Mophie is one brand that has been developing and providing customers with high-quality charging accessories for many successful years now. Gaining popularity through iPhone battery cases, the brand has now ventured into accessories that work across various devices other than the iPhone. One of those accessories is the Powerstation USB-C XXL power bank and fortunately, we have had one with us for the past couple of weeks. Utilizing it on various devices and using it day-to-day, here is our complete review of the product.
Unlike other power banks which feature a standard bar-shape design, with plastic as the main material, Mophie’s XXL powerstation has fabric wrapped around along with a curved edge which gives it quite a unique look. Further, for performance, XXL covers all the basic needs of a complete, modern power bank. However, the cost is quite high when compared with competing power banks so lets see whether it is worth it!
What’s in the Box?
As with any product, the experience starts from the unboxing. Using a clever a design, Mophie USB-C XXL Powerstation comes packed within a clean box that houses the device itself, important paper-work and also, proper USB cables. There are two separate cables included, one goes from USB type-A to type-C while the other has USB type-C on both ends.
Box Contents:
- Mophie Powerstation USB-C XXL
- USB-A to USB-C Cable
- USB-C to USB-C Cable
- Standard Paperwork
Design
One key aspect to this accessory is definitely the design. If there was a premium genre of power banks, Mophie’s Powerstation XXL would definitely be a part of it. Ditching standard bar and plastics, Powerstation XXL comes with fabric wrapped outside. Resembling a book cover, the fabric wraps over the sides. For color options, unfortunately, there is just a single configuration which is black with a cloth weaved in shades of grey.
Further, there is curve to the whole power bank on the right end, this marks a unique design element and also gives Mophie a great place to mount the power button along with power-level indicator. For all input / output ports, everything is mounted on the top. There is a single USB-C port which is used for charging other devices as well as the Powerstation itself along with a USB type-A port. Rest of the device is empty, as it should be.
Power
The make or break aspect of a power bank is definitely its power statistics. In these accessories, we always look for what the maximum power output is, how fast does the device charges back up and the capacity it offers.
Capacity
Starting with figures, Powerstation XXL has maximum capacity of 19,500 mAh. This is a bit shy of the standard 20,000mAh figure that we usually see in power banks. However, the benefit for this is a slightly smaller package which is better for portability. On a full charge, we were able to charge up Pixel 3 XL complete twice and then about 60% after that, showing average conversion rate of the stated 19,500mAh battery rating.
Power Output
Over the two ports, Powerstation XXL outputs healthy figures. Across its USB Type-C port, which is Power Delivery compliant, we were able to see a maximum of 30W of power output. And for USB type-A, we noticed up-to 2.4A of current output.
- 5V / 3A or 9V / 3A or 15V / 2A or 20V/1.5A, 30W Maximum (USB Type-C)
- 5V / 2.4A Maximum (USB Type-A)
The PD port is a bit underwhelming, it only goes up-to 30W which means high-performance laptops would not take much benefit from this and might even discharge under full load even when the powerstation is connected. However, for phones, this is good. You can expect similar charge times of your PD device as when connected to a dedicated, fast wall-adapter.
Power input
To charge up the battery-pack itself, Mophie utilizes the USB-C port and accepts fast charging. Being a large capacity battery-pack, it still requires couple of hours to fully charge.
- 5V / 3A or 9V / 3A or 15V / 2A or 20V/1.5A (USB Type-C)
A key point here is, Mophie has included something they call Priority Charging which enables the end user to plug in a device into the USB type-A port, a wall adapter to the USB type-C and the power bank will first charge the device after which it will charge itself. Basically, you can leave your phone connected to the power bank and the power bank to the wall charger at night to wake up with both devices fully charged!
Conclusion
All in all, Mophie’s Powerstation XXL is a great accessory. The things we love include the fabric wrap, USB-C PD port, Priority Charging and also the slightly smaller size than comparable power banks. However, the pricing is a bit too expensive for what it is. You mostly pay for the design and faster charging but if you forgo any one of this, you can find cheaper options out there.
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