Every smartphone owner has thought about getting a power bank. Because there is a lot of mixed feelings when it comes to smartphone battery life. A large screen, powerful processor and lots of RAM.
Why won’t smartphones be power-hungry? The phones before smartphones could last for more than a day. With Nokia phones being known for their crazy battery life.
Power banks bring this back to smartphones. Being able to charge your smartphone on the go is a huge benefit. They extend the battery life of your smartphone.
Here’s what you need to know about the advantages and disadvantages of power banks.
Advantages Of Power Bank
Power banks offer a lot of benefits. Here’s why power banks are useful.
Your Phone Achieves Near Immortality
Not true immortality. This is by far the biggest advantage of owning a power bank especially the high capacity ones.
You are able to power your phone for several days. This benefit extends to when you go for outdoor camping, mountain climbing or basically find yourself without a power supply or a power outage.
You needn’t worry about frantically looking for power supply when your battery runs low. Just whip out your power bank, plug and charge.
You still have to charge it though when the power bank runs out of power. Just, remember to keep an eye on your electricity usage and know the electricity rates to avoid any surprises on your bill when charging your devices with your power bank.
You Can Carry Them Anywhere
Ever carried a generator before? Generators are bulky they supply electricity. Maybe using a generator as an example is over the bar, but you get the point.
The small form factors of power banks make it possible to carry it anywhere with you. On the train, aeroplanes, boats or outdoors.
You can easily put it in your back pocket or bag and you are good to go. It’s there whenever you need the extra charge. It becomes charge-on-the-go. Not a bad benefit to have.
Can Charge Anything and Multiple Devices
Some power banks are exceptionally powerful and have large capacities. This makes them possible to charge multiple devices at once. Some even allow laptops to be charged.
It serves as a decent substitute for your smartphone or laptop charger. Moreover, they are simple to use.
With a push of a button and plugging in a cable, your device starts to charge. Some even have fast charging capabilities.
Easy To Purchase
Power banks are relatively cheap. You don’t need a large amount of cash to purchase one. You can get them for as little as $10.
But, being relatively cheap doesn’t mean they are all of good quality. Some have questionable quality and can even damage your phone.
You have to do your research well and read reviews. This prevents you from buying a low-quality power bank.
Disadvantages Of Power Bank
Even with their awesome benefits power banks certainly, do have their disadvantages.
Things Can Get Messy With The Wires
Being able to charge multiple devices at once is great. But, it becomes a real pain when there are so many wires connected.
Things become messy and tangled up. This causes an unpleasant sight. You can try it yourself. Just try charging multiple devices at once, put it in your bag and try to bring it out again.
The wires would be tangled up and you would be mildly annoyed. A good rule of the thumb is that, disconnect your device once it reaches 80-90 per cent of battery power.
There is no need to charge it to 100%. Because charging it from 90% to 100% is going to consume more power.
Once it is in that range simply disconnect the device and cable. This leads to fewer wires, devices and mess.
Some Have Questionable Quality
As mentioned above, power banks are relatively cheap to purchase. This also makes a lot of them have questionable quality. Poorly made power banks don’t last long because their build quality is subpar.
In addition, some are not able to charge your device but rather discharge it. Because their output voltage is lower than the recommended voltage to charge your phone.
Some even have high output voltages which can damage your phone battery. The damage is in the form of swelling. Always do your due research and read reviews.
Takes A Long Time To Charge
Because power banks have large capacities charging them takes a long time. Even more so if the power banks do not support fast charges. It will take even longer to charge if it is solar-powered.
A typical 40000 mAH power bank with a 2V charger is going to take 20 hours for it to be completely charged.
The larger the capacity the more time it takes to charge. That’s the price paid for the benefits of owning a power bank.
Can Be Uncomfortable To Use
It was said earlier that power banks are easy to carry around. But that doesn’t mean they are comfortable to use.
The majority of the power banks are bulky. And all power banks are over an inch thick.
Some don’t even fit into your palm quite easily. The larger capacity ones are quite large.
What You Should Know About Power Banks?
Now that we have gone over the pros and cons of owning a power bank. Here’s what you should know about owning a power bank.
Do Power Banks Damage Your Phone Battery?
No, power banks don’t damage your phone battery at all. You can think of them as miniature power outlets that you can carry around.
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You use power outlets every day to charge your phone. And do they damage it? I don’t think so. What damages your phone is high and low temperatures.
This tends to quickly reduce the lifespan of the battery. Also, allowing your battery to discharge completely greatly reduces the lifespan of the battery.
Are Power Banks Dangerous?
Power banks are large batteries with high enough voltages to charge your device. Since they are batteries, it depends on the situation. They are dangerous when you drop them in the fire.
They are dangerous when part of it is damaged exposing the insides. So it depends on the situation. Aside from that, they are perfectly safe to use.
Do Power Banks Reduce Battery life?
No, power banks don’t reduce battery life. High and low temperatures reduce battery life. Battery age reduces battery life.
Lithium-ion batteries have charge and discharge cycles. Once the lithium-ion battery has gone through its number of cycles. The battery becomes weak and eventually useless.
Should You Get A Power Bank Or Not?
Yes, power banks are totally worth it. Even more so when you find yourself on the road most of the time. Smartphones are power-hungry devices because of the powerful hardware they house.
You can drain your battery power from 100 to 15 per cent quickly under heavy usage. And it is not always you will find a power outlet close to you. Being able to charge your smartphone on the go is great.
And power banks are able to provide this benefit. Always do your due research before purchasing one.