Review: PowerAdd 20,000mAh 18W Power Delivery Quick Charge Power Bank

PowerAdd 20,000mAh 18W Power Delivery Quick Charge Power Bank

9.7

Power

9.0/10

Design

10.0/10

Build

10.0/10

Pros

  • Uses Power Delivery and Quick Charge
  • Comes with a Cable that can converted from a C to C cable to a C to A cable
  • Has enough power capacity to charge smartphones multiple times to full power

Cons

  • The Power Delivery charging is not power enough to charge most laptops
(Last Updated On: November 20, 2019)

Most power banks are beginning to use fast charging technologies since most phones are compatible with some sort of fast charging method. Quick Charge and Power Delivery are among the two most common types and because they’re so common, there are now portable chargers that are using both of them.

That brings us to this PowerAdd 20,000mAh portable charger that uses both Quick Charge and Power Delivery. Let’s take a closer look at how you can benefit from having both with a power bank.

Power

Power Capacity:

The power capacity of this portable charger is becoming the standard of what you should have when it comes to charging on the move. A few years ago, having a 20,000mAh power capacity would mean that you’d use the charger for charging tablets, but now with phones using larger batteries such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and the S10+ having a 4,000mAh battery, a high capacity power bank for smartphones doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

A good Amount of Power

This PowerAdd power bank can charge most phones to full power about three times. It might seem like that’s on the low side, but we mentioned phones have very large batteries now. Just take a look at the iPhone 11 Pro Max, it has a 3,969mAh battery. So having a 4,000mAh battery capacity for most phones is becoming common.

As for charging tablets, and laptops, well, you may fair about 1.5 full charges if you’re dedicating the entire power capacity to charging those types of larger devices. The 2018 iPad Pro that uses a USB-C port has quite a large battery of 9,720mAh. The same can be said about MacBooks, too.

Also, the reason that we’re mentioning MacBooks for charging with this power bank is that you can do so for MacBooks that use USB-C Power Delivery for charging.

Output Charging:

There are three ports that you can use to charge from this PowerAdd PD 20,000mAh power bank.

It uses a USB-C Power Delivery port, and there’s one USB-A port that uses Quick Charge and the other port uses standard charging.

Power Delivery for Smartphones

Of course, when it comes to charging the USB-C port you’ll need to use a USB-C to USB-C charging cable and this PowerAdd power bank comes with a USB-C to C cable that also has a USB-A adapter with the cable.

The Power Delivery port has an 18W charging speed, so it’s enough charging power for fast charging PD compatible phones such as a Google Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 4, iPhone 11 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S and Note phones, and quite a few others, too. Overall, if you’ve got a USB-C Android phone or an iPhone X or newer, then you’re likely able to fast charge a phone with the USB-C PD port.

Just a reminder though, when it comes to charging an iPhone using a USB-C port, you’ll need a Lightning to USB-C cable.

The PD Port isn’t the best for Laptops

You can also use the PD port for charging most USB-C tablets. However, when it comes to charging USB-C PD laptops, the PD port on this PowerAdd power bank may not seem as helpful simply because it’s not enough power. You can charge a USB-C MacBook but you’re going to get a message for “Slow Charging” because 30W or higher is the standard for most PD laptops.

Quick Charge for Both Ports?

The other two ports are USB-A ports. One is a Quick Charge port and the other is a standard port. On the PowerAdd power bank itself and the box, it specifies that the both USB-A ports are Quick Charge compatible, however, in our tests, charging either a Galaxy S8 or an LG G7 ThinQ, both of which are Quick Charge compatible, were able to fast charge using the Yellow USB-A port.

However, with the black USB-A port, the S8 and the LG G7 can only charge at the standard charging speed. So the Yellow USB-A port is the only port that features Quick Charge, not both of them.

Input Charging:

To recharge the power bank you have to use the USB-C PD port, there is no Micro-USB port on this power bank. You can recharge this power bank at PD speeds when you use a PD wall charger.

Design

Size and Weight:

Despite having a high capacity, this power bank is small. The charger has a length of 6.2 inches, a width of 2.5 inches and a thickness of 0.9 inches. The weight of the power bank is 15 ounces, so basically one pound.

So, length and width wise, this power bank is the size of most phones. Even with its 1-inch thickness, this power bank can easily be placed into a pocket. The weight is the only issue with this power bank.

Functional Components:

The power bank has all the ports on a single side, this includes the USB-C PD port and the two USB-A ports. The power button and four power capacity indicators are at the top of the power bank.

Charging automatically starts when you connect a device to this charger, so the power button is only used as a way to check how much power is left while you’re charging from it.

Build

Structure and Material:

The build quality of power bank is on part with other brands on the market, such as Aukey and Anker. Yes, the charger is made of plastic, but if it were made of Aluminum then it would be quite a lot heavier.

Tech:

Even when we were charging three smartphones at once with this power bank, which would be a Samsung Galaxy S8, a Googe Pixel, and a Galaxy S6; the charger did not overheat.

Reliability

The reliability of this power bank is wide, but not too wide. The reason for this is mainly because the Power Delivery charging is 18W. With 18W of PD, you’re only able to fast charge smartphones with it. There’s also the Quick Charge with the USB-A port, too.

The Power Delivery charging is not meant for laptops, as the charging power isn’t there. It is more optimal for charging smartphones and tablets. Another reliable part of this power bank is the cable that comes with it that allows you to transition the cable from USB-C to USB-C and then to a USB-C to USB-A cable.

Summary:

Power:

The power capacity is enough to charge most smartphones about three times or more. The Power Delivery charging is great for smartphones, but not meant for charging USB-C laptops. This charger also uses two USB-A ports with only one featuring Quick Charge.

Design:

This PowerAdd power bank is very small, the weight can feel heavy but it’s easy to get use to it.

Build:

Since this power bank does allow you to charge three devices at once, some may worry about overheating, but that should not be a concern, as we charged three devices at the same time and there was no overheating at all.

Reliability:

With its use of high power capacity, Power Delivery, Quick Charge, and its included transitional charging cable, this PowerAdd portable charger is truly a nifty charger that can be useful for fast charging at all times. Just not for laptops.

Specs of the PowerAdd 20,000mAh 18W Power

Delivery Quick Charge Power Bank:

  • Power Capacity: 20,000mAh
  • Output:

USB-C Power Delivery Port: 18W

Both USB-A Ports: 18W

  • Input: 18W with a Power Delivery Wall Charger
  • LED Power Indicator: 4 White LED Power Indicators
  • Size: 6.2 x 2.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Weight: 15 Ounces

Conclusion:

PowerAdd is definitely on the right track with this 20,000mAh PD and Quick Charge power bank. It has a little bit of everything, with its charging power, capacity, small size, ease of use and a cable that can be used in two ways.

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