Comparison ATRIA WPD-101 vs Sandberg Powerbank USB-C PD 130W 50000

The higher the battery capacity, the more energy the power bank is able to accumulate and then transfer when charging to gadgets connected to it. But it should be borne in mind that not all of the accumulated energy goes specifically to charging – part of it is spent on service functions and inevitable losses in the process of transmission. So in the specifications, the real capacity of the power bank is also often specified. If there is no data on real capacity, then when calculating it is worth proceeding from the fact that it is usually somewhere 1.6 times lower than the nominal one. For example, for a model with a nominal capacity of 10,000 mAh, the actual value will be approximately 6300 mAh.

As for the specific values of the nominal capacity, then in models with the lowest performance it is 5000 – 7000 mAh and even less ; such power banks are suitable as a backup source of energy for 1 – 2 smartphone charging with a not very capacious battery or other similar gadget. The 10,000 mAh solutions are the most popular nowadays – in many cases, this option provides the best price-capacity ratio. The 20,000 mAh and 30,000 mAh options are also very common. But even a capacity of 40,000 mAh or more, thanks to the development of modern...technology, is quite common.

The real capacity of the power bank.

Real capacity is the amount of energy that a power bank is able to transfer to rechargeable gadgets. This amount is inevitably lower than the nominal capacity (see above) — most often by about 1.6 times (due to the fact that part of the energy goes to additional features and transmission losses). However, it is by real capacity that it is easiest to evaluate the actual capabilities of an external battery: for example, if this figure is 6500 mAh, this model is guaranteed to be enough for two full charges of a smartphone with a 3000 mAh battery and smartwatches for 250 mAh.

The capacity in this case is indicated for 5 V — the standard USB charging voltage. At the same time, the features of milliamp-hours as a unit of capacity are such that the actual amount of energy in the battery depends not only on the number of mAh, but also on the operating voltage. In fact, this means that when using fast charging technologies (see below) that involve increased voltage, the actual value of the actual capacity will differ from the claimed one (it will be lower). There are formulas and methods for calculating this value, they can be found in special sources.

Battery capacity in watt-hour. These units of measurement are less popular than MilliAmp hour, but are more physically correct: they accurately describe the amount of energy accumulated by the battery. Thanks to this, in terms of capacity in Wh, it is possible to compare batteries with different rated voltages (while for mAh this is not allowed — additional calculations must be carried out using special formulas). At the same time, Wh can be converted to mAh without much difficulty if the battery voltage is known (for power banks this is in most cases 3.7 V): to do this, the capacity in Wh must be divided by the voltage and multiplied by 1000.

The type of own batteries installed in the power bank. Lithium-ion(Li-Ion) or lithium-polymer(Li-Pol) batteries are most commonly used today. Other options are less common — solutions based on nickel-metal hydride(Ni-Mh) batteries, as well as on LiFePO4 type cells. In addition, a rather promising development has appeared relatively recently — graphene batteries; however, as of early 2021, they are just beginning to be introduced into mass production. Here are the main features of each of these varieties:

— Li-Ion. Lithium-ion technology allows you to create quite capacious batteries of small dimensions and weight. In addition, such elements are easy to use (the main operating parameters are regulated by the built-in controller), have a high charge speed and are practically not affected by the "memory effect" (reduction in capacity when charging an incompletely discharged battery). The main disadvantage of lithium-ion batteries is a rather narrow range of permissible ambient temperatures. This is not a problem in urban usage, when the power bank is used mainly indoors and is carried in a pocket or in a bag; but for less favorable conditions (such as long hikes in the cold season), it is worth choosing models with good thermal insulation. You can also find information that lithium-ion batteries are prone to fires and even explosions; however, this is usually due to...failures in the embedded controllers, and these controllers are also constantly being improved, and nowadays the risk of such an accident is so low that it can actually be neglected.

— Li-pol. Further development and improvement of the lithium-ion technology described above; the main difference is the use of a solid polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid one (hence the name). This made it possible to achieve even greater capacity without increasing the dimensions, as well as to reduce the potential for fires and explosions during abnormal operation. On the other hand, lithium-polymer batteries are somewhat more expensive than lithium-ion batteries and are even more sensitive to temperature disturbances.

— Ni-Mh. Nickel-metal hydride batteries are distinguished by their reliability and a wide range of permissible temperatures, however, with the same dimensions, they are inferior in capacity to lithium-ion (and even more to lithium-polymer) batteries, and they also require certain specific operating rules to be observed. In addition, it is worth noting that Ni-Mh technology is well suited for removable batteries. It is in this format that such batteries are most often used: power banks of the Ni-Mh format are usually adapters with slots for several replaceable elements of a standard size (for example, AA). In this case, usually, several corresponding removable batteries are included in the kit, however, if desired, they can be replaced with other elements — these can even be disposable batteries from the nearest store. Such an opportunity can turn out to be very useful if the power bank is out of juice at an unfortunate moment, but there is no way to charge it; in addition, worn-out batteries can be replaced with fresh ones without changing the entire device.

— Li-FePO4. Another modified version of the Li-Ion batteries described above, the so-called "lithium iron phosphate". The advantages of such cells over classical lithium-ion ones are, first of all, a stable discharge voltage (until the energy is exhausted), high peak power, long service life, resistance to low temperatures, stability and safety. In addition, due to the use of iron instead of cobalt, such batteries are also safer to manufacture and easier to dispose of. At the same time, they are noticeably inferior to the classic lithium-ion ones in terms of capacity, and they are more expensive, which is why they are rarely used.

— Graphene. Batteries based on graphene — a carbon film one atom thick. The battery itself consists of a set of such films, between which silicon plates are laid, and lithium cobaltate or magnesium oxide is used as an anode. This design provides a number of advantages over the earlier batteries described above. First, graphene technology provides a high charge density, which allows you to create capacious and at the same time light and compact batteries. Secondly, for the production of such batteries, fewer rare resources are needed than for the same lithium ones; and the production itself is more environmentally friendly. Thirdly, such batteries are not prone to overheating and explosions when overloaded or damaged. On the other hand, graphene power supplies take a long time to charge and are not durable. However, this technology is still developing, and in the future it is likely that these shortcomings will be eliminated — completely or at least partially.

The total number of USB-A ports for charging connected gadgets. This type is gradually being replaced by USB type C, however, most models still use USB-A as the main output. This is also indicated by the number of corresponding ports. Classic are 2 USB-A outputs. However, there are also compact models for 1 output, and more impressive ones with 3 and 4 USB-A(even more).

Characteristics of the second USB C port. Read more in the paragraph above.

A standard USB A port is characterized by the rated power supplied by the power bank when a load is connected to the first or only USB A output and the current strength. If there are several connectors of this type, the first one is considered to be capable of delivering more power.

The speed of the charging process directly depends on this indicator. Power is traditionally calculated by multiplying current by voltage; However, the standard voltage for USB power is 5 V, so current is considered to be the main indicator of power.

The charging power and, accordingly, the speed of the process depend on the current strength. Nowadays, on USB ports, a current of 2 A or 2.1 A is considered basic and quite modest, 2.4 A and 2.5 A are average, 3 A and more are noticeably above average, and certain fast charging technologies allow you to achieve values of 4 A. 4.5 A and 5 A. However, it is worth considering that to operate at high current, such an opportunity must be provided not only in the power bank, but also in the gadget being charged. So when purchasing a model, it doesn’t hurt to check whether the devices being charged suppo...rt high charge currents.

It is also worth noting two nuances associated with the presence of multiple USB charging ports. Firstly, they may differ in the current they produce. This allows you to select the optimal connector for each device: for example, to quickly charge a tablet with a capacious battery, it is desirable to have a higher current, and a device with a low charging current can be connected to a “weaker” port, so as not to create unnecessary load on the battery and controller. The second caveat is that if all USB connectors are used simultaneously, the current supplied by each of these connectors may be lower than the maximum; in other words, not all power banks allow you to simultaneously use USB ports at the maximum possible power. You can understand whether such a possibility exists by looking at the charge power (see below); if the charge power is not indicated, you should refer to detailed documentation from the manufacturer.

Characteristics of the second USB A port. Read more in the paragraph above.

Characteristics of the third USB A port. Read more in the paragraph above.