Aukey PB-N15 20000mAh Power Bank Review

Power capacity: 20,000 mAh
Charging ports: 2 (2.1A and 1A)
Weight: 445g (15.7oz)
Time to charge itself: 14 hours
Compatible with: Tablet, laptop, iPad/iPhone, Android and other smartphones, digital camera etc. (basically any micro-USB supported device)

Aukey is one of the top contenders in the business that try to dethrone Anker as the most successful power bank manufacturer. Our experiences with Aukey’s products have been mostly positive, although a few of them have been mediocre. In this review we’ll be taking a look at the Aukey PB-N15 20000mAh Power bank.

Design and portability

The design of the Aukey PB-N15  has the brand’s signature simple, yet modern look. It has a glossy black casing with the opening top and power button colored white. The casing is made of plastic which we always see on Aukey’s devices, and although it does feel decently firm, it doesn’t have the sturdiness that the Anker’s PowerCore 20100 has for example. I get that Aukey wants to keep the costs and weight as low as possible, but if Anker and Jackery are able to provide sturdy material on their power banks, then surely so could Aukey?

It’s hard to grade the portability of a 20,000mah power bank. Power banks at this calibre are going to be big, there’s no way around it. That said, we can compare it to other previously reviewed 20,000mAh power banks and see how it stacks up (no pun intended).

The Aukey PB-N15 measures 6.1 x 3.15 and is 0.93 inches thick. It won’t quite fit in your pocket, but is definitely easier to carry around in your bag then the thick iMuto 20000mAh. It’s longer, but a lot thinner and narrower and takes up less space. However, in terms of size it doesn’t hold up against the Anker Powercore 20100, which is just a bit smaller, thinner and more portable. But, fair is fair, the Aukey is definitely compact for a portable charger of its power capacity.

Features

The power bank has two ports so you can simultaneously charge two devices. These charging ports are fitted with Aukey’s AiPower function. Which is a function that makes sure your device is supplied with the optimum amperage output. This results in maximum charging speeds without damaging your battery life.

Both charging ports are smart ports and are equipped with this AiPower function. However, the total maximum output of the device is 3.4A. So, if you’re charging two tablets at the same time, the output will be split over these two devices and results in average charging speeds. This is a flaw that we also came across in the iMuto 20000mAh power bank. The Anker PowerCore 20100’s ports work independently, which is a much better system and results in consistently fast charging speeds, instead of only charging fast when one device is being charged.

The power bank is also equipped with four battery LED indicators and a flashlight. The flashlight is not that bright, but can definitely help out when you’re out camping in the dark and need a quick light.

Power

This is the part where Aukey completely surprised me. The Aukey is rated at 20,000mAh. Now normally, power banks are only able to supply about 70-80 percent power of the actual battery capacity advertised. An exception to this is Anker, who’s devices provide about 85-90 percent of the rated battery capacity. However, on several tests, this Aukey PB-N15 has shown to actually provide its rated number: 20,000mah for a full 100%. Yes, more than Anker’s. This is very rare to me and I’ve actually never seen this before, so kudos to Aukey for delivering what they promise!

The full 20,000mAh is good for about seven Iphone 6S charges or almost nine iPhone 5S charges. It also has enough power to charge small tablets like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the iPad Pro 9.7” twice and can almost fully juice up an iPad 4 twice as well.

A downside to this humongous capacity is that it takes quite a while to recharge the power bank. However, compared to other 20,000mAh power banks, it does alright for itself and charges in roughly 14 hours.

Conclusion

The Aukey did not rock my socks of initially, but it completely surprised me in the power department. The Aukey PB-N15 is rated at 20,000mAh and actually backs it up with 100 percent efficiency, which is very rare in this industry. This massive capacity is great to have on the go when out on a weekend camping or travelling. However, it should be mentioned that the Aukey PB-N15 20000mAh is not made of the greatest material. A few users have had problems with the device’s durability, and that might just be a material/components issue. To be fair though, Aukey provides 24 months of warranty and have happily supplied new models to unfortunate users. All in all, the Aukey PB-N15 20000mAh is a great bang for the buck.