KENU BingeBank Portable Battery REVIEW

A unique power bank with interesting design choices.

It’s my opinion that you can never have too many options for portable power. That may be why I’ve collected so many power banks. One of the things I’ve really wanted to see since I gained the use of a cell phone with wireless charging is a vertical option for charging. Kenu gave me that option with the BingeBank. 

DETAILS & DESIGN

The BingeBank is a 10000mAh power bank with wireless charging capabilities and a built-in phone stand. The charger supports Qi-Wireless enabled devices. It features 18W USB-C power delivery and USB Quick Charge 3.0. The large capacity battery provides enough power for three charges of most modern mobile phones or 30 hours of added video playback. The built-in stand is designed with a nano suction phone mount (works with glass-back phones and smooth hard plastic cases only). BingeBank features passthrough charging and it comes with a single USB-C to USB-A charging cable. With BingeBank there are three ways to charge connected devices — wirelessly, with USB-A, or with USB-C. 

SPECS & FEATURES

• Capacity: 10000mAh (3.6V/36Wh)
• Input: Type C (5V/3A, 5V/1A)
• Output: 15-20W Max
• Qi Wireless (5W)
• Type-C (18W PD, 9V/2A, 5V/1A-2A)
• USB-A (5V/1A-2A, 9V/0.3A, QC2.0/3.0)
• Low Power Mode (<100mAh) — double click button to enable

USER EXPERIENCE

The BingeBank comes in a bright orange box that features an image of the product on the front. The basic details of the BingeBank are included on the back of the box. One of the things I noticed right away was how heavy the power bank was. It weighs 0.79 pounds. There are a few other power banks I can think of (RAVPower’s Ultra Compact 10000mAh power bank) that weigh more, but in comparison to other 10000mAh power banks, BingeBank is almost twice as heavy as they are. That automatically makes it less portable in my book. When I look for power banks, one of the first things I do is search for lightweight devices. The weight of this particular power bank is more than what I would want to carry in the pocket of my jeans. 

As far as other aspects of design goes, I would have liked to see the input charging port on the back of the power bank instead of the side. My personal reason for this is because I plan on using this primarily as a desktop wireless charger. When using the power bank as a vertical charger for your phone, the cable management is severely lacking and if you try to plug something else into the power bank, it will start looking like an octopus with cables sticking out of the side. Kenu includes a nano suction adapter shelf for ‘use with non-compatible cases’.  It’s designed to provide an option for phones that don’t have a glass back to be able to rest next to the power bank. 

As much as I like the concept of nano suction, it does get dirty quickly. I recommend saving the film that comes with the BingeBank so that you can recover the mounting pad after each use. Otherwise, it will collect dust and lint quite easily.

Operation of the BingeBank is simple. If you are charging devices using the USB-C or USB-A ports, you simply plug them in. If you are using the wireless charging pad, you place your phone (or other wireless device) on the pad and press the power button on the side of the power bank. This activates the wireless charging pad. If there is no device detected, the pad will turn off after about 15 seconds. There is an LED indicator light that is red once the charging pad is activated and then it will turn blue if a device is detected.

When I tested the BingeBank, I paid particular attention to the wireless charging connectivity since that was going to be my primary method of using this particular power bank. I used an iPhone XS for testing. I really liked how solid the nanosuction seemed to be with keeping the phone attached to the power bank. It was a little difficult to pull off of the BingeBank when I was done using it, but I didn’t for a second think that the phone might fall off while attached. After a couple of different charging sessions, I found that the BingeBank was just a little slower than some other wireless chargers. On two separate occasions, my phone charged at a rate of 0.35% and 0.45% per minute.  I have had some wireless chargers provide a charging rate of 0.65% or higher. 

I also tested the high power delivery option that BingeBank offers and was surprised to find that it would in fact charge my MacBook Pro (2016, 13-inch with TouchBar). It’s a slow charge, but it works in a pinch. This adds a big plus to my book because this provides a user with one battery to charge a laptop, phone, and other accessories when on the go. I typically use the example of someone in an airport, which is probably the most mobile workstation possible. When you are experiencing a layover, you want to make the most of your time. So, you will usually pull out your laptop and phone for a quick recharge. But, what happens if you don’t have a wall outlet available? BingeBank can serve as that quick recharge you need while you are patiently (or impatiently) waiting on your next flight.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I like the concept of the BingeBank, but am not entirely happy with the overall execution of the product. The adapter stand for non-glass back phones seems like an odd choice and the lack of cable management design makes the BingeBank a little awkward to use. With the retail price being $60 and all of the options it provides, I think that it’s a decent value. 

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