Replacing my 10000mAh quick charge power bank

I have been using a ZMI 10,000mAh quick charge power bank for over a year now. It arrived with my LG G6 in December 2017. And now, it has reached the end of its life and has to be replaced. Of course, once you’ve gone fast charge, everything else is slow.

It is easy to forget how slow regular charging is, but I have overcome that ease. There is no way I am picking up a regular power bank after the delicious experience that I have had with the ZMI. My experience of it makes it very easy to see why going forward, I am sticking with phones and power banks with fast charge support.

What is a quick charge power bank?

In simple terms, it is a power bank that charges your phone faster than the regular, depending on its fast-charging rating. You might want to read up this fast charging guide to understand how quick chargers are rated.

My ZMI power bank supports QuickCharge 2.0 and has served me will charging up smartphones like the Lumia 950, LG G6, Nokia 7 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy S9+ real fast. In 30 minutes, those phones get as much as 50% charge.

And with a 10,000mAh capacity, I can charge top up my phones multiple times. Even better, it is so slim that I can carry it in a trouser pocket without a big bulge.

So, you already have an idea what I need as a replacement – a slim, pocketable, high capacity, quick charge power bank. But first, let me tell you the story of what happened to my current power bank. Actually, it still works well. But I do not consider it safe to use any more. Here are two pictures:

I began to notice the bulge some weeks ago, and then the bulge became so pronounced that the case cracked. Anyone who is familiar with batteries knows that a bulge in a battery is bad news. That battery is damaged and is potentially dangerous. It could burst and leak out harmful chemicals. It could combust or even explode, depending on the circumstances.

Lithium batteries are safer than most, which is probably why the battery in my power bank has not split open and spilled its guts or burst into flames. As a rule, if the battery in your device (power bank, smartphone, laptop, radio, etc) gets swollen, do not plug it in to charge. Do not charge the device.

Whichever way you want to look at it, a swollen battery means trouble. And so, I consider my ZMI a potential threat at this time. I have stopped plugging it to charge and will discard it.

So, it is clear why I need to replace my power bank now – and with another high capacity, high speed model.

10000mAh Mi Power Bank Pro?

Having looked around a bit, Xiaomi’s 10000mAh Mi Power Bank Pro has caught my attention. It is slim, supports up to 18W QuickCharge, and has a Type-C port. It was love at first sight.

Interesting enough, ZMI is a Xiaomi licensee, so my ZMI power bank is by and large a Xiaomi product. It isn’t a bad idea to continue with a brand that has served me well.

The Mi Power Bank Pro also has device protection built into it to prevent overcharging. And it looks good too:

What is not to like? I checked it out on Amazon. This Mi 10000mah quick charge power bank costs about $30 there. That is roughly NGN11,000, just a little bit more expensive than the ZMI I am replacing it with.

If I find any store retailing it in Lagos for a fair price, I will prefer to pick one up here. if not, the mission to deliver one to me will go to Amazon. Not even close to mission impossible.

Author: Mister Mobility

Master storyteller and founder of Mobility Nigeria, Mister Mobility, has used and reviewed hundreds of mobile phones since 2001.