Xiaomi’s 20k mAh battery is 3rd Community Review item and it’s a most welcome addition to my array of power banks. So I set myself a challenge! Can I finish this review before my phone is fully charged (3300mAh battery and 27W charging)? I’m going to race against the Quick Charge 3.0 and see how well I work under pressure. Let’s start (15%).
Xiaomi’s 20k mAh battery (still 15%)
My last Xiaomi battery (review) was half the size but came with fancy features like wireless charging, USB-C -PD and Quick Charge 3.0. This time, the battery is stripped from “extras” and aims to deliver the power via two Quick Charge 3.0 enabled USB-A ports. It’s clear to me that Xiaomi’s 20k mAh battery is all about the capacity.
23%
I’m only starting this review and I already feel that I’m lagging behind. I omitted one of the ports, as the microUSB placed on the front panel can be used for charging. Xiaomi, what happened to innovation? There is no excuse for not using USB-C PD! This will go against this battery in my final score.
The battery capacity isn’t the only things that matter. We all feel fairly comfortable comparing the number of amps stored, judging the physical size from a picture is another story. It’s not my 1st 20k mAh (can we just use 20 Ah instead or are we forever stuck with mAh when it comes to these monsters?)
35%
For a power pack this big, Xiaomi’s 20k mAh battery comes in a fairly compact form factor. It’s much smaller than Dodocool’s 20k equivalent (review) and slightly thicker than the previously mentioned 10k mAh version that comes with wireless charging.
Why this one
If you read my blog, you know I own (and adore) my portable miniDSO TS-80 soldering iron (review). To work, I need to supply it with a Quick Charge compatible power supply, and I wanted to have a much bigger power pack to support the mains free soldering work.
I’m pleased to say that the battery works perfect with my soldering iron, but there is a catch. Only one device can be used in the Quick Charge 3.0 configuration. Xiaomi’s 20k mAh battery won’t be able to deliver the same power through 2 USB-A ports at the same time. It’s a shame, but I understand the safety concerns.
43%
Other “fun” features are pretty standard. It comes with 4 LED charge indicator, which blinks all 4 at first, then shows you the charge left (it is confusing at first and left me with the drained battery before I realised how to check the stored charge correctly).
The battery will also switch itself off when the low current draw is detected. I mention the low current, as Arduino Nano didn’t draw enough current to keep the battery on. Somehow disappointing.
55%
If you are watching the % numbers, you will be as impressed as me with the charging speed. It’s been about 20 min and the phone is charging rapidly. This is partly thanks to my Xiaomi Mi9 (review) which blows Google Pixel 3 (review) out of the water. Due to restrictive charging standards, Google’s phone takes so much longer to charge with anything but the original charger.
65%
At this point, I’m ready to wrap the article, but the work isn’t done just yet. The article has to be proofread, pictures need resizing, layout checked and I’m almost at 70%! I will skip to the conclusion in my final attempt to beat the charging speed.
Conclusion
There are no fancy features here. Just Quick Charge compatible USB-A and huge capacity that somehow takes less space. If that’s your thing and you have QC3.0 compatible phone, feel free to pick the Xiaomi’s 20k mAh battery. It’s extremely recommended especially if you are thinking about TS-80 to treat yourself on the go. I love my custom soldering stand, and the large capacity battery was what’s needed to keep me mobile! If you have any questions, leave it in this Reddit thread.
80%
I lost – 100% in 62 min…
