A large, powerful, capable power bank.
As time goes by, it becomes harder and harder to find one power source that can work for everything. I usually carry my MacBook Pro (2016, 13-inch), iPad Pro, and iPhone with me most places. Each device has a very specific power need as well as connection type to charge it. I’ve found that some portable battery sources can provide a decent charge for most devices, but definitely not the laptop. myCharge, a battery company I trust, has released the RazorExtreme PD, a 26,800mAh external battery that can provide up to 45W of power delivery.
The RazorExtreme PD is a high capacity battery that has two USB-A and one USB-C port for input/output charging. The two USB-A ports provide up to 18W/2.4A of shared output power across both ports.
USER IMPRESSIONS
The RazorExtreme PD ships in a basic myCharge branded box. An image of the product is shown on the front of the box. Basic details of the product are included on the front and back of the box. The front of the box suggests that the battery charges iOS and Android devices up to 4X faster, but it doesn’t say what it’s supposed to be faster than.
One of the first things I noticed was how heavy the battery is. According to specs, the power bank is approximately 1.7 pounds, which is almost 4.5 times more than my iPhone XS weighs. It has a pretty basic style for a portable battery. The case is black and the ports are on one end of the unit. There is a power/status button that lights up the status LEDs and starts the charging for connected devices.
When I’m reviewing a power bank, I will usually test its speed by charging a device and timing how long it takes for the device to charge. I plugged in a portable charging case and after 16 minutes, the case had gained 6% battery life, which is equal to 0.375% battery gain per minute.
Because it’s designed to do so, I also tested the myCharge battery alongside my 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is supposed to need a 61W power source. I wasn’t 100% sure that this battery with a max output of 45W would charge the laptop, but sure enough, after a few seconds of the MacBook Pro being plugged in, I got the message that the laptop was indeed being charged by the Razor Extreme PD. The estimated time until the MacBook Pro’s battery was full was more than 10 hours, but after only about 3 hours, the battery was at 100%.
CONCLUSION
Even though the RazorExtreme PD is on the heavy side and weighs down pockets, the battery’s capacity and powerful output is the reason to carry this behemoth with you. The RazorExtreme does retail for around $100 (at the time of this article) so it’s priced a little higher than some power banks, but given the capacity of the battery and the multiple types of outputs it has, I would recommend the RazorExtreme PD for any user.
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