Pros & Cons
-
- Affordable.
- Thin and stylish design.
- Large battery capacity.
- Supports two-way fast charging and pass-through charging.
-
- Older Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 standard.
- No USB-C output.
Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro Specs
| Added Battery Life | 33 hours, 42 (Wi-Fi video streaming) minutes |
| Capacity | 10000 |
| Dimensions | 5.1 by 2.9 by 0.5 inches |
| Fast Charging | Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 |
| Pass-Through Charging | |
| Voltage | 5V, 9V, 12V |
| Weight | 7 |
| Wireless Charging |
Portable power banks are far less sexy than the phones and tablets they connect to, but the $29.99 Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro is genuinely attractive. The 10,000mAh backup battery is wrapped in a slim metal body that's both stylish and easily portable. In addition to providing lots of extra power in our tests, it supports fast charging and pass-through charging as well. That makes the Mi Power Bank Pro the best battery you can buy at this size and price, and our Editors' Choice.
Design and Features
The Mi Power Bank Pro ($29.00 at Amazon) features a cool, minimal design made of machined aluminum. It measures 5.1 by 2.9 by 0.5 inches (HWD), about the size of your average smartphone. The Anker PowerCore 10000 is smaller in length and width, but is nearly a full inch thick (3.9 by 2.5 by 0.9 inches), making it hard to fit in a pocket. And despite its higher-quality aluminum build, the Mi Power Bank Pro weighs the same 7 ounces as the polycarbonate PowerCore.
The top and bottom of the battery are coated in plastic. On the top edge, a Reset button lets you start and stop charging, though the battery detects most devices automatically. Four white LEDs to the right show charging status.
The USB-C port is for input only and supports fast charging, but doesn't do output like the Tronsmart Presto. The USB-A output supports Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0, meaning it's capable of charging at 5V/2A, 9V/2A, and 12V/1.5A. When we tested it with the LG V30+, it successfully charged at 9V/2A. This is an older standard than the Quick Charge 3.0 on the PowerCore and Tronsmart Presto, which can vary voltage dynamically up to 20V for faster charging speeds.
Pass-through charging is supported, allowing the Pro to charge another device while also being charged, which comes in especially handy when you're traveling.
Performance and Conclusions
According to Xiaomi, the 10,000mAh Mi Power Bank Pro retains a 93 percent conversion rate, minimizing the power you lose when charging devices. This proved true in testing. We connected the fully charged Pro to a depleted Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and streamed full-screen video over Wi-Fi at maximum brightness, clocking an impressive 33 hours, 42 minutes, siginificantly longer than the PowerCore (23 hours, 44 minutes streaming LTE video with ZTE Axon 7) and Tronsmart Presto (25 hours, 50 minutes).
The Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro has just about everything you can ask for in a battery pack. Its slim and stylish design is complemented by a large capacity, excellent power efficiency, and fast charging. The Anker PowerCore 10000, our previous Editors' Choice, doesn't last as long or support pass-through charging, while the Tronsmart Presto isn't nearly as portable. The Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro offers excellent value for the price and earns our Editors' Choice award.
Best Batteries & Power Picks
Further Reading
Final Thoughts
Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro
The affordable Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro is a stylish, pocketabe battery pack that can add more than a full day's worth of juice to your phone.