We cannot always find a socket to charge our phone, sometimes it is not close to us and we do not want to be away from our phone. That’s why we often have to use power banks.
Have you noticed anything about powerbanks, which have become indispensable for us at concerts, while sitting in a cafe with our friends, and sometimes even at home? The devices we choose according to their capacity do not always provide the charge they promise. So why?
Why do some power banks charge much less than they promise?
Powerbanks can transfer approximately two-thirds of their battery power capacity to the phone, and there are a few different reasons for this. The first is that, due to USB standards, smartphones’ batteries are charged at 5 volts, while powerbanks are charged at 3.7. This creates an imbalance between the powerbank and the phone.
For example, if the capacity of your powerbank is 20,000 mAh, multiplying it by 3.7 gives the number 74,000 mWh (megawatt). The powerbank needs 5 volts to charge a phone and divide by 5 to convert 74,000 mWh to mAh. It turns out 14,800 mAh. So a 20,000 power bank actually has a power of 14,800 mAh.
The quality of the cable also plays a big role.
Power banks may lose energy when transmitting charge to a device. This loss may also vary depending on the quality of the cable. Additionally, low-quality or long cables cause voltage loss when transferring energy to your phone.
As you can imagine, this voltage loss causes some of the charging capacity to disappear.
The quality of your phone itself and the power bank may cause energy loss.
If your phone is old, it may not be able to store the power bank’s energy properly. In other words, the efficiency of a powerbank you purchase with a 20,000 mAh capacity to charge a new phone will not be the same as an old device. The brand of the powerbank is as important as whether your phone is new or a good brand. Power banks with high quality and advanced technology generally provide more efficient charge transfer.
Although the capacities of phone batteries vary from model to model, they generally range between 2,000 mAh and 5,000 mAh. A power bank with a capacity of 20,000 mAh is expected to charge a 2500 mAh phone 8 times if the materials are of high quality.
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