Mi Power Bank

We know how competitively priced Xiaomi’s smartphones are. They brought their Redmi and Mi 3 to Singapore, and they were both tremendously sought after by people here. Last week, Xiaomi also started selling their power bank, the Mi Power Bank. At just S$13.99 for a 10,400 mAh power bank, this was a steal.

You couldn’t even find a cheap knock off power bank at this price, let alone one that seems to be reasonably well made, and has a brand to boot. Of course, some people may think lesser of a Chinese brand, but hey, it still has a brand. This is not a brand-less factory reject you pick up questionable sellers.

Not only does the Mi Power Bank look good, it even comes packaged like an iProduct (i.e., you know, iPod…), with the product showcased in a completely transparent acrylic case. Like the Redmi and Mi 3, I’ve got to say that Xiaomi has done quite a good job with the Mi Power Bank’s design.

I can’t help but notice how the Mi Power Bank seems to borrow a couple of design cues from Apple. Like, for example, the row of dots to show battery charge state.

Apart from the appealing design, the Mi Power Bank is also relatively compact, and weights only 250g. A standard USB A port is used for power output, and microUSB B port for power input.

The Mi Power Bank uses Lithium-ion battery cells from LG and Samsung, with capacity of 10,400 mAh. It can push out 2.1A of current, sufficient to charge most smartphones and tablets (including iPads).

It boasts all sorts of safety protection, including: over-voltage and over-current protection on both input, output, and at cell level, short protection, and thermal protection during charge and discharge.

The big question is, of course, how well the Mi Power Bank can actually recharge our electronic gadgets. That will need some time to test. In the meanwhile, this S$13.99 power bank is definitely a bargain.