Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0-compatible power banks are becoming increasingly common, and this EliveBuy 10,400mAh battery charger is the third such device we’ve tested. It’s also the most appealing of the three, a few pounds more expensive than the Aukey, but more easily portable and aesthetically pleasing than both it and the CHOEtech. This EliveBuy has a slightly larger battery capacity than the Aukey (10,400mAh against 10,000mAh, of which you should see at least 7,000mAh), but its design is far more easily pocketable. The EliveBuy is compact for a high-capacity bank, although still quite a bit larger than the 10,000mAh Xiaomi with which it shares a very similar design. Also see: How to improve smartphone battery life. The EliveBuy is a black metal-clad power bank with white plastic top and bottom and smooth rounded edges. At 102×76.8×21.5mm and 270g it will slip into a pocket if needs be. You wouldn’t think it necessary for protection, but we appreciate the bundled mesh case for keeping together the bank and supplied Micro-USB cable. The power bank we review here was the second sample sent to us by EliveBuy. Although it made no difference to its operation, the first showed some purple spotting across the top plastic edge where some dye had leaked. That’s a slight concern, but other than this we have no qualms with the EliveBuy power bank’s design; actually, for the money it’s a good-looking and sturdy-feeling device. Also see: Best MiFi 2016. It’s on this end of the device that you find a single USB port, which sits beside a Micro-USB port, four LED status lights and a power button that lies flush with the case. In common with the similar-looking Xiaomi, there’s no LED flashlight to be found here. Also see: Best desktop chargers 2015. Although we’d normally expect to see a couple of USB outputs on a such a high-capacity bank, we can forgive this given that the EliveBuy supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, which can reduce charging time by up to 75 percent with compatible devices. Indeed, we were able to charge our Samsung Galaxy S6 40 percent in 30 minutes. When it comes time to refill the power bank we were pleased to find the EliveBuy also supports Quick Charge on its Micro-USB port, although you’ll need to use a compatible charger to benefit. And you can charge both a connected device and the power bank itself at once (known as passthrough charging), which will save you a lot of time. We wouldn’t expect to find an LCD display at this price, and the lack of a torch is really no big deal. One thing we did miss during our testing, though, was auto-on and auto-off; plugging in your phone isn’t enough to trigger charging on this power bank – you also have to press the button – and when it’s done you’ll need to unplug it so no power is wasted. Once unplugged, however, the EliveBuy will put itself into standby mode within a couple of seconds. Read next: How to charge your phone or tablet faster Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter. Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
