Review: RAVPower Portable Charger 20000mAh 60W PD 3.0 USB C

How cool would it be to charge your laptop when you’re away from a power outlet? Fortunately, the RAVPower Pioneer 20000 is here to serve you. Its 60W output power can charge compatible laptops such as MacBooks – not to mention your phone. Read on to learn more.

Buy on RAVPower

Pros & Cons:

Pros:

• Laptop charging compatibility (but not all laptops, check first!)

• Solid output charging speed

• Simultaneous charging with a total output of 60W when powering two devices

• USB-C port for input and output charging

Cons:

• It doesn’t recharge within 3 hours as promised, but needs 9 hours on average

• Only 2 USB ports

• No LED digital battery indicator

Rating

Power & Performance (1 to 5 stars)

Design & Build (1 to 5 stars)

Technology (1 to 5 stars)

Overall Rating (average of above)

Key Specifications of a Product

Key Specs:

• Capacity

20,000 mAh / 72.6 Wh

• Dimensions (LxWxH)

5.96 x 2.62 x 0.98 in / 15.1 x 6.6 x 2.5 cm

• Weight

13.11 oz / 371.7 g

Output & Input Charging:

• Average Charging Time of a Mobile Phone (average battery capacity 3,000mAh)

1 hour and 30 minutes

• Average Charging Time of MacBook Pro 13-inch

4 hours and 35 minutes

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

9 hours and 35 minutes

Ports

• USB-C PD Input: 5V/3A; 9V/3A; 12V/2.5A; 15V/2A; 20V/1.5A 30W Max
• USB-C PD Output: 5V/3A; 9V/3A; 12V/3A; 15V/3A; 20V/3A 60W Max
• USB-A iSmart Output: 5V/3A; 9V/2A; 12V/1.5A 18W Max
• Total Output: PD45W + iSmart 5V/3A = Total 60W Max

Charging Technology

• Substantial output to charge laptops compatible with PD technology e.g. MacBook Pro

• Total Charging Protection

• Simultaneous charging

Flight Status

• Under 100 Wh

• Safe to take on board.

Other Features

• 18-Month Warranty

• Life-Time Support

Ideal For?

• Students

• Businesspeople

• Adventurer

• Geeks

What’s Inside?

• RAVPower Portable Charger Pioneer 20000mAh

• USB-C to USB-C cable

• User Manual

• Welcome card

Buy on RAVPower

Power & Performance

Battery Capacity

Battery capacity in mAh and Watt

The RAVPower PD Pioneer 20000 is a massive power bank. With a battery of 20,000 mAh / 72 Wh, it will provide multiple charges for most smartphones. Moreover, it’s equipped with a 60W port that can charge laptops with USB-C ports, such as a 2019 MacBook Pro or the Dell XPS Series. The fully charged power bank should charge compatible laptops about once.
Its ability to charge smartphones, tablets, and laptops makes this power bank a versatile device. You can use one power bank to charge all your devices.

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?

It’s possible to check 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 RAVPower Pioneer 20000mAh. Here are the results:

Capacity Test

Results:

• Discharge Time - 6 hours and 34 minutes

• Watt-Hours - 63.7 Wh

• Ampere hour - 12,977 mAh

The real battery capacity is 12,977 mAh. This mAh measurement shows you the energy you will fully use to charge your mobile phone. It’s not 20,000 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 88%. Manufacturers frequently don’t share this information. Efficiency above 90% is considered very good. It’s better than most of the available power banks.

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

How many times to charge the most sold 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 RAVPower Pioneer 20000 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 12,977 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.

As you can see in the above table, the tested power bank can easily charge all enlisted smartphones at least twice, most likely even three times, since people rarely let their phone battery die before they recharge it. Phones with batteries capacity below 3,000 mAh can expect a minimum of four full charges.

The RAVPower Pioneers 20000 will be more than enough for daily usage for one person. I would definitely use this power bank as my go-to power source for a trip of a few days to a place without access to electricity, or as a portable charger for a compatible laptop.

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 two mobile phones:

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

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

Both phones support fast-charging technology.

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.

The RAVPower Pioneer 20000 has the capabilities to charge phones at their highest speed. The device’s total output power of 60W can charge not only phones but also compatible laptops. That said, I decided to test not only phones but also an iPad and a 13-inch MacBook Pro. Since this power bank can charge them all, those comprehensive tests will show its capabilities and what you can truly expect from this power bank. Let’s check out the results.

Charging via USB-A (Huawei)

One hour and 18 minutes! This is a great time, better than most available power banks. The tester doesn’t show an accurate mAh due to the increased voltage (typically it’s 5V). But because I know the Wh, I could calculate the delivered energy, which was 2,440 mAh.

Charging via USB-A (Samsung)

It took 1 hour and 50 minutes to charge the Samsung S8 – a surprisingly poor result, especially considering that for this test I used a USB-C port that can deliver energy faster than USB-A. The power bank delivered a total of 2,340 mAh / 11.7 Wh.

Charging two phones simultaneously

Due to the ports' layout, I wasn’t able to use two testers. I plugged a tester into the USB-A port that was charging the Huawei P10. It took nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes to charge both phones. Considering the total output was 60W, I expected the charging time to be at least below 2 hours. The power bank potentially delivered a total of 4,400 mAh of energy.

Charging MacBook

It took 4 hours and 36 minutes to charge the 13-inch MacBook Pro. This is a solid time and does not differ much from Apple’s standard charger. The 61W Apple charger can charge the laptop from 0 to 80% within 2 hours; 80% to 100% works on trickle mode – essentially, it charges very slowly – and takes another 2 hours to fully charge the laptop. This is an impressive result. The power bank delivered 10,260 mAh / 50.6 Wh in total.

Charging iPad

It took 4 hours and 40 minutes to get the iPad to full charge – a solid and expected time. The charging speed was averaged 5V/2.2A. The power bank delivered 7,858 mAh / 37.7 Wh in total. This power bank should charge an iPad roughly one and a half times.

A roundup of output charging

The results are mixed. On one hand, Huawei charged in an astonishing time, and the MacBook and iPad in solid times. But the Samsung’s charging time was poor, the same as if I was simultaneously charging two phones. With a maximum output of 60W and USB-C PD, the expectation bar is high and this power bank met them – partly. Still, though it’s better than most power banks.

Input Charging

The RAVPower Pioneer 20000 has a maximum input of 30W. The manufacturer claims that with a powerful enough charger (at least 30W) the power bank can be recharged within 3 hours. That’s a bold statement. If it’s true, this is an amazing time.

For this reason, I charged the power bank twice. The first test, via a standard charger rated at 5V/2A charging speed; a charger most of us have. For the second charge, I used the charger rated 65W, the fastest type of charger, able to charge compatible laptops.

Recharging via Standard Charger

It took 9 hours and 27 minutes to get the Pioneer to full charge – a solid time that I expected. The charging speed was constant at 5V/2A, for most of the time. The power bank received 17,581 mAh / 92 Wh in total.

Recharging via Fast Charger

“Fast” charging took 9 hours and 46 minutes! Shouldn’t it have been less than 3 hours? Frankly, I didn’t expect 3 hours, but anything less than 5 hours I would have considered a great result. I even used the charger made by the same brand. The power bank received 17,917 mAh / 92.6 Wh in total.

A roundup of input charging

The RAVPower Pioneer 20000 provides standard input charging. The manufacturer’s promise of 3 hours recharging time is a joke.

Score

Buy on RAVPower

Design & Build

Size & Weight

Weight in grams and ounces

• 13.11 oz / 371.7 gm

Measurement in centimeters and inches

• 5.96 x 2.62 x 0.98 in / 15.1 x 6.6 x 2.5 cm

It’s not the lightweight or smallest power bank, but this is the price you pay for battery size. Compared to similar power banks, the device is one of the most compacts in this class. However, power banks of this size are uncomfortable in the pocket and can’t be stacked with a phone in your hand. They’re simply too big and heavy.

Design & Material

This power bank is made of smooth and solid plastic. It’s pleasant to the touch and sits firmly in your hand. Every part stays firmly together.

The tested power bank was black. Models in white might be also available, but not widely. On the front, in the middle, is RAVPower’s logo. On the opposite side is a list of essential device information.

The only part that stands out from the consistent design of this power bank is the right upper edge, where the ports, LEDs power lights, and the power button are. It’s very handy and enables you to use the power bank literally with two fingers when it’s laying on a flat surface. You can easily plugin and unplug cables and press the power button. There are four LED lights, each indicating 25% of battery life.

The power bank has two USB ports: USB-A iSmart and USB-C PD.

The cable USB-C to USB-C comes with the power bank. Sadly, it doesn’t come with a protective carrying case.

Score

Technology

Ports

The RAVPower Pioneer 20000 features USB-A iSmart technology (more about this in the Tech section) and USB-C PD. The device has the absolute minimum in terms of ports. Both ports can deliver substantial amounts of energy that enable fast charging of mobiles phones and laptops, as long as they are compatible. I wish this power bank had at least one more USB-A port. Most power banks of this size have at least three ports. I would find it useful to charge a mobile phone and Bluetooth headphones or two mobile phones simultaneously.

Ports:

USB-C PD Input: 5V/3A; 9V/3A; 12V/2.5A; 15V/2A; 20V/1.5A 30W Max

USB-C PD Output: 5V/3A; 9V/3A; 12V/3A; 15V/3A; 20V/3A 60W Max

USB-A iSmart Output: 5V/3A; 9V/2A; 12V/1.5A 18W Max

Total Output: PD45W + iSmart 5V/3A = Total 60W Max

Tech

If you decide to charge only one device, the PD output can provide up to 60W max. This is significant power that can charge most compatible laptops.

iSmart charging is RAVPower technology that automatically detects the charged device’s battery and adjusts for optimal current and charging time. It allows for quick and safe charging.

Total Charging Protection guards your mobile phone while it’s being charged by keeping the temperature under control and preventing over-discharging and short circuits.

Charging technologies:

• Substantial output to charge laptops compatible with PD technology e.g. MacBook Pro

• Total Charging Protection

• Simultaneous charging

Score

Conclusion

Overall Opinion

The RAVPower Pioneer 20000 is undoubtedly one of the best power banks in the big-battery category. Its ability to charge compatible laptops makes it stand out from the crowd. The high output power allows you to charge your devices at the highest speeds. Unfortunately, the sweet promise of a 3-hour recharging time isn’t a reality; the power bank needs the standard 9 hours charge. Overall, it’s an amazing power bank with room for improvement.

Final Score

Buy on RAVPower