Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby keithy » Thu 09 Feb, 2017 9:54 am

Just bumping up Dan's review thread as I've picked up a new version of the Xiaomi powerbank a slimmer model of the 10000mAh called the "Powerbank 2".

I have been using the 16000mAh and the older 10400mAh powerbanks for a while now, which has been pretty good for overnight and multiday walks. The 16000mAh powerbank is great, but is quite hefty. Unless I was doing a week long unsupported trip I would carry it, otherwise I would take the smaller 10400mAh powerbank and ration recharging.

I have bought a new slimmer/lighter version of the Xiaomi 10000mAh. It is called the 10000mAh Version 2 or "Powerbank 2".

It is a bit lighter than the older 10400mAh, thinner, slightly more efficient, and has Quick Charging compatibility.

Annoyingly however, there are a few models of Xiaomi 10000mAh powerbanks now, and their naming conventions are terrible for these:

But so far as I understand it, this is a list of the 10000mAh powerbanks they have:

  • 10400mAH (Fat)
    This is the original that weighs 250g, size 90.5 x 77 x 21.6mm. This one takes around 5.5 hrs with a 10W (2A) charger, and 12 hrs with a 5W (1A) charger. It uses 4 x 18650 batteries inside which accounts for the greater weight.
  • 10000mAh (Fat)
    This is the same thickness as the 16000mAh and 10400mAh powerbanks but is smaller and lighter. Weight 207g Size 91 x 60.4 x 22mm. This one has a slightly higher charging/discharging efficiency, but still charges around about the same duration as the original (around 5.5 hrs with 10W charger and 10 hrs with 5W (1A) charger). They got it to a lower weight than the previous one by using 3x higher capacity 18650 cells compared with 4 x 18650 cells in the older 10400mAh
  • 10000mAh (Powerbank 2)
    This is the one I bought with a micro USB input. Weight 217g 130 × 71 × 14.1mm If you have a capable charger, it will actually fill this faster than the previous model in about 4.2 hours (18W charger) About 6.2 hours (10W charger). It will also output faster, with the ability to use QC 2.0 standards of 9V/12V if you have a compatible phone/tablet. These slim versions use a flat lithium battery pack (like those used in your phones/tablets).
  • 10000mAh (Pro)
    This is a version with USB C input - they include a microUSB to USB-C converter plug. Slightly thinner and shorter than the Powerbank 2, but is wider. Weight 223g. 128.5 x 75 x 12.6mm Takes 3.5 hours (18W charger) 5.5 hours (10W charger)

The faster charge times and the ability to faster charge QC compatible devices is great.

The Pro (USB C) version is a bit more expensive than the Powerbank Version 2, and I didn't go for it as most of my kit is still micro USB so I didn't want to carry another cable or an adapter plug.

So far I have run a few tests on the Powerbank 2, and it is quite a capable. I am getting around on average 6950mAh output (at 5V) which is about 9652mAh at 3.6V (the voltage of the internal batteries - getting to the 10000mAh value) so has about a 96% efficiency. The older 16000mAh and 10400mAh I tested were getting around 90% efficiency depending on the current draw from the devices being charged.

The 10000mAh Powerbank 2 currently goes for around $23-$28

The 10000mAh Powerbank Pro currently goes for around $35-$40

Comparison pics between my 16000mAh/10400mAh/ new 10000mAh powerbanks.
Xiaomi 16000 10400 10000 (Medium).jpg
Xiaomi 16000 10400 10000 (Medium).jpg (66.5 KiB) Viewed 30947 times

Comparison pics between the new 10000mAh and new 10000mAh Pro (USB C) powerbanks. The Pro model is the one in gold
Xiaomi Powerbank 2 vs Pro (Medium).jpg
Xiaomi Powerbank 2 vs Pro (Medium).jpg (63.57 KiB) Viewed 30947 times
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby DanShell » Thu 09 Feb, 2017 10:41 am

Thanks for sharing Keith.

I also bought a slim 10000mah, it is perfect for a lot of occasions for me. My 16000mah get used non stop by our teenage daughter so I can safely say it is getting a life times worth of use in a short space of time.
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby MrsGypsy » Wed 29 Mar, 2017 6:04 pm

Bought a Xiaomi 20,000 from Dick Smith $69.
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby MrsGypsy » Wed 29 Mar, 2017 6:07 pm

... finger hit send...
20,000 3.6V mAh
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby MrsGypsy » Wed 29 Mar, 2017 6:13 pm

Hope the pic works!
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IMG_9236.JPG
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby ChrisJHC » Thu 30 Mar, 2017 5:04 pm

Quick question: is it better to top up your devices each night or wait until they are almost flat then charge them fully?


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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby keithy » Mon 10 Apr, 2017 4:37 pm

ChrisJHC wrote:Quick question: is it better to top up your devices each night or wait until they are almost flat then charge them fully?

Lithium battery devices can be topped up rather than let fully discharged before charging. The things that can shorten lithium ion battery life are heat, a prolonged state of full charge, and a high charge current. So a partial discharge and a partial charge can reduce the battery stress and prolong its charging life. Leaving a device in a prolonged discharge state is also not the best for the battery life.
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby ChrisJHC » Mon 10 Apr, 2017 6:41 pm

Thanks, Keithy.


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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby CasualNerd » Mon 31 Jul, 2017 1:54 pm

Does anyone with a Xiaomi battery pack have trouble with it charging in cold (below 2 degrees) temperature ? My phone is having issues but I was wondering if maybe it's going dead faster because it's not charging correctly even when the lights are flashing ?

I have a 16000mAh, but it looks like the new 20000mAh is even lighter, so I might just replace it seeing as they're so cheap.
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby keithy » Tue 01 Aug, 2017 2:32 am

CasualNerd wrote:Does anyone with a Xiaomi battery pack have trouble with it charging in cold (below 2 degrees) temperature ? My phone is having issues but I was wondering if maybe it's going dead faster because it's not charging correctly even when the lights are flashing ?


That is pretty much par for course for lithium ion batteries. While they have superior cold weather performance compared with alkalines or NiMh batteries, they will discharge and charge a slower in cold weather.

For discharging, most can be discharged up to -20°C. However for charging the batteries, the temperature needs to be above freezing (0°C). And for most lithium ion batteries at temperatures below 10°C, a lower charging rate is recommended (commonly 0.25C). This will mean slower charging.

The charging controller on the Xiaomi pack has a thermistor which monitors the pack temperature for safety.

You will need to be careful when charging it below freezing.

For the short answer:

Charging a lithium ion battery below freezing (<0°C) is not good. It can shorten your battery life and lead to battery failures. Charging a lithium ion in cold (between 0-10°C) will result in slower charging as a lower charge current is applied. This applies to the battery in the device you are charging as well.

For a longer answer:

For temperatures below freezing, "consumer-grade lithium-ion batteries cannot be charged below 0°C (32°F). Although the pack appears to be charging normally, plating of metallic lithium can occur on the anode during a sub-freezing charge. This is permanent and cannot be removed with cycling. Batteries with lithium plating are more vulnerable to failure if exposed to vibration or other stressful conditions. Advanced chargers (Cadex) prevent charging Li-ion below freezing."

What happens when you charge lithium ion cells in below freezing temperatures, is that instead of the lithium intercalating to the graphite anode, they plate the anode with with metallic lithium. When you charge below freezing, instead of charging, it electroplates the anode with lithium forming that lithium plates mentioned above. The faster the charging, the more metallic lithium is formed. This will increase the batteries' internal resistance, lower the battery capacity and can result in battery failures. Lithium battery failures can be dangerous.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 105638.htm

There is some research suggesting that at very low temperatures lithium batteries could be charged, but the charge rates have to be very low 0.02C. However this means charging well 2 whole days (50 hours) to complete.
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby keithy » Tue 01 Aug, 2017 2:34 am

CasualNerd wrote: it looks like the new 20000mAh is even lighter, so I might just replace it seeing as they're so cheap.


The 20000mAh Xiaomi is quite a nice bit of kit. They have made it lighter by using higher capacity cells (6 x LG 18650 3350mAh capacity compared with the 5 x LG 18650 3200mAh cells in the 16000mAh).
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby CasualNerd » Tue 01 Aug, 2017 9:45 am

Thanks Keithy, I realise now it's just the nature of the batteries. I guess it's back to keeping the battery powered stuff in pockets rather than the pack.
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby keithy » Mon 12 Jul, 2021 7:44 pm

Just a quick word of warning if you have one of the "flatter" 10000mAh Xiaomi powerbanks. I have two of them, bought in January and July 2017.

The older one I have taken on multiple trips together with my solar panel. This one has developed a "bulge" in the case, which generally means the flat Lithium Polymer battery pack inside has swollen. You can see the bulge in the case evident in the pic below:
Xiaomi 10000 swollen.jpg
Xiaomi 10000 swollen.jpg (52.27 KiB) Viewed 19239 times

I've not yet opened it up to have a look at the failed battery, as I'm running a couple of discharge tests on it.

I've had someone else on another forum mention their Xiaomi 10000mAh powerbank had a similar failure back in 2019, and Gough Lui, who I enjoying reading his electronics blog has also had a similar failure of one of his Xiaomi 10000mAh flat powerbanks that he has documented here:

https://goughlui.com/2020/02/06/note-sw ... -nov-2016/

I've had several different flat lithium ion batteries exhibit this swell in the past, from my old PDA GPS and Nokia batteries to my newer tablets. They generally bulge from age (or cheap internal batteries). This is my first failure of a Xiaomi powerbank.

This failure generally doesn't occur in the in the thicker (and heavier) Xiaomi powerbanks, which uses the cylindrical 18650 cells inside. My thicker Xiaomi powerbanks (the ones originally mentioned by DanShell in this thread) are older than the flatter versions (bought around 2014/2015), and still work, although their capacity has diminished to approximately <70% of their original capacity.

Note that some powerbank case might not show the swollen internal battery like this Xiaomi one has. Some might have a bit more room inside the case so you might not notice the battery's swelling. If yours have also got a similar bulge, they can become unsafe and unreliable to use.
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Re: Xiaomi 16000mAh Portable Mi Power Bank Review

Postby GPSGuided » Tue 13 Jul, 2021 6:02 am

Thanks. Sounded end of life.
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