STM Goods Wireless Powerbank REVIEW | Mac Sources

STM Goods Wireless Powerbank

9.7

A capable, convenient power bank for all types of charging.

My phone is an extension of my hand. I mean that quite literally. If I’m not sitting in front of my computer, my phone is resting dutifully beside me at the ready. The big downside to this is that it frequently needs a charge before the end of the day. When I’m at home, I will usually plug it into a nearby USB port or drop it onto a wireless charging pad. Wireless charging is actually my preference because it eliminates dreaded dangling cables from my sight. So what if a wireless charging unit could be combined with a portable battery AND it could stay attached to your phone? This is where the Wireless Powerbank from STM Goods enters the scene.

DETAILS

The Wireless Powerbank is a charger that is compatible with most modern smartphones that are enabled with Qi wireless charging technology. In addition to the wireless charging coil, users can also charge devices using a standard USB-A port. Suction cups cover one side of the power bank so that you can attached it to the back of a phone or other wireless charging enabled device. The Wireless Powerbank features ChargePlus technology that reduces time needed for powering up so that the power bank is always ready to go. The power bank is a 10,000 mAh rechargeable battery. It comes with one short Micro-USB cable for charging the PowerBank. It has two high-output USB-A ports (5V, 2.1A MAX), one Type-C port (5V, 2.4A) and only weighs 0.51 lbs.

USER EXPERIENCE

The box for the Powerbank is a little different from other retail packaging I’ve seen for portable batteries. The front has transparent plastic so you can see the product hiding inside. What is interesting about it is that there is a half magnetic cardboard cover with the name of the product stamped on it. The back of the box has a description of the battery’s features, which is refreshing because sometimes power banks don’t have their features outlined on the box. I like being able to see those details front and center.

Getting started with the Wireless Powerbank is simple. You don’t have to turn on any buttons to activate charging. You simply place the phone/device needing charging on the power bank or plug into it and charging starts automatically. I was very happy to see a strong, simple connection with the wireless charging option. I recently had an experience with a charging bank that was supposed to recharge wirelessly. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time connecting the coils in the battery with the coils in the charging pad. I did not have this issue with the Wireless Powerbank.

I tested out the wireless charging capabilities of the Wireless Powerbank by attaching the power bank to the back of my iPhone XS Max. The suction cups worked like a charm and I didn’t have any issue with the battery and the phone disconnecting. I ran two separate tests for the charging rate. The first one provided a charging rate of 0.25% per minute while the second testing phase was a bit higher at 0.32% per minute. Aside from the fact that the phone’s battery had a lesser charge on it (12%) when I started the first test than the second test (56%), the testing environment was exactly the same and there shouldn’t have been any other factors at play.

CONCLUSION

This portable battery is really the portable charging option of my dreams. If you have a wireless phone like I do and you hate dealing with dangling cables, then the Wireless Powerbank from STM is the way to go. I’ve not had any issues with it providing a solid charge to my phone and doesn’t seem to overheat at all. The only ‘complaint’ I have about it is that it recharges using Micro USB instead of USB-C. The USB-C port is already part of the charging bank so why didn’t STM Goods’ designers plan for the USB-C port to recharge the battery, too? Aside from that, I really love the Wireless Powerbank and have been using it daily since the day I received it. I can’t recommend it enough for all types of users — especially those who have a Qi Wireless-enabled device.

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Originally published at https://macsources.com on April 25, 2019.