(Last Updated On: May 11, 2021)

 

The great part about portable devices is just how versatile they can be. Just think about it for a second; your smartphone is a very powerful computer that you can take anywhere and everywhere.

With your phone, you can have access to the internet, a GPS navigation app, and a bunch more applications that have different functions. Portable chargers are the same in a way, as they have different power capacities and charging abilities.

This Jackery PowerBar 20,800mAh power bank that we’re reviewing is a swiss army knife in the portable charging space of chargers.

It has a good amount of power to it that can last but what makes it truly stand out from the crowd is its four-way of actually using it with your devices. Mainly, the AC Outlet, which not too many power banks within its power capacity range use.

Power

Power Capacity:

The Jackery PowerBar has a good amount of initial power capacity of 20,800mAh, but with its charging abilities, we honestly expected more. Not to say that it’s bad but when you consider that this charger has an AC Outlet to power appliances or three ways to charge devices, then having more power can be useful.

3.7 x 20,800 = 76,960 / 5 = 15,392

Most of the time, you’re actually going to be able to use a capacity of 15,392mAh, and this is still enough power capacity to charge smartphones and tablets to full power a few times over.

Smartphones are, of course, going to receive full charges about four times or more. Tablets such as the Apple iPad or the Samsung Galaxy tablets can charge to full power about two or three times.

However, this PowerBar portable charger doesn’t just stop at charging smartphones and tablets, and that’s because it has an AC Outlet that can be used to plug in a USB wall charger to charge laptops. So you can charge a MacBook, Chromebook, or other laptops with this Jackery PowerBar and charge them to full power once or twice.

With all that said, you can also use the USB-C port on this power bank to charge larger devices that use USB-C, but that will take a longer charging duration as it outputs slower charging speeds.

Devices	Jackery PowerBar 20,800mAh Power Bank (Output Capacity = 15,392mAh)	Phone Capacity	Jackery PowerBar 20,800mAh Power Bank Left Over Capacity after One Charge # of Full Charges for the Device
iPhone SE	15,392mAh	1,624mAh	13,768mAh Left Over Capacity 9.4 Full Charges
iPhone 6	15,392mAh	1,810mAh	13,582mAh Left Over Capacity 8.5 Full Charges
iPhone 6 Plus	15,392mAh	2,915mAh	12,477mAh Left Over Capacity 5.2 Full Charges
iPhone 6s	15,392mAh	1,715mAh	13,677mAh Left Over Capacity 8.9 Full Charges
iPhone 6s Plus	15,392mAh	2,750mAh	12,642mAh Left Over Capacity 5.5 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S6	15,392mAh	2,550mAh	12,842mAh Left Over Capacity 6.0 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge	15,392mAh	2,600mAh	12,792mAh Left Over Capacity 5.9 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S7	15,392mAh	3,000mAh	12,392mAh Left Over Capacity 5.1 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	15,392mAh	3,600mAh	11,792mAh Left Over Capacity 4.2 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S8+	15,392mAh	3,500mAh	11,892mAh Left Over Capacity 4.3 Full Charges

Output Charging:

There are a total of four ways to use this Jackery PowerBar.

Single 3-Prong AC Outlet:

The single AC Outlet on this power bank has three prongs which can be very useful if you want to power an appliance that uses a 3-prong power cord.

Of course, since this is more of a power bank than a portable power station, the output capabilities of the AC Outlet and basically the entirety of the charger are 100Watts. As a result, you can only power appliances or plugin chargers within the same power grade.

Appliances such as small lamps, laptop chargers, or battery chargers are some examples of the devices that you’re going to be able to use with the AC Outlet. Plugging something in like a blender and expecting it to work is simply not going to happen as this PowerBar isn’t built for things like that.

Three Charging Options:

There are a total of three direct charging options with this power bank.

Standard USB-A

There’s a standard USB-A charging port with a charging speed of 5V/2.4A, which can charge most standard devices (AKA devices that are not compatible with Quick Charge) at their max charging speeds.

Quick Charge USB-A

Also, the other USB-A port uses Quick Charge 3.0, which can be very useful for those that own Quick Charge compatible devices.

Many Android smartphones are Quick Charge compatible, and therefore if you have one, you should check out if yours is usable with the fast charging tech. That said, the Quick Charge port is also able to output 5V/2.4A for Non-Compatible Quick Charge devices.

USB-C

The final and third charging port is the USB-C port used with a USB-C to USB-C charging cable to charge USB-C compatible devices. This port has an output speed of 5V/3.0A, which is quite good, and most USB-C smartphones have their standard max charging rate at 3 amps.

It would have been nice to have Power Delivery with this PowerBar charger, though, as many devices are now starting to use it, from the iPhone X to the MacBook.

Even though there are lots of charging options with this power bank, the charging portion does have a limit, and that would be because this charger has a max output limit of 4.8A when it comes to its three output ports.

As a result, you’re definitely only going to want to use two charging ports at the same time only, as you can use them to their full potential.

Input Charging:

The Jackery PowerBar only has a single input port, and that would be the USB-C port. It can be used as an input when you use a USB-C to USB-A charging cable along with a USB wall charger to recharge the power bank.

If you want to recharge the PowerBar at its max charging speed, then we recommend using a Quick Charge USB wall charger as it’ll provide 3 Amps of power.

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Design

Size and Weight:

The main part that makes this power bank so large isn’t the power capacity, as most power banks with similar capacities are actually a lot smaller. Instead, the reason that this charger is large is that of its AC Outlet, three charging methods, and also because of its 20,800mAh power capacity added into the mix.

As a result, that’s why this charger has a length of 6.5 inches, a thickness/width of 2.5 inches. The PowerBar is also quite heavy at a weight of 1.5 Pounds. It’s the type of portable charger that you can still take anywhere you want with you; it’s just that you’re only able to take it with you, set it down, and then use it.

Functional Components:

Despite all the things going with this Jackery PowerBar pertaining to its charging abilities, this charger is very organized and easy to use.

On one side of the charger is where you have:

• The Two USB-A charging ports. One Quick Charge and one standard.
• A USB-C port
• A Digital power capacity level indicator that shows how much power is left with three digits

Then there’s a power button at the top.

The power button with this power bank does have a few functions, which would be to turn on the USB charging ports with just one press. To turn on the AC Outlet, though, you hold the power button down for about 3 seconds to turn it on. To turn off the AC Outlet, you hold the power button for 3 seconds too.

On the opposite side of those functional parts is where you’ll find the AC Outlet and a green indicator that turns on to show that the AC Outlet has been turned on.

Build

Structure and Material:

Just like most of Jackery’s products, this Jackery PowerBar has a great build quality. That’s because the large piece of this power bank is made of Aluminum, and the two sides are made of plastic. Even though the side caps are made of plastic, they’re placed very firmly inside the PowerBar.

The components also feel great to use, and we did have worries about the AC Outlet being too weak to hold AC power cords, but it held up well.

Tech:

On the tech side of things, this power bank is great. That said, it does have a slight sound to it when you’re using the AC Outlet, and that’s because there’s a fan inside of it. So actually, the technical build of this power bank is very good because you don’t have to worry about overheating as it uses a fan to keep itself cool.

Reliability

If you don’t mind the low output of the AC Outlet, this Jackery PowerBar is very useful.

You’re still able to power appliances within their power range, and along with the AC Outlet, you get three very powerful charging methods to charge your devices with. Build quality is very good with Aluminum, and the power bank even uses a fan to make sure that it doesn’t overheat.

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Summary:

Power:

There’s a lot of power to be used to charge devices from smartphones to laptops to their full power. Also, using an AC Outlet with three other charging options that include USB-C and Quick Charge, place this power bank into a league of its own.

Design:

It’s quite large and heavy, so it’s not something you’re going to walk around with and charge your smartphone. It’s definitely meant to stay in a single place and be used. The functional parts are placed very well, and a digital capacity indicator is very useful.

Build:

The build quality of this power bank is very good as it has an Aluminum center build, and the PowerBar even uses a fan to keep itself cool.

Reliability:

The reliability of this power bank is great as long as you don’t expect the AC Outlet to power a blender or a heater. All of its parts are powerful to use and can give your devices a great powering and charging experience.

	Jackery PowerBar 20,800mAh Power Bank Specs
Power Capacity	20,800mAh
3-Prong AC Outlet Output	100W
Standard USB-A Port	5V/2.4A (12W)
Quick Charge USB-A Port	3.6V-6V/3A | 6V-9V/2A | 9V-12V/1.5A (18W)
USB-C Port	5V/3.0A (15W)
USB-C Input	5V/3.0A (15W)
Size	6.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches
Weight	2.5 Pounds

Conclusion:

The Jackery PowerBar is a great addition to the portable charging space.

It doesn’t go all out with its AC power, and that is a good thing; and instead, it takes a more hybrid approach with its power capacity and powering abilities that make this charger great for light or heavy use in some cases.