Review: RAVPower's 'Power Bank' Offers Impressive iDevice Charging On-The-Go

Company: RAVPower Product: RAVPower Dynamo On-The-Go Power Bank Price: $42.99 Compatibility: All iDevices (both 30-pin and Lightning) Website: www.ravpower.com Date: Oct. 3, 2013 If you’ve been searching the Web for a decent portable battery for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, then look no further. RAVPower’s “Dynamo On-The-Go” Power Bank offers an impressive power reserve that can see an iPhone 5s through as many as seven to eight recharges, or an iPad mini through more than three (without the portable battery itself requiring an energy top-up). It’s safe to say that after having used RAVPower’s Power Bank for a few days now, we’re impressed. How impressed, you ask? Let’s find out.

The Product

RAVPower’s Power Bank is a rectangular-shaped product, featuring two USB ports, a further port for charging the battery pack itself, a battery life status bar LED, and a flashlight LED (a random addition, we admit, but nevertheless useful). The Power Bank features a plastic black and silver exterior, with the “RAVPower” logo printed on the top and information concerning the Power Bank featuring on the back. It feels sturdy, though obviously dropping the Power Bank isn't advised. Most impressive, however, is the size of the Power Bank’s battery. Though I’ve used a number of portable, iDevice-compatible battery packs in the past, RAVPower’s offering is easily the most impressive. With a 14,000 mAh high-capacity battery, the Power Bank has the ability to recharge an iPhone 5s or iPhone 5 between seven and eight times, an iPad 4 around 1.2 times, and an iPad mini over three times. Charging up the Power Bank itself takes a while, of course, and users are advised to do this overnight; however, with a battery size of 14,000 mAh, this is expected, and is a small price to pay for the consistent amount of power delivered by RAVPower’s product. The status bar LED allows users to quickly check on the power remaining in their Power Bank, and the number of blue LED lights indicates how much charge remains (with four indicating 100-75 percent, three indicating 75 to 50 percent, two indicating 50 to 25 percent, and one signaling that the Power Bank has 25 percent or less of its 14,000 mAh battery power left to use). It’d be nice to have a more accurate indicator, especially when the Power Bank drops to that last LED, however this is only a minor qualm and isn’t something users will find particularly problematic. Included with the Power Bank are a number of cables: a Nokia DC 2.0, a Micro 5-pin, a Samsung 30-pin, a Mini 5-pin, and an Apple 30-pin connector. Though no Lightning cable was included, prospective customers can use their own Lightning USB cable to charge their iDevice with the Power Bank. Plus, because the product has two USB ports, users can charge up two iDevices simultaneously. All in all, I’ve found RAVPower’s Power Bank to be an impressive product, and would highly recommend the portable battery to anyone looking for a powerful power reserve to use while on-the-go.

The Good

• Impressive battery life
• Portable
• Two USB ports
• Affordable
• Includes a pouch for the Power Bank

The Bad

• Doesn't ship with a Lightning cable

Our Advice

RAVPower's Power Bank is easily the best portable charger I've ever used, and as such I highly recommend this product. It's difficult to find fault with the accessory; even our one criticism isn't going to pose a real problem for Lightning-equipped iDevice users (it certainly didn't hinder my use of the Power Bank). I also feel that RAVPower's price is right, and that the Power Bank is an affordable iDevice accessory well worth the cash.

Scores

Aesthetic Appeal: ★★★★☆ Wow Factor: ★★★★★ Build Quality: ★★★★★ Value: ★★★★★ Buy Now: $42.99 from Amazon (other options are available, too) [gallery columns="2"]

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