(Last Updated On: June 14, 2018)

There are quite a few types of power banks on the market, ones with high and low power capacities and there are also ones that have built-in cables to make charging easier. However, more than that, there are also power banks that combine solar panels with portable chargers and that means they’re able to recharge using the sun or sometimes any light source. However, just because a power bank uses solar panels doesn’t mean that it’s automatically better than ones without Solar panels, as Solar charging is quite slow.

That said, let’s see what this RAVPower 15,000mAh Solar power bank has to offer, as it comes from a top brand on the market when it comes to portable charging.

Power

Power Capacity:

The power capacity of this RAVPower portable charger is initially 15,000mAh, but as we know, that’s not the real power capacity that you’re going to receive and this is basically true for all power banks. As when the power goes from the power bank, through the charging cable and finally to your device, energy is lost. So let’s take a look at how much you’ll actually be able to receive.

3.7 x 15,000 = 55,500 / 5 = 11,100

For the most part, you’re actually going to be able to use 11,000mAh of the power capacity that comes with this charger, and that’s actually pretty good. Sure, it’s 4,000mAh less than what the charger actually starts with, but at the same time, we’re looking at what you can do with an 11,000mAh power capacity.

As a result, this charger can charge most smartphones to their full power about 3.5 times. We’re basing the full charge estimates on the most common type of battery size, which is 3,000mAh which is quite large but it’s now becoming the norm among most smartphones on the market such as the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, Google Pixel 2 XL, and iPhone X either have a 3,000mAh battery or they’re very close to it. So charging a smartphone with this power bank is basically the best way to use it.

Other, larger devices such as tablets are also capable of being charged to their full power with this RAVPower portable charger but at the same time, we recommend using a 6,000mAh battery tablet with this power bank. Otherwise, anything with a higher battery capacity is going to result in the entirety of the power bank being depleted.

	RAVPower 15,000mAh Solar Power Bank (Output Capacity = 11,000mAh)	Phone Capacity	RAVPower 15,000mAh Solar Power Bank Left Over Capacity after One Charge # of Full Charges for the Device
iPhone SE	11,000mAh	1,624mAh	9,376mAh Left Over Capacity 6.7 Full Charges
iPhone 6	11,000mAh	1,810mAh	9,190mAh Left Over Capacity 6.0 Full Charges
iPhone 6 Plus	11,000mAh	2,915mAh	8,085mAh Left Over Capacity 3.7 Full Charges
iPhone 6s	11,000mAh	1,715mAh	9,285mAh Left Over Capacity 6.4 Full Charges
iPhone 6s Plus	11,000mAh	2,750mAh	8,250mAh Left Over Capacity 4 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S6	11,000mAh	2,550mAh	8,450mAh Left Over Capacity 4.3 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge	11,000mAh	2,600mAh	8,400mAh Left Over Capacity 4.2 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S7	11,000mAh	3,000mAh	8,000mAh Left Over Capacity 3.6 Full Charges
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	11,000mAh	3,600mAh	7,400mAh Left Over Capacity 3.0 Full Charges

Output Charging:

There are two USB-A charging ports on this power bank, you won’t be finding any Quick Charge or USB-C ports. That’s said, you can find a UBS-C port on RAVPower’s 25,000mAh Solar power bank, so you might want to check that out if you’re interested.

So there’s one USB-A port with a 5V/2.1A charging speed, while the other USB-A port has a 5V/1.0A charging speed. So this charger definitely has an old-school way of designing the charging ports, with one having a faster charging speed than the other one. So if you’re charging two devices at once then you should definitely use the port with a 2.1A charging speed with the device that you want to charge the fastest.

Overall, we wish that they made it so that either of the ports shared the same max output of 3.1A, so there wouldn’t be a compromise of what device you’re charging gets the shorter end of the stick.

Input Charging:

Since this is a Solar power bank, there are two ways to recharge it.

You can either use the Micro-USB input which is capable of a 5V/2.0A recharging speed and ultimately, using the Micro-USB input port is the faster way to recharge this RAVPower portable charger. Solar charging in general with power banks is slow because the Solar panel itself is very small.

The solar recharging on this power bank has a 1W/250mA charging rate and that’s basically only a Quarter of a 1 Amp charging speed, and that’s why in order to recharge the power bank to its full power with the sun it would take about a week to do so. So yeah, if you want to make the most out of Solar recharging for this power bank then you would just place it down in the sunlight or attach it to your backpack where the sun would hit it.

Of course, don’t expect a full recharge no matter how hard your hiking and sweating in the blazing sun.

Design

Size and Weight:

The size of this power bank is actually quite large, but not too heavy. As the charger has a length of 6.7 inches, a width of 3.5 inches, and a thickness of 0.8 inches. The weight fo the charger is 13.4 Ounces. So the power bak isn’t too large that you won’t be able to hold it, you can actually hold it but it might be a nuisance to do so, and that’s why attaching it to a backpack is the better option.

Functional Components:

On both sidings of the power bank is where you’ll find the output and input ports of the power bank and they’re under coverings as this power bank has an IPX4 water-resistance rating. Also, next to the port on the right side is where you’ll find the power button as well, and you do have to press the power button to begin charging and the power button is also used to turn on the LED flashlight on the back of the power bank.

Also, surprisingly, the flashlight is actually quite bright as it has a larger surface area on the power bank.

Atop of the power bank is where you’ll find four Blue power capacity indicators and right to those is where there’s a Red LED light that turns on when the power bank is Solar recharging.

Build

Structure and Material:

The build quality of Solar power banks is generally better than your average power bank and that rings true with this charger. As this RAVPower portable charger has an IPX4 rating and that means that it can withstand splashes of water and it’s also dust-tight. With that said, just don’t expect this power bank to survive being submerged into the water as that’s not what it’s built to do.

Tech:

On the tech side, this charger does a good job at handling the heat when it’s being recharged through its Solar panels.

Reliability

On the reliability, this power bank is quite capable of with its build quality and power capacity, but other than that, the Solar recharging from this power bank, the most important part of this charger, isn’t really capable of fast recharging speeds, and this is basically true for most Solar power banks on the market.

Summary:

Power:

The power capacity is plentiful for charging most smartphones to their full power about three times if that’s all you’re charging with this power bank. When it comes to recharging this power bank using the Solar panel, then it’s going to take a very long time to do so, and that’s why it’s better to recharge this power bank using the Micro-USB input port.

Design:

The size of this power bank is quite large, but thankfully you can use the space within the power bank to attach it to a backpack.

Build:

The build quality of this charger is pretty good, but the water-resistance is on the low-grade side as the charger can only withstand splashes of water, and cannot be submerged.

Reliability:

The charger has a good power capacity, charging speed from its ports, and the use of a solar panel for recharging is really just a plus that you get.

Conclusion:

This RAVPower 15,000mAh Solar power bank is basically a regular charger that we feel has a better build to it with its water-resistance and recharging with a Solar panel, there’s nothing really game changing here even though it has a Solar panel.

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