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Belkin Debuts First MFi-Certified Power Bank With Lightning Input
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I agree, I'm almost shocked that it doesn't have USB-C PD output, but in terms of wireless charging, I see that as too inefficient for a power bank, something that you want to be as compact as possible and be able to get every last bit of charge out of...
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Anker's products are top-notch, however I am disappointed about how slow the transition to USB-C is taking place. Still a very limited number of their power banks are USB-C PD compatible (and all of their audio products still use micro). Not saying that this product here from Belkin is any different. Also, Anker has never offered a power bank with Lightning input, something that could be more convenient for iPhone users (that is until the iPhone switches to USB-C if/when it does with the recent rumors).
Either way, when this year's iPhones start shipping with a USB-C to Lightning cable, this product will already be almost obsolete.... I just don't get it.
The iWalk Furious 20000P has much more power than what you linked.
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Because it's a garbage product. Get the iWalk Furious 20000P instead.
Same reason every other battery charger does, so save money by using off-the-shelf parts.
The basic power control chips that 90% of all these battery packs use only supports a certain maximum output in W. Usually I see 18W max output is the limit on the battery packs of roughly 10,000mah size. So that's 3.6A total at 5V. My bet is the 1A port is actually 1.2A, as they usually are.
Putting in smart switching USB ports adds expense to the control circuit, so they just do the lazy/cheap thing and split it as 1.2A (6W) and 2.4A (12W), which are roughly the power outputs of the stock Apple chargers for iPhone and iPad (5W and 10W).
Splitting it as 9W each, making an equal 1.8A per port doesn't make much sense because it's neither here nor there. It's more power than needed to charge an iPhone at a normal speed but less power than needed to charge an iPad at the normal speed. This way, you have at least one port capable of charging an iPad.
Even good reputable companies like Anker sometimes do this. Their 20,000mah battery pack has a 12W output and an 18W output (2.4A and 3.6A).
Though honestly, for $60, Belkin shouldn't have cheaped out on the controller circuit. They should have both ports supporting 2.4A at least.
I was being a bit disengenuous, I get why they did it. I just hate “pricepoint” engineering over “user experience” engineering.
I’ve got a 10,000 power bank (can’t remember the brand) that I love because they’re both 2.4A and I don’t have to think about it at all. I just KNOW that if I plug in two phones they’re both going to charge as fast as possible, which is really the only behavior I personally find acceptable when paying more than $40 for such a device.
That said, thanks for the deeper dive on the subject on behalf of anyone here in the thread, good info.
Designing good quality power supplies takes time. They're very dangerous components, as we have seen. Anker did just release their first 60W USB-C PD single-port wall charger, which is comparable to the Apple charger included with the 13" Macbook Pro. I am also disappointed that Anker doesn't yet have any multiport 60W or 90W USB-C PD desktop chargers, or any stand alone 90W USB-C PD charger at all. But I'd also rather they get it right and safe.
I use a 6-port Anker charger mounted under the counter in my kitchen, serving as the central charging hub for most of my stuff. Right next to it I have a MagSafe2 charger too. Eventually, when I upgrade to USB-C Macbooks, I'd like to replace the Anker charger with a 6-port charger having at least 2 90W USB-C PD ports. But I'm willing to be patient.
I wouldn’t say this is the first - I’ve been using a (now discontinued) 20,000mah Aukey (or is it Anker? I always get them confused) battery pack that has the lightning port - I’m pretty sure it’s MFi certifies as well...
It’s nice to see more devices use it though - I thought manufactures had completely given up on using the port in anything.
It’s nice to see more devices use it though - I thought manufactures had completely given up on using the port in anything.
I think I’m better off investing in ElecJet’s ‘Apollo’ graphene composite power banks than to buy Belkin’s inferior power banks. ElecJet’s Apollo should be shipping this month after a last minute port redesign, which now makes the port layout a lot different to the new Belkin power bank.
the original iPhone wasn't made of cheap plastic surrounded by seam lines. I don't think the product's design is ugly but the execution is, remove the seam lines and use high quality plastic, and I don't understand the mismatched plastics either
same here! so does that mean the aukey battery pack is NOT MFi Certified?
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https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD820AM/A/lightning-to-micro-usb-adapter
Here is the cheaper fix...
Use this with just about any power bank...
Here is the cheaper fix...
Use this with just about any power bank...
I just use one of these 2-1 cables, then have options in case need both, Beats, camera etc...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Certified-Lightning-Braided-Charging-Samsung-2M-Black/dp/B0711DWSTM
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Certified-Lightning-Braided-Charging-Samsung-2M-Black/dp/B0711DWSTM
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I'm not going to be one of those people who say that nobody should be allowed to have this just because I don't want it. But I will say this is a product that I don't understand in multiple different ways.
Power banks usually have much higher capacity than cell phone batteries, so they tend to take forever to charge, aside from a few recent really expensive models that have dual USB-C charging inputs and support fast charging standards on those inputs, like Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. And everyone has to sleep at some point, which means you are typically in a stationary location where you plug in your device(s) to charge while you sleep. Sooo, if you use the power bank while you're on the move, you still need to eventually plug in both the power bank and the phone simultaneously to get charged up or maintain the charge all night so everything is ready to go the next day so you can do it all again. That requires, let me think, two cables if you want to charge both the phone and the power bank at the same time. Uh...
If you want to only carry a single cable during the day to charge both a USB-C power bank and a phone, all you need is a USB-A to USB-C cable and a USB-C to Lightning adapter to change the end of the cable from one to the other...
Unless this power bank can actually recharge itself through the Lightning port at 18W from an Apple adapter, but those new Apple adapters will have USB-C outputs... But wait, the power bank still just has USB-A outputs to charge the phone from, and the coming generation of iPhones will supposedly start coming with USB-C cables and chargers so you can finally connect your iPhone to our 2015+ MacBook [Pro] with the default cable it comes with... But then you need a different cable or adapter to charge from this brand new power bank product which only has USB-A ports...
Um... What? Whose life will actually be simplified with this?
No, the future (and present) is very obviously USB-C and its (potential) ability to deliver up to 100W of power over a single cable. This product makes no sense to me. Apple painted itself into a corner and has to stick with Lightning on mobile devices for at least a few more years to minimize consumer backlash when they inevitably switch to USB-C someday, but there's no good reason for any 3rd party device to adopt Lightning as a charging input in 2018.
But if this product somehow makes sense to you and makes you happy, buy the heck out of it and be happy.
Power banks usually have much higher capacity than cell phone batteries, so they tend to take forever to charge, aside from a few recent really expensive models that have dual USB-C charging inputs and support fast charging standards on those inputs, like Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. And everyone has to sleep at some point, which means you are typically in a stationary location where you plug in your device(s) to charge while you sleep. Sooo, if you use the power bank while you're on the move, you still need to eventually plug in both the power bank and the phone simultaneously to get charged up or maintain the charge all night so everything is ready to go the next day so you can do it all again. That requires, let me think, two cables if you want to charge both the phone and the power bank at the same time. Uh...
If you want to only carry a single cable during the day to charge both a USB-C power bank and a phone, all you need is a USB-A to USB-C cable and a USB-C to Lightning adapter to change the end of the cable from one to the other...
Unless this power bank can actually recharge itself through the Lightning port at 18W from an Apple adapter, but those new Apple adapters will have USB-C outputs... But wait, the power bank still just has USB-A outputs to charge the phone from, and the coming generation of iPhones will supposedly start coming with USB-C cables and chargers so you can finally connect your iPhone to our 2015+ MacBook [Pro] with the default cable it comes with... But then you need a different cable or adapter to charge from this brand new power bank product which only has USB-A ports...
Um... What? Whose life will actually be simplified with this?
No, the future (and present) is very obviously USB-C and its (potential) ability to deliver up to 100W of power over a single cable. This product makes no sense to me. Apple painted itself into a corner and has to stick with Lightning on mobile devices for at least a few more years to minimize consumer backlash when they inevitably switch to USB-C someday, but there's no good reason for any 3rd party device to adopt Lightning as a charging input in 2018.
But if this product somehow makes sense to you and makes you happy, buy the heck out of it and be happy.
"Lightning offers the benefit of needing only a single cable to both charge the battery pack and use the battery pack to charge your phone"
What a lame justification for an asinine, overpriced product.
Lightning is an embarrassingly inept and incompetent design, and nobody should be attempting to perpetuate it.
What a lame justification for an asinine, overpriced product.
Lightning is an embarrassingly inept and incompetent design, and nobody should be attempting to perpetuate it.
Why would anyone buy this when you can buy a 20,000mAh battery for less than half the price and also supports a lightning cable for charging AND micro USB!?!!? (€19.99 - US$23.37)
(Sorry, I live in Spain so my Amazon is in Spanish).
I own two of these and they work brilliantly without any faults or flaws.
Belkin and similar companies need to seriously up their game. This is pure overpriced garbage from them.
https://www.amazon.es/Poweradd-Plio...1530866384&sr=8-10&keywords=bateria+lightning
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No USB-C but it does have micro USB, lightning and Qi charging....
https://www.amazon.es/Inalámbrico-W...=1530866384&sr=8-7&keywords=bateria+lightning
(Sorry, I live in Spain so my Amazon is in Spanish).
I own two of these and they work brilliantly without any faults or flaws.
Belkin and similar companies need to seriously up their game. This is pure overpriced garbage from them.
https://www.amazon.es/Poweradd-Plio...1530866384&sr=8-10&keywords=bateria+lightning
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No USB-C but it does have micro USB, lightning and Qi charging....
https://www.amazon.es/Inalámbrico-W...=1530866384&sr=8-7&keywords=bateria+lightning
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
USB-A has decades worth of devices out there in the world. Love it or hate it, it's unified many many different devices and functions across huge swathes of manufacturers and it's done this since the days of the candy iMac. There are some pretty grown-up people out there for whom USB-A has been totally ubiquitous since the day they were born. It's been updated a few times with faster speeds, too. USB 3.0 is what killed Firewire (well, along with the licensing fees), and the reason Thunderbolt remains a niche for Mac enthusiasts.
That old USB-A connector keeps right on chugging along because in the real world for most people "ubiquious" and "fast enough" and "it works" wins. And outside the world of tech enthusiasts, it's a hard sell for most people to buy a bunch of new cables, docks and devices that all work just fine because a new plug came out that basically performs the same function as the old plug.
Now that's not to say it won't eventually go away, but hundreds of millions of cables and devices don't just disappear overnight.
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Anyone pick this up yet? I don't see it available on Belkin.com or even a listing on Amazon?
I also see a product with similar capabilities via Costco: https://www.costco.com/Ubio-Labs-10,000-mAh-Power-Bank-Kit.product.100413724.html
I also see a product with similar capabilities via Costco: https://www.costco.com/Ubio-Labs-10,000-mAh-Power-Bank-Kit.product.100413724.html