Power Bank History: First Prototype, Further Development, and Modern Power Banks

Old Phones and Replaceable Batteries

Do you still remember old school phones like the Nokia 3310? Still remembered as the Indestructible Nokia 3310.

Basic features only calls, texting, and snake (still love this game) - these things you could mainly get from the phones in the past. Only a handful of people would come back to the old mobile phone; there was something that easily overpowers our today’s phone - the battery life.

Nokia 3310 allows 22 hours of talk time off a single charge. Furthermore, it will keep running for 31 days in standby mode. Can you imagine it? If any smartphone’s battery lasts two days, it is considered an excellent battery life.

In everyday usage, the Nokia 3310 can last around seven days. Still great, right?

Mobile phones in the past were equipped with isolated batteries. You could easily take them out and charge. Despite an extraordinary battery life for today’s standard, some people still tend to bring a separate battery and replace a dead battery. This is considered the beginning of the power bank.

The first Power Bank - in Las Vegas 2001

The first invention of a device that resembles today’s power bank is coming back to 2001. In Las Vegas, a student (unknown name) created a portable AA battery set in an electrical circuit during the International Consumer Electronic Show. The battery has a significant size and short life cycle.

Lithium Batteries

Most of the first mobile phones used nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries. These batteries have short battery life. Years later, things got improved thanks to 18650 cells and later on the Li-Polymer battery. The inventions brought a longer battery life, higher conversion rate, and higher charging efficiency.

The polymer battery invention was the birth to today’s power bank concept, such as conversion rate, compatibility, and capacity. It allowed the creation of modern power banks with different capacity or port accessories.

First Smartphones and Fast-Draining Batteries

First Smartphones

In 2007 the first-ever smartphone was released - iPhone. It was a revolution that changed the telecommunication industry, and without a doubt, it changed our lives forever. Who can imagine today living without a smartphone?

New technology brought new problems. Along with a bright screen, new software, browsing the internet, and playing advanced games - the battery didn’t last seven days anymore as Nokia 3310 did. In fact, the iPhone lasted only 4 hours! With such a short battery life, it couldn’t be considered as a reliable mobile device.

Battery cases

Necessity is the mother of invention. Manufacturers smelt the opportunity to profit. And to improve the battery life of the iPhone, the first battery cases were invented. The battery capacity had been doubled. However, every rose has its thorns. The iPhone lost its original slim and light design. And even the best battery cases had no more than 3,000mAh capacity. It could only charge the iPhone twice.

That said, battery cases failed in design and capacity. However, they needed to keep the iPhone working the whole day and improve further technology developments.

Today’s Power Bank

It has been over a decade since the first iPhone was released. Various manufactures have created countless smartphones since then, and the technology has improved over our imagination. The battery consumption of mobile phones has been still invariably high. Power Banks have become an inseparable electronic device for a mass of people.

Over the years, customers’ needs have changed, and more and more features are needed to satisfy their requirements. Power bank manufacturers equipped their devices with many functions such as various USB ports, wireless charging, smart technology, flashlight, or even WiFi.

And the size! Bulky and heavy power banks are gone (unless you use a rugged or very high capacity power bank). Now you can buy a beautifully designed and portable power bank.

To Sum Up

Like any other device, power banks have gone through many phases to become a modern, powerful, and useful device. Since most mobile phones still require charging every day, having a power bank, even a small one, is a necessity.