Technology is always advancing especially in smartphones. But most manufactures get stubborn to make them slim and the autonomy will suffer despite their efforts of software optimization and low power states and modes. We still need bigger capacity batteris and/or further advancement in cell technology.
Until then an external power brick is a must if you are travelling or need juice for more than 2 days.
Sandberg with its new line of power banks, this time with 3 outputs and 18200 mAh capacity.
Sandberg states that their brand stands for quality and user-friendliness.
Their ideology “IT is for everybody” is part of everything we do. A Danish firm that since its inception in 1985, private consumers, institutions and companies have benefited from this simple philosophy. Distributors and dealers appreciate the availability, range, simple procedures and the exceptionally low failure rate. Every year over half a million Sandberg products find their way to users in more than 65 countries.
Choosing Sandberg means choosing a safe and conscientious product that meets all applicable regulatory requirements. A product manufactured by subcontractors who are committed to following Sandberg’s Code of Conduct to ensure decent working conditions and reduce the environmental impact of the production and waste disposal.
Price when reviewed
http://www.sandberg.it/product/PowerBank-16000#
Sandberg : £ 69.99 – Via Amazon.co.uk
Presentation and Specifications
A nice 3d rendering courtesy of their website.
– Capacity: 18200 mAh
– Input voltage: 5 V
– Output voltage: 5 V
– Input current: 1.0 A
– Output current: 4.9 A (2.4 A + 1.5 A + 1.0 A)
– Connectors: 1 x Micro USB female, 3 x USB A female
– Charging time: Approx. 20 hours by AC adapter
– Digital display for battery status
Visual inspection
The power bank comes in a transparent outer plastic box so you can clearly see the product. Here also we have important information like a 3 USB output and a LCD screen.
On the back, we have a multilingual description, then on the bottom the contents and the complete specifications.
Everything out.
You get besides the power bank, a micro USB cable which is very well built and a user guide/warranty card.
The Sandberg 18200 mAh power bank has a plastic outer shell and a rounded all around form factor. It is sturdy with a nice finish.
The front area has the branding, a power ON/OFF switch for the LCD. The same button also activates the small LED flashlight.
On the back we have the power output. You can charge it with a max of 1.8 A and can simultaneously output to 3 different devices for a total of 4.9 A (2.4 A + 1.5 A + 1.0 A)
Here is the port area. The 3 different output USBs, then the microUSB charging port and the LED flashlight.
A single press of the button shows the battery status. And it is illuminated.
Then a quick double press, you activate the flashlight. You can imagine, this much juice combined with the low powered LED, at full charge, you can have light for days non stop. Very handy in a variety of scenarios.
Testing
Out of the box our sample came with a 67 % charge.
We charged it with an Alcatel 2A power brick. Then the LCD turns on showing the charge rate but not illuminated.
Our test subjects:
– Nokia E72 – with 1500 mAh battery.
– Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – with 3220 mAh.
– Samsung USB charging dock + an extra Note 4 battery – again 3220 mAh.
We do a lot of travelling so it was a perfect real word testing scenario for the Sandberg 18200 Power Bank.
Took our test subjects and discharged them until 5 % and then we let them plugged in until the Android/Symbian said to disconnect.
For the extra battery, as above, used it until the phone said 5 % then took it out. For the Nokia, until one bar was left usually when it goes intro power saving mode.
Used all 3 ports and another very practical feature we discovered is that you can simultaneously charge your devices and charge the external battery itself.
A quick test. No need to press anything just plug the desired devices and will start to charge automatically.
Zoomed in, so you can see it is charging.
And a very nice detail, on the LCD it shows you what port you are using and what is the output.
Results
We will take a 10 % power loss coefficient into account. That was also noticed in our tests.
– To fully charge the Sandberg Powerbank 18200 mAh- via AC @ 2.1 A – takes ~ 9 hours
– To fully charge the Sandberg Powerbank 18200 mAh- via USB port from a laptop/PC @ 0.5 A – may take ~ 36 hours – so it will be a while.
– Samsung Note 4 – 3220 mAh – charged from 5 % – took ~ 2.5 Hours @ 2.10 A – if you only charge this one, we managed 5 full charges. The same for the extra battery in its docking USB charging shell. It can charge as well at 2.1A.
Both put into the 2.4A on the Sandberg but only 2.1A max the smartphone will accept.
– Nokia E71 – 1500 mAh – took ~ 3 Hours @ 0.5 A – if you only charge a device like this you can charge it up to 11 times ! We put this one in the 1 A port but the hone does’t allow for higher than 0.5A.
To put everything in perspective.
In our tests after a few cycles we didn’t observe any variations above 10 % so a good indication that the cells inside are of good quality.
Conclusions
Very handy and versatile power brick that will give a big headroom without access to a wall socket.
The Good:
+ Simultaneous use of the 3 USB ports with varied outputs
+ LCD
+ Integrated mini flashlight
+ Big capacity at 18200 mAh
+ Sleek design
+ Ability to charge the power brick while it is charging other devices
The bad:
– On the heavy side, but given the battery size, it comes with the territory
A lot of thanks to Sandberg for supplying us with this sample !
Wow! That’s remarkably lovely
Thank you.