Been some time since we had another power bank at our disposal to test. Last time ZeroLemon made their outer shells out of plastic. But now they have stepped their game massively and deliver a product like the JuiceBox, with an all aluminium sexy outer shell. Not only that but with Polymer type batteries borrowed from Apple and improved and more efficient circuitry under the hood, this should be a winning product.
ZeroLemon
Home to the World’s Highest Capacity Smartphone Batteries
ZeroLemon is created by a handful of smartphone enthusiasts who want more power with their phones. They created the world’s first Tri-Cell Battery Design and apply it to all flagship smartphones so that users around the world can enjoy the world’s highest capacity battery. Thus they strive to provide the ultimate smartphone reliability.
Pricing and availability
*At the time of the review:
£ 29.99 – via Amazon.co.uk
$ 37.99 – via Amazon.com
ZeroLemon 22800mAh Portable Charger Power Bank-Space Grey
Presentation and Specifications
*Courtesy of their website:
Nice to see aircraft grade aluminium used in the outside shell.
They claim a 20% size advance over competition products.
It can handle up to 2A of input when you want to charge the JuiceBox hence reducing the charging times.
With the help of it’s automated detection capability it can also variably charge up to 3A, and when accepted, this will greatly increase the charging rate.
Now for the specs:
– High Capacity Apple Macbook polymer 22800mAh cells
– 4 LED status charge indicators indicate the charging and discharging process.
– Compact, portable & stylish design; Easily fits into your bag to provide instant power Multi-purpose safety
– Protection system built into ensure protection against overcharge, overvoltage, overcurrent, and short circuits.
Recharge via the included Micro-USB charging cable.
– Input: 5V / 2A
– Output: 5V / 3A (auto charge speed detection)
– Content: 22800mAh Battery Charger/ 1 Micro USB Cable / 365 days ZeroLemon Warranty.
– Dimensions: 6.38 x 3.06 x 0.83 inches
– Weight: 494.42 g / 1.09 lbs
So far, on paper, it promises a lot.
Packaging and visual inspection
The ZeroLemon 22800 mAh JuiceBox comes in a clear and tough transparent box.
On the front we see the JuiceBox itself inside and even the included meshed pouch. Other information includes the total capacity offered (22800 mAh) and a quick tip that you can charge your iPhone 6 up to 9 times.
The same for the sides.
Now this is where it gets interesting. We learn that they used metal for the whole outer shell and the fact that the JuiceBox can charge up to two devices simultaneously while offering auto detection and variable charging capability. Also we find out that it weighs almost half a kilogram and accepts up to 2A to charge it and can handle up to a total of 3A in variable output.
Moving inside, the JuiceBox is nested in a separate tray and comes with the following:
– 1x Black meshed pouch/satchel
– 1x White short microUSB charging cable
– 1x ZeroLemon 365 days warranty card
Now let’s focus on the JuiceBox. The all aluminium aircraft grade laser cut outer shell has a very nice texture and great feeling in the hand. The brand logo and name is present on the front and the website on the back.
Here is size reference to a half a liter energy drink.
Now for the interface. From right to left:
– 2x USB outputs – with auto detectable charging speeds that handle up to a total of 3A
– The microUSB charging port for the JuiceBox – it can handle up to 2A of input
– 4x White LEDs – these will light up accordingly in 25 % increments regarding status of the battery and wil flash when charging
– Power on button – when pressed without charging any device, it will show you the battery current capacity via the earlier mentioned LEDs and then you need to press it after you have plugged a device to start charging. A minor inconvenience but we guess for protection reasons
Here is when we checked the status of the battery. At least 76 % charged for a worst case reading or up to 100 % of course, out of the box. Wicked.
Ok then. Let’s test it out.
Testing
Record and observe how long it can charge various devices and to test its claimed variable current output when using simultaneous charging.
Test subjects:
– Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Smartphone – with 3220 mAh – that supports QuickCharge up to 2.0A
– Sanyo USB Rechargeable Ni-Mh Battery charger – for a single battery it does 0.85A and for dual charging it outputs 0.45A
– Sanyo 2x Eneloops Rechargeable Ni-Mh AA batteries 1900 mAh
– Sony DSC WX50 Digital Camera – with 1300 mAh – accepts 1.0A charging rate
Methodology:
We discharged the phone until 5% battery and then we let it plugged in until the Android said to disconnect.
And for the camera, discharged it until the camera closed automatically when you try to take a picture.
Regarding the rechargeable AA batteries, they were depleted by one of our LED diffusing camera light gear, that uses a lot of juice.
We recorded how much time it will take to fully charge one at a time, all of the above.
For the JuiceBox charging, we used a standard UK Samsung 0.5A wall charger and a Samsung Fast Charger at 2.0A.
Results:
So here are the numbers for charging hours and theoretical maximum total cycles per subject per full JuiceBox cycle:
As you can see, the ZeroLemon JuiceBox at 22800 mAh offers tremendous endurance even when you are charging simultaneously a pocket camera and your smartphone. In our example you can get 4 full smartphones charges and 4 full camera cycles of one JuiceBox cycle. Impressive.
The only minus is of course the time to charge the JuiceBox. Without a fast charger it will take a long time to fully charge it via the standard PC/laptop rating of 0.5A.
Conclusion
This is a worthy upgrade from the last generation from ZeroLemon, that ticks all the requirements and needs for high end devices, anno 2017.
The Good:
+ Outstanding build quality – aircraft aluminium for the outer shell
+ Higher quality Polymer battery cells
+ Ability to charge tablets as well
+ Protection against overcharge, overvoltage, overcurrent, and short circuits
+ Excellent back up advantages when on the go
+ Excellent customer support
+ It’s compatible with pretty much anything that uses a USB cable and supports any micro USB charger
+ LEDs for the battery level
+ Multiple and simultaneous charging the output devices and itself
The Bad:
– Will require two days if charging at a standard PC/Laptop 0.5A rating to fully charge and at least half overnight when using a fast charger
– Maybe nitpicking but no plug and play, you need to press the button to start charging – thus need to make sure when putting it in your bag not to accidentally press the button from other objects.
Glob3trotters “Complete Package” Award – 5 out 5
Many thanks to ZeroLemon for supplying us with this sample !
