Review: AC Portable Charger RAVPower 27000mAh AC Power Bank 85W

We usually use power banks to charge mobile phones. But what about laptops, cameras, instruments or any other device that requires an electrical outlet? How can we charge these on the go? RAVPower is here to help with its 27000mAh AC Power Bank. But what can this device do and how good is it? Read on to find out.

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Pros:

• Versatility and reliability
• Rugged construction
• AC outlet to charge various devices
• Solid recharging speed
• 3 USB ports
• Simultaneous charging of up to 4 devices
• High-quality battery
• Can charge a MacBook almost twice

Cons:

• Heavy and large
• Slow charging speed via USB ports
• Requires a separate charger to recharge itself

Rating

Power & Performance (1 to 5 stars)

Design & Build (1 to 5 stars)

Technology (1 to 5 stars)

Overall Rating (average of above)

Key Product Specifications

Key Specs:

• Capacity

27,000 mAh / 99.9 Wh

• Dimensions (LxWxH)

5.4 x 6.7 x 1.4 in / 13.8 x 17 x 3.5 cm

• Weight

1.87 lb / 847.2 g

Output & Input Charging:

• Average Charging Time of a Mobile Phone (average battery capacity 3000mAh)

1 hour and 45 minutes

• Average Charging Time of a Laptop

4-5 hours

• Average Recharging Time (from 0% to 100%)

5 hours and 25 minutes

Ports

• Input charging via socket: AC 24V/1A
• 2 x iSmart USB-A Output: 5V/2.4A
• USB-C Output: 5V/3A
• AC Output (Plug): 220V/50Hz, 100W Max / 85W Rated

Charging Technology

• Built-in AC output - allows providing energy to any device 110V home appliance up to 70W e.g. loudspeaker or music instruments
• Charging Laptops via plug-in socket

Flight Status

• Under 100Wh
• Safe to take on board.

Other Features

• 18-month limited warranty

Ideal For?

• Travelers
• Students
• Adventurers
• Businesspeople

What’s Inside?

• AC Portable Charger RAVPower 27000mAh AC Power Bank 85W
• Power Adapter
• Micro USB Cable (20cm)
• Micro USB Cable (60cm)
• Travel Pouch
• User Guide in multiple languages

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Power & Performance

Battery Capacity

Battery capacity in mAh and Watts

The AC Portable Charger RAVPower 27000 has a massive battery rated at 27,000 mAh / 99.9 Wh. It is the biggest power bank in Charging Kick ever been tested both in terms of battery capacity and size. Its versatility and high voltage enable you to charge many types of devices, not only phones.

Capacity test: discharge the fully charged power bank

Have you ever wondered whether a power bank has its battery capacity? Does it really have 5,000 mAh or 10,000 mAh, as advertised? What is the real battery capacity?

To check the actual battery capacity we need:

• The fully charged power bank

• A USB tester that shows the current, voltage, mAh, and charging time.

• The USB mini adjustable load receives energy from the power bank and releases it safely via the fan. This is the safe way to discharge a fully charged power bank and measure the real battery capacity.

I connect the dummy load (amperes are set to 2) to the USB tester, then plug it into the fully charged power bank. Once that’s done, I wait until the power bank’s battery goes flat. The screen on the USB tester will display the Watt-hours and the amount of mAh consumed. These data show the real battery capacity.

Using the aforementioned procedure, I tested AC Portable Charger RAVPower 27000mAh. Here are the results:

Results:

• Discharge Time - 9 hours and 3 minutes
• Watt-Hours - 91.2 Wh
• Ampere hour - 18,072 mAh

The real battery capacity is 18,072 mAh. This mAh measurement shows you the energy you will fully use to charge your mobile phone. It’s not 27,000 mAh because the unit is converting energy from 3.7V (the power bank’s battery voltage) to 5V (USB voltage). This loss occurs in every power bank.

When you know the advertised and real battery capacity, it’s possible to measure the battery efficiency, which in this case is 90%. Manufacturers frequently don’t share this information. Efficiency above 90% is considered very good. With its battery efficiency at 90%, it can be considered a high-quality battery.

Disclaimer: Every test can produce different results, but only small variations.

How many times can you charge the most popular mobile phones in 2020?

To put the battery capacity into perspective, I will use a formula for Real Battery Capacity and calculate how many times the AC Portable Charger RAVPower 27000mAh can charge the top 10 most popular mobile phones in 2020. Perhaps you own one of them, or at least you know your mobile phone’s battery capacity.

From the previous test, we know the real battery capacity is 18,072 mAh.

Once we know the real battery capacity, we simply divide it by the enlisted mobile phones’ battery capacity to find out how many times it can be charged.

Naturally, a power bank of this size can charge a phone multiple times. The device should easily charge phones with batteries over 4,000 mAh more than four times. If you own a phone with a battery of around 3,000 mAh (e.g., Google Pixel 4a), you should be able to charge your phone about six times. This power bank will work well as a big power station for various devices.

Output Charging

Charging Time & Power Usage

Power banks are used mainly to charge devices. Therefore, this review would not be completed without testing output charging. For this, knowledge of the device’s charging time is crucial. Frequently it is one of the most important factors in the purchase of a power bank.

For these tests, I used three mobile phones:

• Huawei P10 with a battery of 3200 mAh (Huawei SuperCharge)

• Samsung S8 with a battery of 3000mAh (Adaptive Fast Charging)

• Samsung Galaxy A10 with a battery of 3400 mAh

The two first phones support fast-charging technology, the last one doesn’t.

I also tested the iPad (Model A2197 2017 , battery capacity around 8,800 mAh). With the available energy, this power bank should easily charge the iPad twice.

Since this power bank has an AC outlet, a laptop test is essential to show the device’s true potential and power. For this test, I chose a MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017 model) that requires about 10,000 to be fully charged.

To record data (current, voltage, mAh, time) I used a USB tester.

Real-life examples of test-charged phones demonstrate what you can expect after purchasing a power bank.

AC outlets in power banks are rare. Naturally, as a power bank’s size increases, so does its versatility and ability to charge different kinds of devices, not only laptops or phones. The AC output of this power bank is rated at 85W but can provide a maximum of 100W. This allows you to charge literally any big device, such as a laptop, camera, drones, loudspeakers or instrument, you name it.

For typical mobile phone charging, the device has 3 USB ports: 2 iSmart USB-A ports rated at 5V/2.4A and a USB-C port rated at 5V/3A. Sadly, the USB-C isn’t PD compatible, so you can’t use it to charge compatible laptops. The power bank can charge up to 3 electronic devices via USB simultaneously.

All this said, RAVPower has given us a powerful and versatile power bank. It should easily charge most phones within 90 minutes and an average laptop within 4-5 hours. Fortunately, we don’t have to guess and believe the manufacturer, because I’ve already tested the device. Let’s check out the results.

Charging via USB-A (Huawei)

It took 2 hours and 2 minutes to charge the Huawei P10 – an unexpected and disappointing time. The charging speed averaged 5V/1.1A. Only one light disappeared. The power bank delivered 2,401 mAh / 11.9 Wh in total.

Charging via USB-A (Samsung)

It took 1 hour and 32 minutes to charge the Samsung S8. In this test, the power bank met expectations and charged the phone in a good time. The charging speed averaged 5V/1.8A. Only one light disappeared. The power bank delivered 2,137 mAh / 10.6Wh in total.

Charging three phones simultaneously

It took 2 hours and 38 minutes to fully charge three mobile phones. That’s a solid time, but it could have been better. The charging speed for all devices on average was 5V/1.1A each. Three lights disappeared during the charging period. The power bank delivered 7,400 mAh / 36 Wh in total.

MacBook charging

The power bank needed 4 hours and 39 minutes to charge the MacBook – a solid and expected time. The power bank delivered more than 9,000 mAh / 45 Wh in total. It seems the RAVPower power bank should be able to charge this laptop twice. It's great news – a full laptop charge and a few phone charges! This power should work out well as a go-to power generator.

iPad Charging

It took 4 hours and 41 minutes to charge the iPad. That’s a solid and expected time. The power bank delivered nearly 7,000 mAh / 35 Wh in total. The fully charged power bank should charge the iPad more than twice.

A roundup of output charging

Overall, the results are good, but my expectations were higher. Given this power bank’s size and power, the tested phones should have charged faster. Certainly, there is room for improvement. The results for the MacBook and iPad were great both in terms of time and energy used. If the power bank’s size doesn’t put you off and you need a source of energy for your laptop, this one is a good choice.

Input Charging

The AC RAVPower Charger 27000 can’t be charged via a standard wall charger, like a standard power bank. For recharging, the manufacturer provides a special charger that requires a socket. It’s rated at 24V/1A and recharges itself fully within 5 hours and 10 minutes. Carrying an extra charger for only this device is not as convenient as a standard wall charger, but without a doubt, it can charge this power bank in a significantly shorter time.

It took 5 hours and 23 minutes to charge the power bank – slighter longer than I expected, but still an acceptable time. Due to the unit’s unusual construction, I couldn’t record amperes and watts.

Score

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Design & Build

Dimension & Weight

Weight in ounces and grams

• 29.9 oz / 847.2 g

Measurement in inches and centimeters

• 5.4 x 6.7 x 1.4 in / 13.8 x 17 x 3.5 cm

This power bank is massive! The battery, air vent, built-in socket, and exterior together make this device bulky and heavy.

Design & Material

At first sight, some people might not see this device as a power bank, as it more closely resembles an external hard drive. However, a closer look shows we’re dealing with an unusual power bank in terms of construction and features.

The entire device is black and smooth to the touch. Its matte surface prevents smudges and fingerprints and allows only small amounts of lint to remain on the surface. The materials are of the highest quality and guarantee durability for years. It should be strong enough to withstand multiple falls, even for harder surfaces. However, this isn’t a typical rugged device, hence better to use it responsibly.

The power bank consists of two parts. The first part, the smaller one, contains an air vent on the side that keeps the device cool during charging and maintains the overall lifespan of the power bank. On the other side is the AC outlet. It’s covered with a rubber cover that keeps the outlet secured. Once it’s activated, the green light in the middle turns on.

The second part, the bigger one, takes up roughly ⅔ of the device’s size, showing RAVPower’s logo. On the back, you’ll find essential product information. On one of its edges are the USB ports and the power button. Starting from the outer edge, you’ll find a Type-C Output, 2 iSmart USBs, and a power button. On the other edge is a port used when recharging the device.

On the front of the power bank, right between two parts, are 8 blue LED lights. These are the battery indicators. The lights are easy to see but don’t flash annoyingly. To activate the power bank or/and show the current battery level, press the button once. If you want to use an AC outlet, press and hold the button for a few seconds until the green button lights up. On the upper edge is another air vent.

The power bank comes with a sturdy travel pouch. It has two compartments with enough space for the power bank and all the accessories that come with it. There are quite a few: a charger, two Micro USB cables, and a UK-to-Euro adaptor.

Overall, it presents phenomenally. Yes, it’s huge and heavy, and many people won’t need such a device, but those who need a versatile device for charging various devices will be satisfied.

Score

Technology

Ports

The most important part of this power bank is the AC outlet, which enables you to charge all sorts of devices. It delivers maximum power at 100W. Its 3 USB ports – 2 USB-A types and one USB-C – make this device a powerful power bank with enormous versatility.

• Input charging via socket: AC 24V/1A

• 2 x iSmart USB-A Output: 5V/2.4A

• USB-C Output: 5V/3A

• AC Output (Plug): 220V/50Hz, 100W Max / 85W Rated

Tech

The RAVPower AC 27000 with built-in AC output already makes a technical difference. However, it doesn’t have a USB-C PD type that allows laptop charging via USB-C or fast-charging technology, which is disappointing. Again, there is room for improvement here.

• Built-in AC output - provides energy to any 110V home appliance up to 70W (e.g., loudspeakers or musical instruments)
• Charges laptops via a plug-in socket

Score

Conclusion

Overall Opinion

The RAVPower Portable Charger 27000 AC is a unique and versatile device. Yes, its size and weight might put many people off. If you don’t need a portable charger with an AC outlet, this device might not appeal to you. However, if this feature is essential – say, if you want to plug in loudspeakers or a camera – the RAVPower’s power bank will provide you with the best experience and reliability.

Final Score

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