CD-R King Mobile Power Bank PWB-049-ZG 2800mAh - Product Review

Mobile Power Bank - lipstick style

I never thought I would be need to buy a power bank for my phone.  Why would anyone need that? Then it happened, I was so busy with work and I forgot to charge my phone.  I happened to me twice that I was thinking of charging my phone while on the move.

There are a lot of power bank products out there, I just happened to want a cheap one, that is why I went with the CD-R king brand.  Now, I don't know if this product will last since I only had it for a week and I only used it twice to test if it does what it says it does.

unboxed - click to enlarge

Build
My take on this product, is it is what it is.  It is a cheap plastic build on the connectors but sturdy looking body.  I just don't know if it will survive a drop, since the body is made of plastic.  What do you expect for a Php280 (around $7) product?  There is no way I would spend more for this kind of product, especially on batteries.  It will be depleted after a number of cycles, so it's better to buy cheap and replace it after a 1,000 cycles (around 28 cents per charge).  Battery is indicated as Li-ion kind, I just hope it is as indicated on the box.

click to enlarge

Ease of use
The product has 2 color LEDs to indicate it charging or fully charged.  On my first try I timed it for 5 hours, and 5 hours have passed but the indicator is still red.  I gave it another 30 minutes for the LED to change color, still nothing I just unplugged it so it doesn't over charge and damage the battery.  After draining it for charging my phones, I charged it overnight.  Morning came, the LED changed into a blue color, which could mean fully charged.

You only need to connect the connector to your USB on a PC or if you have a charger brick directly to an AC power outlet.

Connectors Included
I was disappointed when I was about to buy the unit, since it does not include a mini USB connector.  4 kinds of connector, but none for my device.  I had to use my own from Samsung.  The Output connector is USB, so no problem there if the charger you have is USB connected from the power brick charger.

Does not include a power charge brick.  They expect you to connect it to a PC or laptop.  Or your existing charger that has USB port.


Actual usage feedback
I was excited to test it, I tried using it to charge my Samsung Galaxy S3.  The Power Bank only charged it around 63% full, from completely drained S3.  And it took a long time to charge, I think it also took 5 hours to charge to that point of completely draining the Power Bank.  But on my Samsung Galaxy Y, it charged super fast.  So I guess, it depends on your cellphone's battery capacity.  Smaller batteries charge faster, while larger power hungry phones take longer to charge.

Note:  I had to disable my mobile internet and GPS for my S3 to charge, otherwise the phone will not charge at all, it will actually take longer to charge and actually drains the phone somehow.  This is my observation for this particular Power Bank model on S3 charging.

size compared to a 5 peso coin

Overall
The power bank, does what is says it does, and will be more appreciated by phones with smaller battery for fast charges.  But for huge phones, it is a pain to use and takes longer time to charge.  You just have to be patient in using this mobile power bank, if you have a huge phone that need charging while on the go.

I bought my mobile power bank in Araneta Center Cubao, same floor as the LRT station.  Last I was there, they still have ample stocks only color Orange and purples.

CD-R King product page: http://www.cdrking.com/index.php?mod=products&type=view&sid=15704&main=157

Update:
As of May 3, 2013 - This model of power bank was out of stock in LRT station branch of CD-R King.  I guess power banks that are cheap are in high demand this days.