 3A).  When coupled with USB Power Delivery 2.0, output can be increased by severalfold to 100W (20V 5A) over a USB-C connection to power and recharge even the most power-hungry laptops.

USB Power Delivery?


That being said, there are two types of USB-C power banks and wall chargers you can buy today.  The ones that leverage USB Power Delivery (PD) 2.0 standard can supply power more than the usual 15W.  They are needed to recharge everything from MacBooks to Nintendo Switch.

Third-party USB-C AC chargers commonly support anywhere from 30 to 60W output whereas current generation of power banks can deliver 45W of power.  In comparison, non-PD chargers and batteries are limited to maximum output of 15W (5V 3A) over USB-C.

Some of these products are supplemented with proprietary charging technologies (i.e. Samsung Fast Charge and QualComm Quick Charge).  Their respective fast charging modes, however, only kick in when paired with compatible phones or tablets.  In other words, they cannot supercharge your devices (e.g. Nintendo Switch, Apple MacBook, Dell XPS, Razer Stealth etc.) that comply with the USB Power Delivery 2.0 specs.

As of this writing, there are only a handful of USB PD power banks and power bricks that can recharge a USB-C laptop at full-speed while it’s under active use.  Improved versions will certainly come as the technology matures and as market demand increases.

For comparison, below is a product chart featuring some of the latest USB-C power banks as well as third-party USB-C wall and car chargers we found to be worth checking out.

USB Power Delivery (PD) Power Bank Comparison



Anker
PowerCore+ PD

Omnicharge
Omni 20

Mophie
PowerStation XXL

Moshi
IonSlim 10k

Razer
Power Bank
USB Power Delivery? YesYesYesYesYes
Rated Battery Capacity:26,800mAh20,100mAh19,500mAh10,000mAh12,800mAh
Power Port(s):1x USB-C
(bi-directional)
2x USB-A outputs
2x USB-C
(bi-directional)
2x USB-A outputs
1x USB-C
(bi-directional)
1x USB-A output
1x USB-C
(bi-directional)
1x USB-A output
1x Micro-USB input
1x USB-C input
2x USB-A outputs
1x USB-C output
USB-C Output(s):5V 2A (10W)
5V 3A (15W)
15V 2A (30W)
5V 3A (15W)
9V 3A (27W)
12V 3A (36W)
15V 3A (45W)
20V 3A (60W)
5V 2A (10W)
5V 3A (15W)
15V 2A (30W)
5V 2A (10W)
5V 3A (15W)
15V 2A (30W)
5V 3A (15W)
9V 3A (27W)
12V 3A (36W)
15V 3A (45W)
20V 2.25A (45W)
USB-A Output(s):5V 3A (15W)5V 3A (15W)5V 2.4A (12W)5V 2.4A (12W)5V 2A (10W)
9V 2A (18W)
12V 1.5A (18W)
Proprietary Charging?Yes
Qualcomm
QuickCharge 3.0
NoNoNoYes
Qualcomm
QuickCharge 3.0
Power Passthrough?NoYesYesYesYes
Dimensions:1.7" x 3.82" x 0.88"
9.7 x 4.3 x 2.24cm
5.0" x 4.8" x 1.1"
12.7 x 12.2 x 2.7cm
5.9" x 3.3" x 0.9"
15 x 8.38 x 2.3cm
5.5" x 2.91" x 0.51"
14 x 7.4 x 1.29cm
4.95" x 3.1" x 0.9"
12.6 x 7.8 x 2.34cm
Weight:1.27lbs
576g
1.1lbs
506g
0.86lbs
390g
0.52lbs
236g
0.74lbs
335g
Color(s):BlackBlackBlackTitanium grayBlack
Warranty:LifetimeOne yearTwo yearsOne yearOne year

USB-C Car & Wall Charger Comparison



Innergie
60C USB-C Charger

Kanex
GoPower Car Charger

Plugable
USB-C Power Supply

Satechi
108W Pro USB-C Charger
USB Power Delivery? YesYesYesYes
Total Power Output:60W27W60W108W
Power Port(s):1x USB-C1x USB-C
1x USB-A
1x USB-C2x USB-C
2x USB-A
USB-C Output(s):5V 3A (15W)
9V 3A (27W)
12V 3A (36W)
15V 3A (45W)
20V 3A (60W)
5V 3A (15W)
9V 3A (27W)
12V 2.25A (27W)
5V 3A (15W)
9V 3A (27W)
12V 3A (36W)
15V 3A (45W)
20V 3A (60W)
5V 3A (15W)
9V 3A (27W)
12V 3A (36W)
15V 3A (45W)
20V 3A (60W)
20V 4.5A (90W)
USB-A Output(s):Not applicable5V 1A (5W)Not applicable5V 2.4A (12W) shared
USB-C Cable Included?5.3 ft (1.5m)No cable included6 ft (1.8m) tethered USB-C cableNo cable included
Power Cable Length:Not applicableNot applicable4 ft
Warranty:Three yearsOne yearOne yearOne year

USB-C Car & Wall Chargers on Amazon



USB Duplicators By Nexcopy
Nexcopy manufactures a variety of PC-based and standalone USB duplicator solutions.

PC based systems support advanced USB functions such as write protection, CD-ROM partition and multi-partition creation, while standalone systems are ultra-fast, high speed USB copiers duplicating gigabytes of data quickly and accurately.


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