Power Bank Archives - Beantown Review

Searching for a battery charger to a mobile device used to be an easy thing. If it could charge your phone once and had a USB port, we were good-to-go. As mobile phones got larger, they required a greater battery life. Thus chargers had to increase in size too. Now it’s 2017 and new mobile phones like the Galaxy S8 and the Google Pixel have altered our shopping habits yet again thanks to something called USB-C. Because this new USB connection is game changer, we’re directed to look for and buy a new battery charger. Brands like ADATA, Moshi, and others, have stepped up to the plate and introduced new models. So without further adieu, let’s take a closer look at one such charger in this ADATA A10050QC Power Bank review.

Google Pixel and ADATA Power Bank

Introducing the ADATA A10050QC Power Bank Charger with USB-C and Quick Charge 3.0

Pros:
• Modern, ergonomic design
• Aluminum construction
• Attractive metallic color choices
• USB-A and USB-C ports
• Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
• Provides enough battery for 3-4 phone charges

Cons:
• Pointy edges could be problematic in certain situations
• No USB-C cable
• No Apple® Lightning™ cable port

Read: Here are the Audio-Technica Headphones set for release in 2017

ADATA A10050QC Power Bank Review

Design and Features

Upon first glance, you may have said to yourself that this device actually looks kind of cool. This ADATA Power Bank comes in two eye-catching metallic colors, blue and titanium grey, both with a sandblasted finish. Now forget about the color and finish for a moment. What’s actually neat is the design. ADATA has taken their A10050 Power Bank design and made them ergonomic with the A10050QC. Now it’s designed to fit in the palm of your hand, with grooved sides for your fingers and thumb. Good luck dropping it.

No more cylinders. No more boxes. This ergonomic design is a welcome change to the market.

As you see in the images above, on one end are the listed specs. On the other, there’s the power button, LED indication, the input port, and the two output ports. It’s pretty straightforward.

Like many of the chargers on the market, you can simultaneously charge the Power Bank while charging two mobile devices. Just remember to have enough cables to go around.

LED indication is easy to understand. Think of each light as a quarter’s worth of power. If one light is flashing, the Power Bank is charging, or it’s a low battery warning.

The A10050QC has dimensions of 4.13″ x 2.52″ x 0.90″ and weighs in at 8.71 ounces. Fully charging the battery takes approximately 6-7 hours; something you may want to do overnight.

For those of you who pay attention to specifications, here’s what you’re looking for.

Circuit Protections:

• Over-voltage
• Over-discharge
• Over-current

• Overheating
• Overcharge
• Short circuit

Specifications:

Input
• DC 5V/2.5A (Micro USB)

Output
• DC 5V 2.5A (USB-A)
• DC 5-6V 3A (QC3.0)
• DC 6-9V 2A (QC3.0)
• DC 9-12V 1.5A (QC3.0)
• Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 (USB-C)

Read: Review: Best Touchscreen Gloves -- Moshi Digits

Remember that game-changing USB-C port mentioned in the opening paragraph? Incorporating Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, this USB-C port allows you charge a mobile product from 0 to 80% charge in no more than 30 minutes. Now that’s sweet.

What’s In The Box?

A10050QC Charger
Micro USB Cable
User Manual

Final Thoughts

At $40, the ADATA A10050QC Power Bank is the clear winner in its category by features and price. Want a second opinion? Fine, we’ll give you one.

We compared this ADATA Power Bank against similar products from myCharge and Patriot Memory. The closest myCharge gets to the A10050QC is with their RazorPlatinum. It provides an additional 3350 mAh hours of battery capacity, but at over twice the price.

The nearest Patriot gets gets to the ADATA is with their FUEL Active 9000. From the description, you can already guess it offers 1000 mAh less battery capacity. While it’s $5 lower in price over the ADATA, it lacks a USB-C port but adds a flashlight feature. Speaking of the flashlight feature, if it’s a must have, there’s an ADATA product for that, the P20000D Power Bank.

As you can see, from a feature and value perspective, the ADATA A10050QC Power Banks reigns supreme in 2017.

There’s one final thing. As I mentioned, this Power Bank comes in two colors: blue and titanium gray. I believe a third color, possibly a bolder color like red, would be a welcome addition in mid-2017 .

ADATA Power Banks are available online at Amazon (see link below) and Newegg for about $40.

What do you think of this ADATA A10050QC Power Bank review? Do you agree or disagree with our verdict? Let us know in the comment section below or via social media. We’re eager to hear your thoughts.

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Don’t hesitate to head over to the ADATA Products page to see their newest products. To learn more about service and support, click here for their Support-Service page. The A10050QC mobile charger comes with a 1-year warranty.

FTC Disclosure: ADATA provided Beantown LLC with one (1) A10050QC Power Bank sample for review purposes. This writer’s opinion is 100% his own and not a paid product ambassador.

Read: Speck Back To School Backpacks for 2017 Preview

Out of CES2015 Comes The Latest in Mobile Charging Devices.

Ladies pay close attention. And guys, follow along. Imagine yourself at a bar or nightclub, now picture this. How many times have you heard some person next to you say ‘____, my cell phone is out of charge.’? Or maybe, it was you who said this. (Feel free to fill in the blank. Expletives are welcome.) This person then asks his/her friends if they have a charger. To no avail, they then ask the bartender if they have a battery, a charging cable or if they can use a wall outlet next to the liquor. This problem happens so often that’s it’s become an everyday occurrence. My question to your friend (and maybe to you) is ‘why don’t you own a mobile charger?’ If your friends are like mine, they either don’t own one or have one with them. Lucky for them, I own three, often with one in my possession. Now, I’m not trying to beat up anyone here. But I do want to make you aware of a product that I’ve tested, like very much and can’t do without. This product is the Tech Power 2-IN-1 Power Bank mobile rechargeable battery from Accell Corp.

Introduced 4 months ago almost to the day at CES, the 2-IN-1 Power Bank is widely available here in the States and across the globe. How do I know this? Just look at all the fine print on the product and/or its packaging. It’s loaded with governmental approval markings. Now the 2-IN-1 Power Bank comes with a battery capacity of 2600mAh. This mAh (milliAmpere hour) is the same unit of battery life that you’ll find in your smartphone, MP3 player, and/or portable gaming device. In most cases, the battery will provide between 1 and 1.5 charges. On the AC plug portion of the device, you’ll find a female USB connection. On the battery portion of the device, you’ll find both male and female USB connections. And in case you were wondering and I’m sure some of you were, the battery output is 1 Ampere.

What’s really cool is the dual charging capability of the 2-IN-1 Power Bank as pass-through type. While you’re charging your 2-IN-1 Power Bank battery, you can simultaneously charge your mobile device. Heck, you don’t even need the battery to charge your device. Let’s say the battery charge is full, but your mobile device’s isn’t. Then simply connect your mobile device directly to the AC plug portion of the Power Bank and place the latter into a wall outlet. Instant power. One fact I nearly missed is that when you recharge the battery through a computer, your smartphone “maintains iTunes/data connectivity.” Pretty nice.

The On/Off power button and charge indicator is located on the underside. Simply press the power button once and you’ll see the available charge across the Blue LED’s indicating up to a 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% charge. Now I noticed one thing in using the product that isn’t mentioned in the user manual. When you’re using wall outlet power coupled to the battery while charging your device, you don’t need to press the power button. This is one time when it’s alright to skip a step, and not get penalized. Once your device is connected via the USB port and without the AC plug connected, you’ll need to press the power button to begin the charging process. According to the literature, charging time for the 2-IN-1 Power Bank is under 3 hours. I’ve tested this recharge time for myself and the literature is spot on.

Dimensionally, the Power Bank is 1.12″ x 1.12″ x 4.25″ and weighs in at 4 ounces. Essentially, it’s the size of a thick pack of (old-style) Wrigley’s gum or a tube of lipstick. The 2-IN-1 Power Bank easily fits into the palm of your hand, your shirt or pant pocket, or a purse or shoulder bag (satchel for you guys.) It comes with a 1-year limited warranty. Within each package of the 2-in-1 Power Bank comes a backup battery, a USB wall charger, a 12″ micro USB to USB cable, and user instructions manual.

List prices are as follows by part number: R174A-001B (Black) & R174A-001J (White): $29.99.

Both colors are currently available at Amazon.com for $29.99. If you would like additional information, feel free to send me a direct message via Twitter and/or check out the Accell Cables website. Accell products are available at many of the bigger internet retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Fry’s, Microcenter, and Newegg.

All photos are the property of Beantown LLC.

FTC Disclosure: A press sample of the 2-in-1 power bank was provided to Beantown LLC for the purpose of this review.