I’m quite a big fan of these portable battery banks that have taken over Amazon store front by storm. I’ve reviewed a lot of them here at Tech Support Forum, mainly because each one is just a little more different than the others.
From charging laptops to tablets and smartphones, it can sometimes be difficult to choose what to charge and when to do it. When you are at home, this is a no-brainer; just find the closest electrical socket and plug in one of many chargers that you have lying around.
When out on the road, this isn’t so much the case. You can’t leave your phone somewhere to charge, your laptop may need power now, and what do you do when you’re moving all over a building?
Lithium Ion batteries have yet to evolve to cope with modern technology. We’re seeing more and more efficient devices rather than a redesign of the traditional battery. Even Tesla use everyday laptop batteries to power their cars.
Not only are manufacturers not reinventing the battery, but they are also shrinking the battery capacities in mobile devices in favor of thinness. iPhones, thin notebooks, and tablets are all getting thinner thanks to newer CPUs and circuit boards, but the battery, and in return you, greatly suffers from a reduced size.
Whether it be in my car, a backpack, or pocket, I always have a portable battery back ready for when my phone gets low. Now, my uses of my portable battery banks aren’t an everyday thing; in fact, I only use them in emergencies, but for some people they live their lives in the red zone with the battery icon approaching zero.
This time around, Lumsing is back with another portable battery bank, but one that supports the new USB Type C standard. Packed with 15,000 mAhs of power, can this smart and powerful charger turn your battery icon from red to green in a timely manner?
Welcome to my review of the Lumsing Glory P2 Plus battery bank. Throughout this review, I will be discussing the following topics: the functionality and my final thoughts. A special thank you to Lumsing for sending me this device.
Functionality
As mentioned above, this battery bank supports the new USB Type C specification. Similar to Apple’s Lightening charger, USB-C is a reversible, smaller, and more efficient USB standard. Although, since it takes literally years for new USB standards to be adopted by the masses, USB 2.0 slots are still found on the Glory P2. Interestingly, the packaging comes with a USB-B to mini-USB, meaning you’ll need to purchase a USB-C cable if you wish to use that connector.
I jumped right into using the Glory P2 when it arrived and gave it a full charge when it was at 50%.
The battery bank can receive input through either a mini-USB connector or the USB-C plug. When I began to charge it, I used the mini-USB connector on a 1A USB electrical outlet. To charge the remaining 50%, it took a significant amount of time. After five hours, the Glory P2 was ready to go.
With a maximum capacity of 15,000 mAh, the Glory P2 will last you a while before needing a recharge. In my testing to drain the 15,000 mAh battery, I used some of the latest devices I have been using. The USB-B ports were used on my smartphone while the new USB-C connector was used on a new pair of wireless headphones.
Up first was my smartphone. I recently purchased an audiobook so I could listen to it in the car while on the way home. With my phone streaming the book via Bluetooth to the car’s radio, I was occasionally needing power for the commute. With the phone connected to the USB 2.4A USB port, it was enough power to keep the phone running, while also charging it. A charge of my phone took about 5 – 6 hours to bring it to 100% while at 20%.
Something to note is that 2.4A for charging could sometimes be too much for some devices. However, the Glory P2 uses a smart USB port which can detect the required power draw and adjusts accordingly, up to 2.4A.
Moreover, for devices that need a little more power to maintain a charge, like an iPad, the Glory P2 supports a secondary USB-B port which is a QC2.0/3.0. QC or Quick Charge, is a high amperage port that pushes out either 3.1A, 2.0A, 1.5A and does not modulate the amperage like the smart connector. This way, you receive the full charging capability which in turn charges the device quicker. Just be warned that consistent use of this port on the same product may harm the battery in the long run.
On the wireless headphones, the story is a little interesting. The headphones were connected to the USB-C on the Glory P2, but for some reason, the Glory P2 would shutoff or cut the charger when charging the headphones. My only assumption was that the headphones were not drawing enough power to be registered by the Glory P2.
Nevertheless, I tried a different device with the USB-C, a small portable speaker that a friend of mine had. When charging this speaker, it worked flawlessly without shutting down.
Outputting 2.1A through the USB-C and supporting the smart technology, the speaker was charged in just a few hours while playing music and the battery beginning at 50%.
I should also mention that the USB-C is an input and an output for the Glory P2. You can either use it to charge a device or charge the Glory P2. It won’t be necessary to carry around a bunch of different cables. Plus, the USB-C and mini-USB can be used in parallel to charge the Glory P2 in half the time.
This unit also supports overcharge, overcurrent, and short-circuit protection. When charging modern devices, it’s now the norm to use a “smart” USB charger that not only has all of this protection to maintain the battery in your primary device, but also to ensure that you are not pushing 3.1A through a 1A device.
My Final Thoughts
Although the Glory P2 is a little bit on the heavier side and the rectangle shape doesn’t make it pocket friendly, it was still an enjoyable experience to use and review. I’m happy to see that the new USB-C is beginning to catch on and with more and more smartphones now coming with USB-C, having a portable charging for them is always ideal. Priced at $27.99, I find the Glory P2 to be an acceptable device that can easily charge three products all at the same time.
Buy it now:
© 2017 Justin Vendette
