I love power banks. I have a lot, and I use them all the time when I need portable power when on the road, in the field, or off the grid.
But there’s a problem with power banks, especially big power banks. They take ages to recharged. Forget to recharge your power bank, and you’re carrying a dead lump with you all day.
This is why I’ve been on the lookout for is a power bank that recharges in a matter of minutes, but still has enough battery capacity to charge a phone once or twice.
I’ve found one — the Real Graphene G-Lite 60W 5,000mAh.
Must read: Parallels brings Windows to Chromebooks
- Model: G-Lite
- Battery: Graphene Composite Battery
- Capacity: 5,000mAh 3.7V / 18.5Wh
- Rated Capacity: 3,300mAh 5V (TYP 3A)
- Temperature: 0-45°C, <75% RH
- Input:
USB-C: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, Max 60W - Charging: Use PD adapter above 5-20v 60W needs about 18 minutes
- Output:
USB-C PD: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/2.5A, 15V/2A, 20V/1.5A, 5-11V/3A, 5-16V/2A, Max 30W
USB-A: 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A, Max 18W
USB-C + USA-A: Max 15W - Fast Charging Protocol:
USB-C: PD3.0 / PPS
USB-A: Apple 2.4A / Samsung AFC / Huawei SCP / Huawei FCP / QC3.0 - Dimension: 145 x 72 x 12 mm (5.97 * 2.83 * 0.47in)
- Weight: 200g (7.5oz)
The G-Lite 60W is a small (145 x 72 x 12mm), light (200g) power bank that’s built around a 5,000mAh 3.7V 18.5Wh graphene composite battery.
The outer is constructed from a tough yet stylish metal frame surrounding a composite shell.
On the front is a set of LED indicators and two ports. A USB-C PD port that’s used for both input and output, and a USB-A port that can be used as an output. The G-Lite 60W features pass-thru technology, which means that you can be charging it through the USB-C port and simultaneously using the USB-A port.
A nice feature.
But the thing that separates the G-Lite 60W from the competition is fast charging. Connect it to a 60W USB-C charger, and the power bank can be recharged from 0 to 100 percent in under 20 minutes (I averaged 18 minutes over a series of tests).
That’s about five times faster than a typical power bank.
High-speed charging the Real Graphene G-Lite 60W
The graphene composite battery offers other benefits. It runs cooler than lithium ion batteries, and the makers claim that it can be put through 1,000 recharge cycles before it reaches end-of-life. A typical power bank is lasts around 300 to 500 recharge cycles. This, as you can imagine, I have not been able to test.
The 5,000mAh isn’t huge by modern power bank standards. It’s enough to recharge a big modern smartphone (think iPhone 12 Pro Max) once, or a smaller smartphone a couple of times. But since this power bank is about speed of recharge and portability rather than raw capacity, that’s an acceptable compromise.
The Real Graphene G-Lite 60W is normally priced at $89.99, which is quite high for a power bank of this capacity, but it is currently available for $59.99. That’s still not cheap, but if you want a fast-charging power bank, you do get what you pay for.
