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Power
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Portability
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Features
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Value
Summary
About the size of a matchbox and equipped with a battery percentage screen, the Crave Travel 5200mAh brings excellent value for the money and is one of the most compact powerbanks I've ever seen.
- Very compact, lightweight and fits in a pocket easily
- Great value
- Extremely useful LED screen with battery percentage indicator
- Charges quite slow, not “blazing quick”
- Not suited to charge tablets, even though it’s advertised to do so
Alright, so we got off to a wrong start with Crave when we reviewed their mediocre 13000mAh power bank earlier this week. Today, we’re about to take a look at one of their more acclaimed powerbanks in this Crave Travel 5200mAh Power Bank review.
Design and Portability
The Crave TravelPro 13000mAh was supposed to be a travel power bank, but in reviewing it, it turned out to be quite bulky and not that travel friendly at all. This Crave Travel 5200mAh however is a lot more travel friendly than its bigger brother. It’s small and easily fits in the palm of your hand. The device is about the size of a matchbox and measures 2.8 x 2.1 inches. One downside is that – just like the TravelPro 13000mAh – it’s rather thick at 0.8 inches. But nonetheless it still easily fits in a pocket and even comes with a travel pouch. It’s definitely one of the more compact powerbanks we’ve seen so far.
The design reminds a lot of the TravelPro 13000mAh too. It has the same glossy black front and white-silver sides. On the side is also the same power button and LED screen we saw on the TravelPro. In a way, it basically looks just like a TravelPro cut in half with slightly less rounded corners.
Features
Like most power banks of this compactness, the Crave Travel only has one charging port. The port has an amperage of 1A which makes it ideal for smartphones and other small devices like digital cameras, GoPro’s and headphones. The port is however not suited for big devices like tablets. If you’re looking for a tablet powerbank, it’s best to take a look at some 20000mAh powerbanks like the Anker PowerCore 20100 or the RAVPower 2200mAh.
The only feature we really liked on the TravelPro 13000mAh was the LED screen that shows a percentage of battery. This Crave Travel 5200mAh also has that feature and is extremely convenient to keep you up to date on how much charge is left in the powerbank.
This small compact powerbank also has a flashlight, unlike its bigger brother. The flashlight can always come in handy when you’re out and about and need an extra light.
Power
With a 5200mAh battery capacity, is has enough power to charge an average smartphone about 1.5 times. It charges a Samsung Galaxy S7 1.5 times and bigger smartphones like a Galaxy Note 4 only once. This was to be expected for a powerbank of this size. It’s a tradeoff and any device with more capacity is going to be less compact.
One thing that strikes me as a bit odd is that the Crave Travel 5200mAh is advertised to provide blazing charge times. This is definitely not the case. The charging port provides a maximum of 1A and it takes quite a long time to fully charge your phone. It takes more than 3 hours to charge a Galaxy Note 4 which makes it one of the slowest chargers I’ve come across. So, blazing charge times? Definitely not.
Conclusion
The Crave Travel 5200mAh brings much more value than the Crave TravelPro 13000mAh we reviewed earlier. It’s compact, portable, has a useful LED screen with battery percentage, and provides you with a nice charge for your phone on the go. It’s certainly not the quickest charger out there, but all in all it’s an excellent power bank for the money.
Check the Crave Travel 5200mAh Power Bank on AmazonTechnical Specifications
Measurements: | 2.8 x 2.1 x 0.8 inches |
Weight: | 145g(5.12oz) |
Charging ports: | 1 (1A) |
Travel pouch: | Yes |
Compatible with: | iPhone, Android, tablet, digital cameras etc. (most USB devices) |
Flashlight: | Yes |
Battery indication: | Battery percentage LED screen |
Power capacity: | 5200 mAh |
Total max output: | 1A |
Total max input: | 1A |
Time to recharge itself: | 4 – 5 hours |
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