Prior to the pandemic, power banks were the type of electronic accessory that you picked up ahead of a trip where access to plug points were at a premium. As more people were forced to work remotely as a result of the lockdown, they quickly became a WFH essential, in our office and many others like it.

In the wake of the ongoing energy crisis, however, power banks have quickly become an indispensable piece of technology, whether that be to give you extra juice to work while riding out a blackout, or simply allow you to enjoy some entertainment as you wait for the power to come back on.

Not all power banks are created equally though, which brings up to two new options being made available locally by Xiaomi – the 10 000mAh 22.5W Power Bank and the 20 000mAh 50W Fast Charge Power Bank.

While each option are quite similar in terms of size and function, the battery capacity and features also make them distinct. With that in mind, instead of two separate reviews, we decided to look at each of the Xiaomi power banks as a pair in this quasi-review, highlighting the pros, cons, pricing, and where best they can be put to use.

On your mobile

Let’s start with the smaller of the two power banks, both literally and in terms of its battery capacity. The 10 000mAh 22.5W Power Bank, seen above on the right, is designed with mobile devices in mind, according to Xiaomi.

We tend to agree with the Chinese company’s assertion, as this bank is rather lightweight, weighing a little more than the smartphones that it is designed to charge. It could also do a solid job powering a smaller tablet, or indeed a handheld gaming console, some of which that have been recently released and struggle to eclipse more than two hours of use before a charge is needed.

The design of this power bank is also quite clean and simple, with curved edges and a metal body that is cool to the touch. The latter aspect does change while charging or indeed charging a device, however.

Speaking of which the 10 000mAh 22.5W Power Bank supports two-way fast charging, along with being able to charge three devices simultaneously. That said, two of those devices would be charged via a USB Type-A port as only a single Type-C slot is present on this power bank.

While we would have preferred to see more as this is the port standard these days, given that this unit is made with mobile devices in mind, the port options are decent enough.

As for the time to takes to fully charge this bank, Xiaomi has listed it at 4.5 hours provided the charger in question is 22.5W in capacity. Anything lower and that charge time increases. In our experience the 4.5 hour time is fairly accurate, but we have seen online mention of it taking longer than expected, but we think this is more to do with people using a lower wattage charger or trying to charge a device and the bank at the same time.

Certainly not deal breakers, but things to keep in mind, not just for these Xiaomi banks, but for this category of product in general.

Last worth mentioning is the degree of portability that this 10 000mAh 22.5W Power Bank offers, as the body is relatively slim at 1.5cm thick, and can easily slip into a bag or pocket, should the need arise.

The office worker

Now onto the larger of the two banks – the 20 000mAh 50W Fast Charge Power Bank. This is a rather hefty unit that tips the scales at 470g. In fact it actually feels heavier than our daily driver power bank, the 30 000mAh Romoss Pulse 30, but upon closer inspection, that is not actually the case.

In terms of looks we’re big fans of the matte black colour option made available by Xiaomi. You don’t often describe power banks as looking cool or sleek, but this model bucks the trend.

Xiaomi says this offering has been given a UV paint treatment, although we could not vet its UV qualities without access to a black light. That is nether here nor there, however, as the most critical elements of this power bank remain its effectiveness in terms of charging devices.

Due to its 20 000mAh capacity, it makes light work of smartphones and tablets, along with being capable of charging notebooks too. In fact, we were able to use the power bank on our 13″ MacBook Pro, which is a feat that not all power banks can muster. In the case of these two options made available to use to review by Xiaomi, the smaller 10 000mAh iteration could not charge the Apple notebook.

As such, the 20 000mAh 50W Fast Charge Power Bank is one that is ideally suited for use in a hybrid work environment, or when you simply do not have enough power when loadshedding hits.

In terms of charging capabilities, it can handle two-way fast charge, and has a maximum output of 50W, along with the same two Type-A and one Type-C port setup as the other power bank. On a standard 18W charger, this bank can be fully charged in 6.5 hours, according to Xiaomi, which matches up with our experience too. You can cut that time down, but will of course need a higher capacity charger.

The only other difference we will highlight between the two power banks, is that the 10 000mAh model comes with a Type-A to Type-C charging cable, while the 20 000mAh one has a Type-C to Type-C cable, which is something to keep in mind.

Final verdict

Both of these Xiaomi power banks perform as advertised, along with having the added value of looking rather nice for an accessory amid the see of white coloured options that have flooded the market in recent years.

They each have there own purpose and ideal environment, with the 10 000mAh option great in terms of portability and for charging smaller devices. The larger 20 000mAh power bank is better deskbound than on-the-go, but does still have a degree of portability, and is best suited for powering notebooks than smartphones.

While each serve their purpose well, in terms of value for money, there is a difference. The 10 000mAh model retails for around R529, which is about par for the course locally given its capacity. As such, it’s down to looks when deciding, and here the Xiaomi offering has quite a few competitors beat, making it a worthwhile recommendation.

As for the 20 000mAh unit, is retails for a recommended R1 499. While it works as advertised, if you’re savvy, there are more affordable options with even larger capacities out there. Despite looking great, if we are taking it purely on price, this power bank faces a tougher time of things.