Xiaomi Mi 2 Powerbank 20,000mAh Review - New 20Ah King?

30-4-2019 Update

Almost 2 years after my initial review and regular use of about 100 full cycles my unit started to show signs of swelling. My power bank is fully charged and ready to go most of the time, which is not optimal for Li-Ion storage but otherwise defeats the purpose of a power bank. And that’s how most people who are not into batteries will use them anyways, so “real world results” nonetheless.

A bit of swelling in pouch batteries is not always dangerous but there is a chance it continues expanding, in which case I must dispose it. One more reason to go with 18650, they also degrade quicker when stored fully charged, but at least won’t became dangerous.

Spins on its belly

Vs flat surface

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Xiaomi Mi 2 Power Bank 20,000mAh Quick Charge 3.0 Portable Charger

Unit supplied by banggood for review and testing, product link (aff?): https://www.banggood.com/Original-Xiaomi-20000mAh-Polymer-Power-Bank-2-Dual-USB-Output-with-Quick-Charger-3_0-p-1114740.html?utm_source=bbs&utm_medium=william&utm_content=chendongling

This is the new version of the 20,000mAh Xiaomi Powerbank, and even though it shares a lot of similarities on the outside with the old one, it’s been completely revamped on the inside. I have already reviewed their new 10,000mAh model and was surprised by the performance, so much that I would say with confidence it is the best powerbank in its class and price range. Will the bigger brother live up to its hype? Let’s see…

Specs from Xiaomi:
Battery Capacity: 20000mAh 3.85V ( 77Wh )
Battery Core: Polymer
Interface: Micro USB (input), USB (output)
Input: DC 5V/2A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A
Output: 2* DC 5.1V/2.4A, 9V/2A 12V/1.5A (18W Max)
Size: 135.5 x 67.6 x 23.9 mm
Weight: ~400g

One of the reasons I love Xiaomi power banks is because they state all the numbers in the spec, including the energy rating which is useful to measure efficiency. This version uses a 3.85V battery which gives it a slight advantage in energy as compared to 3.6V and 3.7V chemistry. Higher nominal voltage and an extremely efficient conversion module gives the Xiaomi 2 the almost unbelievable results in the discharge tests (See below).

Unboxing:
Typical Xiaomi powerbank box that comes with a short USB cable and a brief instruction manual in Chinese (not pictured)

Some info in the back of the box

Build quality and interface:

The Xiaomi Power Bank 2 has great built quality just the like original, even though the casing is fully made of plastic it feels really solid on hand.

Close up of the finish and logo. It has a smooth polished finish with small dots over front and back sides. White plastic gets dirty quick!

Vs. the older version, about 1CM shorter and narrower. A tad thicker but hardly noticeable. Weight comes in at 326gr (new) and 339gr (old).

Vs. another typically sized, 6x 18650 powerbank.

Xiaomi powerbank family

Obligatory size comparison with a S2+

Close-up of the top: button, 4 LEDs to show capacity, micro USB for input and 2x USB out. The matte finish can be easily scratched, but not very noticeable because it is white.

Lots of technical info underneath

In action

Compared to the older model, key differences are:
-No longer uses 6x 3.7V 3,350mAh 18650 batteries, now it has 2x 10,000Mah 3.85V Lithium Polymer cell.
-Quick Charge 3.0 supported for both input and output. (only input for old version)
-Faster recharging, thanks to the reduced CV phase of the new battery.
-Variable output voltage added
-Smaller size, rounder edges
-Low current mode added

Operation and performance:
-It has auto start when a device is connected
-Will automatically turn off after 30 seconds if a load is not detected
-One single button operates the power bank, it will turn on the output or restart it when pressed.
-Double click activates a low current mode, designed to charge/power low power devices such as bluetooth headset, USB lamp, keychain flashlights, etc. These devices draws very small amount of current and in normal mode would not keep the power on.
-Pass-through charge is possible but QC is disabled for both input and output.

Variable output voltage: Just like the 10,000mAh powerbank 2, this one has a variable output voltage. When the connected load is above exactly 1.5A the voltage gets bumped from 5.0V to 5.2V. This is extremely useful to compensate for cable losses and helps to maintain a healthy charge current. I would have preferred a permanent 5.3V output voltage like some modern smartphone chargers, since there is really no reason for manufacturers to stick to exactly 5.0V anymore. A 5.0V output reaches the device at 4.5~4.8V after cable losses and most -if not all modern 5V devices can safely receive up to 5.5V,

The included USB cable is the same that comes with all xiaomi products, a flat type cable that measured 0.09 Ohm resistance at 5V 2A. This is good compared to my other short cables.

Charge test:
-Maximum input using a QC3.0 adapter was 12V/1.5A
-From empty to full it only took 6hr 11min, impressively fast.
–103Wh required to fully charge with an efficiency of 75%
-After being fully charged it draws ~40mA while idle

Discharge tests:

5V/1A: output was completely flat, and it achieved the highest efficiency I’ve ever seen in a powerbank at 98%.

5V/2A: nice and flat output like in 1A test, slightly lower energy.

9V/1.5A: output remained above 9V the whole discharge test.

12V/1.5A: output voltage was sustained above 12V the whole discharge test.

The complete chart, even at 18W output the efficiency remains above 85%. Why don’t we have a flashlight driver like that? :smiley:

Notes:
-I got 975mAh more output capacity than the spec, and unbelievably high efficiency at 98% (Spec’d 93% :open_mouth: ). I wonder if that’s due to capacity being underrated? Either way, it’s a good thing. Same happened with the 10,000mAh version. Lets hope that Xiaomi don’t ever realize this and go cheap on their products.
-Compared to the older Xiaomi 20,000mAh (pictured above), I’m getting roughly 15Wh more at 5V/2A which is a dramatic 25% increase. This is enough to give an extra full charge to a smartphone with a ~3000mAh battery.
-The internal battery is a High density lithium polymer with a nominal voltage of 3.85V, so compared to a common 3.7V 18650 based power bank of the same capacity there is a considerable energy increase. Keep this in mind when shopping power banks.

Compared to other 20,000mAh powerbanks: All tests done at standard 5V 2A discharge rate and charged with a QC 3.0 capable adapter
-Xiaomi 2: 74.4Wh, 6hr 11min to recharge
-Xiaomi 1: 59.3Wh, 6hr 45min to recharge
-Ravpower “porsche design” (pictured): 63Wh
-Vinsic: 62.4Wh, 5hr 10min to recharge (short recharge time thanks to highly efficient input converter)

Final words…
The new king of 20,000mAh? ABSOLUTELY. Most users don’t realize how much better this Mi 2 powerbank performs compared to others, but just look at the numbers! :crown: If you liked the 10Ah powerbank 2, you’ll love this one. As always, I put my power banks under heavy use for some time before reviewing and everything was flawless.

What I like:
-Compact size and great build quality.
-Extremely high efficiency
-Strong output charges the most power hungry devices. Recharges very quickly as well.
-Has low current output mode and variable output voltage, which are not offered in most power banks.
-Budget price! At the current price of $30.99, it easily beats other brand name products such as Anker, Ravpower, Aukey.

What I don’t like:
-Plastic construction is solid, but for some people it might look cheap compared to other products of the xiaomi line-up. I’m totally in for an aluminum case version.

Thanks for reading and I hope this review has been useful to you. :smiley:

Thanks for nice and useful review.

thanks for the great information!

This might be a stupid question but if the capacity is 20Ah and the stated efficiency is 98% then why don’t we see an output capacity of 19.6Ah?

I’ve never been really good at math so please be gentle but for me 14975/20000x100=74.9%. What am I missing?

OK I feel stupid, ofcourse I should have used the Power numbers(Wh) instead of Ah number :person_facepalming:

You can take another way too with Ah calc

With 100% boost converter, Ah available in theory is
Ah bat*(Vbat/Vout)
20.000Ah*3.85V/5.04V = 15.277Ah
Actual result is 14.976Ah

14.975Ah/15.277Ah roughly 98%

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Btw, thanks for the test Will34
It is awesome result indeed but to bulky for me
I will stick with 10.000mAh version

l own several Xiaomi products, and among them are powerbanks for my children, and so far not one of their products has disappointed me, for they are products of excellent quality.

lt’s great to know Xiaomi is not resting on their laurels, and is even improving. :+1:

Thanks :+1:

Can you get both ports to output QC3.0 at the same time?
I've tried with mine and can't get it to do that.

Only one port can output QC3.0 at any given time.

This weight seems incorrect. I believe that spec came from some online shop (eg. banggood or gearbest seem to quote that).

The official weight from the Xiaomi website is 330.5grams.

I own one (PLM05ZM) and using a digital weighing scale, the powerbank weighed 328grams.

Using ZKE EBD-USB+ load tester/meter, I did a discharge test (QC3.0 12v @ 1.50A) with the following results, which seem to exactly jive with the one above.

—————EB Tester Software—————

Device:EBD-USB+

Mode:D-CC 1.50A 11.00V

Begin Volt:12.27V

Cutoff Volt:12.59V

Capacity:5435mAh

Energy:68.44Wh

Avg Volt:12.59V

Title:EB Tester Software - Mi 2 20000mAh PLM05ZM (full) QC3.0 12v 1.5A drain rate
——————www.zketech.com———————

Total time: 3 hours 38 minutes

What I don’t understand is the voltage kept on increasing as the powerbank gets discharged and shut down. Voltage was 12.18v initially (1.50A load), but just before it completely got drained, the voltage reached a high of 12.78v (all the above measurements are from the ZKE EBD-USB+ tester software).

400gr was from BG spec, The real measured weight as stated in the OP was 326gr for new and 339gr for old version.

There’s also a very small increase involtage in my unit at 12V but I believe that is normal, such small difference can be nelegible. At 5V, above 1.5A the output voltage steps up 0.2V, this is intentional in order to fight against cable losses. I just realized there is no graph for current ramping, will upload one soon.

Using EBD-USB+ ‘Auto-Test’ (0.1-3.0A) on the Mi 2 20000mAh powerbank’s USB port (seems like it can handle 5v @ 2.90A, although voltage drops)

Can anyone confirm that QC from Blitzwolf BW-C10 works with that power bank?
I’m asking because QC from BW-C5 I own does not work with that power bank.
Mike

Thanks for the review! Seems to have an excellent capacity for its weight. Currently $25.99 at Gearbest with coupon code PBANUK1.
I’m still looking for a good QC3 charging adapter with two outputs and low weight. From what I see on Amazon, most of the adapters seem to be poor quality, making noise, delivering QC current only sometimes, breaking…

This Xiaomi PLM05ZM (20000mAh v2) has one of the most number of supported protocols:

Do you mean USB wall charger with 2 QC3 ports? I believe Anker’s PowerPort Speed has 63-watt (5-port desktop charger, with 2 QC3.0 ports) and 39-watt (2-port wall charger, both ports QC3.0 capable) versions, including a PowerDrive Speed 39-watt car charger with 2x QC3.0 ports.

Yes, a wall charger. I cannot find the 2-port PowerPort Speed with EU plug and it seems a bit heavy (130g?). My current 3-port charger (RAVPower, not QC) has a weight of 85g. The new one should not be much heavier.

Edit: I found the Blitzwolf BW-S6 on Banggood, 2-port (1 QC), ~100g, also tested on lygte-info.dk and seems to be safe. Does anyone use this one?

What's that meter you're using there?

It is charging Moto Z Play Turbo mode - 3A 5V. Tested by myself.
Mike

ZY1276