Xiaomi debuted its 20,000 mAH power-bank for its 11.11 Singles day festivities, and it’s sold at a staggering cheap price of 149 Chinese Yuan. But how does the interior look like?
It is within the innards that we see its true pedigree: 6 x LG 18650 batteries with each unit holding 3350 mAH, all connected in parallel for a total of 20,000 mAH. A temperature sensor on its battery works its wizardry by turning off the output in cases of temperature anomalies.
It is little surprise that Xiaomi’s 20,000 mAH power-banks follows after the solid workmanship of its predecessors. It feels incredibly sturdy while keeping reasonably light. The internal positive and negative cushioning contacts are attached, for good connection throughout from core to shell.
Xiaomi’s (old) 16,000 and the (new) 20,000 mAH power-bank comparison
Paper insulation is used to greatly reduce short circuiting, wrapped around the battery cathode. The cotton cushioning behind the black cathode also gives the batteries and housing more fit. On closer inspection, we can see a nickel sheet welded on the circuit board and you can see how that and all the welding of the other components are not only solid but also increase the speed of how electricity would be transmitted from battery to device.
The battery model? LGABF1L1865, from South Korea’s LG chemical department, featuring a capacity of 3350mAH and a voltage of 4.2V.
Round-up of the fast charging circuit board: on the lower left lies a dual intelligent identification chip, that supports two USB outputs as seen above. What’s important to note is that Apple and Android phones get fewer charging compatibility issues due to the output current sampling resistor and USB output overload shutdown below the two USB ports.
The main chip that handles all the charging, shown here, is the TI BQ25895, a multi all-in-one integrated package of input voltages up to 14V, which makes the power-bank compatible with Qualcomm quick-charging smartphones.
Lastly, to put all queries about whether the latest Xiaomi power-bank can deliver in terms of charging speed, charging actually yielded up to 12.02V and 1.669A, compounding into 20.06 watts, which puts it leagues ahead of the maximum 18 watts we have seen coming from previous Xiaomi portable chargers.
Needless to say, Xiaomi has a knack for truly delivering very good for very cheap, once again.