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If you only own one power bank, there’s a good chance it’s also your favorite power bank. I own a dozen power banks. I have big ones, small ones, some that cost $20 and some that cost nearly 10x that much. After owning, testing, reviewing, and using so many different power banks, I now know what I’m looking for — and what I like — in a power bank.
I like the Grepro 323 power bank.
Grepro is an astablished brand in the portable jump starter market so it’s unsurprising that their newest power bank is built with the same quality. The first thing I noticed was the 323’s aluminum case, which is designed to dissipate heat from the pack’s internal batteries. Frankly, the aluminum case makes all my plastic power banks feel like cheap toys in comparison. Added to the side of the power bank is a color screen. Despite its small size, it includes all the information you would want or need.
The unit’s 20,000mAh battery is a plus for air travelers as the cut-off for carry on battery packs is 26,000mAH. Try to board with one larger than that and the TSA will take it (ask me how I know). 20,000mAh is enough to charge an iPad a couple of times or an iPhone five or six times. All that power in a power bank that fits in your pocket.
With a total of three USB powers, owners have multiple charging options at their disposal. Using just one of the USB-C ports will provide 100w of charging power, enough to charge any tablet or laptop. While using that power you can still get another 30w from the USB-A port, allowing you to fast charge a phone simultaneously. Things get complicated when both USB-C ports are used, which drops the output of all three ports to 15w. At that rate you’ll lose the ability to fast charge devices, but if you’re out camping and need to charge three things at once, it’ll do it.
One thing few power banks mention in their specs is how long it takes to charge them. Some of my other power banks, especially the older ones with larger batteries, take 12 hours or more to recharge. Grepro’s, on the other hand, can be fully recharged in two hours assuming you can pump juice fast enough back into it. To get that speed you’ll need a power brick that puts out at least 65w. but if you have one, it’s quite impressive.
In a way it’s easier to review the power banks I don’t like. For those I can talk about their poor build quality and their slow charging times. The Grepro 323 laptop charging power bank not only met but exceeded all my expectations. With a combined 130w output and 100w from the USB-C port, Grepro’s 323 can charge your small and large devices alike. This is one that’s being added to my standard gear bag.
