My iPhone and iPad Mini are my two favourite gadgets and they come with me almost everywhere because I do everything on them from communication to entertainment to work, etc. The list is pretty endless and I am sure if you own a smart phone you'd agree with me that you get really frustrated and panicky when your battery is low. I feel like no one can reach me and I will definitely seek ways to recharge my battery or conserve the little battery I have left which is hard because iPhone batteries run out like no man's business. But the truth is I can't remember the last time I ran out of battery because I was kindly sent the RavPower Lipstick Charger* a few months ago (the review is here) and that charged my phone pretty much on the go and I still use it. I was contacted again by the lovely people at RavPower to offer me a chance to try out the RavPower Deluxe Series Power Bank* and I was delighted because I had read a number of reviews about it already so naturally I said yes and I have been using it for a few weeks so I thought it was time to fill you all in on my experience.
Packaging/Contents
RavPower Packaging is always lovely with simple and clear instructions of use. It was well packaged within the Amazon outer packaging to prevent any sort of damage to the contents. Inside you get the RavPower Deluxe Series Power Bank*, a warranty card, instructions of use/user guide, a grey pouch to store/carry the power bank safely, two USB to Micro USB cables (one for charging some phones and one to charge the power bank) and two adapter converters to charge some devices including Samsung phones. It does not contain any Apple cables for charging iPhones or iPads so you need to have yours in top condition to use this device but it charges the iPhone and iPad really well. I love how sleek this feels with its matte black design and chrome finish running across the middle. It reminds me of a very posh external hard drive but it is so much sleeker than any I have come across. It definitely feels much more expensive than other external batteries I have tried in the past.
Specification
I know it looks like it would be heavy in the pictures but it is much lighter in real life, I promise. It weighs only about 280g or so and although it is heavier than an iPhone, it is still portable. In terms of size, it measures 4.92 inches (height), 3.15 inches (width) and 0.79 inches depth. In front of the device, it has the RAV Power logo and the LED Indicator light which tells you how much charge you have left and I find this really useful. At the back, it has the specification of the unit. It has an internal battery capacity of 14, 000 mAh which is really large especially if you consider that an iPhone 5's battery capacity is just under 1500 mAh which means this unit can charge your iPhone about 8 times and that is incredible. It charges my iPad Mini with Retina Display about 2.5 times which is so good. At the bottom which also has a chrome finish, you have 1A and 2A output ports for charging two devices at the same time, an LED light which is a torch and it is very useful if you are out at night or camping and it also has a 5V micro unit port for charging the device itself. You can change the device directly from your computer with one of the USB cables supplied but I prefer to charge it directly on wall socket because it seems to charge faster that way.
How I use it
When I first received it, it was about 75% charged as indicated by the LED light in front of the device (it showed 3 lights) so I decided to test run it so I could understand how long it takes to discharge fully and how long it takes to charge the device up. I charged my iPhone and iPad together and the Deluxe Series did not get fully discharged until the next day (I received it in the evening of the previous day) which to me was very impressive. Once it was fully discharged, I connected it to a wall socket and it took about 7 hours to charge from zero to full which means you can charge the power bank overnight and have it ready in the morning. I thought it would take longer to get fully charged seeing that it had a large capacity but it really did not take as long as I thought. When it is charging, the LED light blinks continuously showing how much it has charged and once it is full, it goes off and I think that's so cool as that protects the device from being damaged and from any short circuit issues. To charge my devices, I just simply connect it to one of the output ports and click the button in front for it to commence charging. Once the button is clicked, it shows the battery percentage of the device and it goes off after a few seconds but it keeps charging my phone. If no phone is connected to the device, it switches itself off after 5-7 seconds so it does not waste any precious juice so you don't have to worry that it's getting wasted if you accidentally click the button. If you want the torch light to go on, you just click the button in front twice and it comes on and you do the same and it goes off. Pretty neat! To transport it, I just place it in the little bag it came with which prevents any damage to the device although it is hard to imagine any damage to this device as it looks so sturdy and well built. Its matte finish means there is no way finger print marks can be left on it.
Cost
I was really surprised that the price has been reduced from £75 to only £21.99 currently on Amazon and I think it is so worth the investment. I have not had my battery run out on me for a while now since I received this and it is truly a life saver because I don't have to worry about my iPhone or iPad battery being low. It can be purchased from the RavPower website or from Amazon UK and Amazon.com.
Cons
The only cons I can think about may be its size. It is not heavy but I can imagine that guys who don't carry handbags may find it a little heavy in their pockets but to be fair, it all comes down to what is important to you. I would not mind carrying something a little bit heavier than my iPhone if it would keep my iPhone charged all day. For ladies, you have nothing to worry about as the weight is very negligible in the handbag/purse and it is so sleek and smooth that it can fit into anything even if you are going out in the evening and have a small clutch. If you prefer something smaller, you may want to try out the RavPower Luster Series which is much smaller and can charge your phone at least twice which is really good especially if you are on the move. I have a review on it here.
Personal Thoughts
I recently travelled to Scotland by Coach (I am currently still in Scotland as I type this) and it was a long ass journey but my iPhone and iPad were fully charged all through the journey and that made the journey even more enjoyable because I was fully entertained and it was all down to the RavPower Deluxe Series. On a daily basis, it charges my iPhone at least 3 times when I am at work and I still have 75% left on this lovely external battery pack which means I only get to charge the device in itself once or twice a week. Its lasting power is incredible and even when I attached my iPad and iPhone for my 9 hours journey, I still had 50% of the device battery still left. To me, I don't think anything else can compare to that. I cannot recommend this enough. It is always in my handbag and knowing it's in there keeps my mind at rest always. Keep your eyes peeled because a giveaway is in the works...Have you tried anything from RavPower? See you in my next post..
*PR sample and affiliate links may be used above
