Review: RAVPower Pioneer Portable Charger 10000mAh USB C PD 29W

Power banks with a 10,000 mAh battery provide an acceptable balance among size, weight, and energy output. The RAVPower Pioneer 10000mAh is a great example. It’s small and lightweight, but still powerful and charges most phones at least twice. If you add to these 2 USB ports: a USB-C port that can be used for both input and output charging, and a USB-A iSmart for output charging; you end up with a powerful power bank. Is it as good as it seems to be? Read on to find out.

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Pros & Cons:

Pros:

• Sleek and minimalistic design

• Fast-charging compatibility

• Great battery efficiency

• USB-C for input and output charging

• Fast-charging speed for two mobile phones simultaneously

• Great value to money

Cons:

• Average recharging speed

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

10000mAh / 36.3Wh

• Dimensions (LxWxH)

4.4 x 2.0 x 1.0in / 11.2 x 5.1 x 2.5cm

• Weight

6.6 oz / 188 gm

Output & Input Charging:

• Average Charging Time of a Mobile Phone (average battery capacity 3500mAh)

1 hour and 12 minutes

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

4 hours and 45 minutes

Ports

• USB-C PD Input: 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A, 18W Max

• USB-C PD Output: PD3.0 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/2A, 14.5V/2A

• USB-A iSmart Output: QC3.0/2.0 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A

• Total Output: PD18W + iSmart 5V/2.1A (each port) / Total 29W Max

Charging Technology

• Universal Fast Charging Compatibility: Apple Fast Charging; Samsung Fast Charging; USB-C Power Delivery.

• iSmart Technology: optimization of the current and charging time

• Dual output ports (total 29W) allow charging of two devices simultaneous

• Under 100WH

• Safe to take on board.

Other Features

• 18-month limited warranty

• Lifetime technical support

• Register the power bank to get:

• Extra 12 months of warranty

• 180 days free return shipping

• Exclusive discounts

Ideal For?

• Geek

• Student

• Businessman

What's Inside?

• RAVPower Pioneer 10000mAh

• Protective pouch

• USB-A to USB-C cable

• Manual in multiple languages

• “Thank you” card

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Power & Performance

Battery Capacity

Battery capacity in mAh, and Watts power.

RAVPower Portable Charger is a medium-sized power bank. The battery capacity is rated at 10,000mAh and 36.3Wh.

Capacity test - discharge the fully charged power bank

Have you ever wondered if the advertised power bank has the claimed battery capacity? Does it really have 5,000 mAh or 10,000 mAh as advertised? It’s possible to check it.

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 adjustable load (amperes are set on 2) to the USB tester and then plug it into the fully charged power bank. Once it’s done, now 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.

Let’s dive deep into the test and result. Following the aforementioned procedure, I tested Anker PowerCore II Slim 10000. Here are the results:

Capacity Test

Results

The key metrics from the test are:

• Discharging Time - 3 hrs and 15 mins to discharge fully charged power bank

• Watt-Hours - it’s 31.8 Wh

• Ampere Hours - 6,457 mAh was discharged from the power bank.

The real battery capacity is nearly 6,500 mAh. This amount of mAh precisely shows the energy that you can use to charge your mobile phone. If you are surprised why it’s not 10,000 mAh, that’s due to converting energy from 3.7V (power bank’s battery voltage) to 5V (USB’s voltage). This natural process occurs in every power bank.

Knowing advertised and the actual battery capacity it’s possible to measure the battery efficiency which is 87%. Manufacturers frequently don’t share this information. Efficiency above 90% is considered a very good one. The RAVPower Pioneer 10000mAh with 87% battery efficiency can be considered a good one.

Disclaimer: Every test may vary, but only with a small variation.

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 Portable Charger 10000mAh can charge the top 10 most popular mobile phones in 2020. Perhaps you own one of the enlisted phones or at least you know your mobile phone’s battery capacity.

From the previous test, we know the real battery capacity which is 87%.

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

All phones will charge fully at least once. Mobile phones with batteries over 4,000mAh can expect roughly one full charge and a half , and potentially two, since people usually recharge their phone battery before it’s completely dead. Smartphones with around 3,000mAh should easily be fully charged twice. An iPhone SE 2, which has a small battery, can be charged nearly 3 and half times!

RAVPower Portable Charger 10000mAh should be enough for a day to day usage for most mobile phones.

Output Charging

Charging Time & Power Usage

The main purpose of power banks is charging your devices, hence this review cannot be done without testing output charging. The knowledge of the charging time of devices is crucial. Frequently is one of the most important factors while purchasing 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, testing charging phones demonstrate what you can expect after purchasing the power bank.

The RAVPower Pioneer 10000mAh is equipped with the newest and most advanced charging technology. The manufacturer claims it is compatible with many fast-charging technologies, including Apple or Samsung fast charging, and USB-C Power Delivery, iSmart Technology , and capable of charging two devices simultaneously up to 29W output. Having said all this, the device’s charging expectations are high. Is the RAVPower Pioneer 10000mAh as good as it looks? Let’s find out.

Charging via USB-A (Huawei)

It took one hour and 10 minutes to almost fully charge Huawei’s P10 battery (3,200mAh) – a great time! The charging was constant at 8.6V/1.8A. For the record, this wasn’t USB-C PD charging, but USB-A. Due to the different Voltage, the amperes are not correct. The Watt-Hours are correct. Using the formula (Wh)*1000/(V) = (mAh), it’s possible to calculate the correct amperes. The power bank delivered approximately 2360 mAh of energy.

Charging via USB-C PD (Samsung)

It took one hour and 18 minutes to charge the Samsung S8 (3,000mAh) to 98%. Surprisingly, this wasn’t as fast as via USB-A, but it’s still an amazing time. The charging was at 9V/1.4A. The situation is the same as above: the amperage is incorrect. The correct energy received by Samsung was 2100 mAh.

Charging two mobile phones simultaneously

The Huawei P10 was connected via USB-C and Samsung S8 via USB-A; a pattern opposite to their individual tests. It took 1 hour and 38 minutes to charge both devices , another amazing result. Many standard power banks charge a mobile phone with a battery of 3,000 mAh in 1 hour and 30 minutes on average. The RAVPower Pioneer can charge two phones in nearly the same time! Both devices received 21Wh in total; the Samsung 9.5Wh, and Huawei 11.6Wh. The power bank delivers around 4200 mAh of energy.

Round-up of output charging

The manufacturer was right: the RAVPower Pioneer supports fast charging – each mobile phone detected fast charging – and the charging time is phenomenal. Its ability to charge two devices simultaneously is astonishing.

Input Charging

This time, the manufacturer blows his own trumpet: it says the RAVPower can be recharged in only 3 hours via a USB-C PD charger with at least 18W of power delivery. A bold statement! On average, three hours is needed to charge a battery of 5,000 mAh, and here we’re talking about a battery twice as big.

I decided to check it. Naturally, I needed a powerful wall charger. I used a RAVPower PD Pioneer 65W. It’s one of the fastest chargers available and provides loads of power. In one test, I charged it via USB-C, and in another test via USB-A. Let’s check out the results.

Recharging via USB- A (RAVPower Charger)

4 hours and 32 minutes to charge RAVPower Pioneer to the maximum level. This is a good time, considering the device was charged on 5V/2A for most of the time. The power bank received 8191 mAh of energy.

Recharging via USB-C PD (RAVPower Charger)

It took 5 hours and 4 minutes to fully charge. Surprisingly, the USB-C to USB-C charging was slower. It met the minimum expectation, but I was hoping for at least 15W of power. For the record, the RAVPower Charger used in this test can provide up to 65W and the power bank’s maximum input is 18W. The power bank received 8,276 mAh of energy.

Round-up of input charging

The three-hour recharging time trumpeted by the manufacturer was a bold statement that didn’t come true. Despite using one of the fastest chargers – RAVPower charger, to be exact – the fastest charging time of the power bank was 4 hours and 32 minutes. This is still a solid time considering the battery capacity, but not as good as the promised 3 hours.

Score

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Design & Build

Size & Weight

Weight in grams and ounces

• 6.6 oz / 188 gm

Measurement in centimeters and inches

• 4.4 x 2.0 x 1.0 in / 11.2 x 5.1 x 2.5 cm

The RAVPower Pioneer 10000 is tiny, lightweight, and portable. In terms of dimensions, it nearly equals a power bank with half of its battery capacity. It’s also the lightest power bank I have tested in this category.

Design & Material

The RAVPower Pioneer is a handy and small power bank. The tested device had a black matte color. The exterior material is coarse and feels good in your hand. It doesn’t leave fingerprints.

Made of solid plastic, it’s built well. I couldn’t find any loose parts.

On the front is the RAVPower logo, and the other side lists information about the device (e.g., input and output charging). On one small side, there are two ports: an iSmart USB-A port and a USB-C PD port. The latter is used both to recharge the power bank and charge external devices. On one of the long sides is a power button and 4 soft blue power-level indicator LEDs.

Overall, the power bank presents phenomenally well.

Score

Technology

Ports

The RAVPower has two USB Ports: USB-A and USB-C PD. The latter can be used for input and output charging.

USB-C PD Input: 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A, 18W Max

USB-C PD Output: PD3.0 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/2A, 14.5V/2A

USB-A iSmart Output: QC3.0/2.0 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A

Total Output: PD18W + iSmart 5V/2.1A (each port) / Total 29W Max

Tech

RAVPower is a groundbreaker in charging technology. When you buy their products, you can expect the newest and the best technology. The tested device was no exception. It has fast charging and iSmart technology. The latter is a branded RAVPower invention that adjusts the charge current and charging time according to the battery. It helps keep battery life at the highest possible level.

Technologies used in RAVPower Pioneer 10000mAh:

• Universal Fast Charging Compatibility: Apple Fast Charging; Samsung Fast Charging; USB-C Power Delivery.

• iSmart Technology: optimization of the current and charging time

• Dual output ports (total 29W) allow charging of two devices simultaneous

Score

Conclusion

Overall Opinion

The RAVPower Pioneer 10000mAh may be the best 10,000 mAh power bank on the market. Its sleek design, quality materials, small size and weight, fast-charging capability, and high battery efficiency propel it to the top of the rankings. Its recharging speed is not as fast as promised but meets the average. If you want a medium-size power bank, this should be your choice.

Final Score

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