Update Jan 2018 –Â It’s been a while since my original review this QC3.0 Power Bank and I thought it might be nice to give you guys an update on its performance. It’s proved to be extremely reliable and charges faster than any other Power Bank I own. There are tons of QC3.0 Portable Chargers on the market, but very few a QC3.0 input. That’s what makes this Power Bank stand out from the rest. If you have a Quick Charge compatible wall charger, this is definitely the Power Bank to use. – I highly recommend it!
Turbo+ 20100mAh RAVPower Quick Charge 3.0 Power Bank
RAVPower lead the way when it comes to Power Bank technology. This new Turbo+ series external battery is the first of it’s kind to offer QC 3.0 and Type C USB charging.
Features
- Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
- USB type C input and output
- 20100mAh capacity – 8 x iPhone6
- 3A output charges Apple Mac book
- Soft carry pouch
| RAVPower | RP-PB043 | 20100mAh | 3 | 3.1A | view |
Intro
Before jumping into the RAVPower Turbo+ series power bank review. I thought it would be useful to explain a little about QC 3.0 charging technology.
What is QC 3.0?
The QC stands for Quick Charge, the 3.0 is its current version. It’s an advanced charging technology developed by a company called Qualcomm. It works by identifying the exact voltage required at any given point during the charge. A regular battery or mains adapter will put out a 5V charge and feed at a rate of around 2.5Watts. A Quick Charge 3.0 Power bank will safely give out 12V and up to 20Watts – that’s a huge difference.
Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology is fully backward compatible. If you’re plugging a QC 3.0 wall charger or power bank into an earlier phone model, it will either charge at QC 2.0, QC 1.0 or regular speed charging rates, depending on your phone’s spec.
Do you need a power bank with Quick Charge 3.0?
The short answer is yes! – Especially if you’re choosing a high capacity power bank. I’ve tested many 20000mAh power banks. Most of them will take anywhere from 10 – 14 hours to recharge, even from a mains adapter. The RAVPower Quick Charge 3.0 power bank, recharged from a QC 3.0 mains adapter, will take just over 4 hours. That’s hugely impressive, considering it has enough capacity to recharge an iPhone-6 over 8 times.
If you would like to understand more about Quick Charge 3.0 technology watch this video.
Design and build quality
The RAVPower Turbo+ series power bank measures 17cm x 8cm x 2cm thick and weighs 375 grams. Its body is made from a tough scratch resistant plastic with a matte finish. All the details are neat and the rounded edges and corners make it comfortable to handle.
On the top left of the power bank is a concaved button that activates the battery indicator.
The LED lights will glow for a few seconds, each one represents a remaining charge of 25%. For a high capacity power bank with over 20000mAh, each should be roughly two full phone charges.
As with other RAVpower portable chargers, the Turbo+ series comes with padded mesh pouch. Of all the power bank brands I’ve tested, RAVPower certainly provides the best bag in the business.
Also included are two anti-tangle USB cables and a quick start user guide. As good as these USB cables are, I’d have liked to have seen a Type-C USB cable in the box too.
I can understand why power banks rarely come with their own mains adapters or lightning cables. More often than not we already own them. I doubt few people have a Quick Charge 3.0 mains adapter though.
At the time of writing this review, RAVPower only offers a Quick Charge 2.0 mains adapter. But with QC 3.0 proving to be 38% more efficient, I think it’s well worth sourcing the latest version.
Features and Specifications
Inputs
- Micro USB: 5V / 2A (Standard)
- Micro USB: 5V – 12V 2A (quick charge)
- USB Type-C: 5V / 3A Max
Outputs
- USB Output: 5V / 2.4A Max (Standard)
- QC 3.0 Output: 5V-12V / 1.2A-2.4A (variable)
- USB Type-C Output: 5V / 3A Max
Which hole do I stick it in?
As you may be able to tell from the spec list, there’s a lot of charging options.
It’s important to remember that Qualcomm quick charge 3.0 technology is totally backwards compatible. It’s your device that draws the charge, not the power bank that feeds it. You don’t have to worry about overcharging or plugging your phone into the wrong port.
There’s a lot of technology squeezed in RAVPower Turbo+ ensuring optimal performance and safety. These include Premium grade batteries, QC 3.0 dual chips, modules and controllers.
The Type-C USB can be used as an input and output with a 3A max. This makes the RAVPower Turbo+ power bank suitable for charging Apple Mac books.
Verdict
The RAVPower Turbo+ QC 3.0 power bank is rated as one of the best high capacity power banks on my list of portable chargers over 20000mAh. The build quality is spot on, its features are way ahead of the rest and it’s extremely good value for money. Had it come with a Quick Charge 3.0 mains adapter and Type C USB cable I’d have not hesitated to give it top marks.
Tip – If you choose to buy this future proof power bank, make sure you also grab a suitable QC 3.0 mains adapter.
| RAVPower | RP-PB043 | 20100mAh | 3 | 3.1A | view |
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I was looking for a power bank with a quick charge 3.0 input. It seems so many portable chargers have the quick charge output, but still seem to use the standard 2.1A input port. This Ravpower power bank has both!
You are quite right. So far the RP-PB043 RAVPower power bank is the only one I’ve tested that actually has a Quick Charge 3.0 input. I mean if you’ve got a Quick Charge 3.0 wall charger I think this feature is a necessity, it’s why out of all the high capacity portable chargers I own, I use this one the most.
Can it recharge type C+ QC 3.0 the same time? How long to top it up from 0%?
How long to recharge for both Type C or QC 3.0 alone?
Good Question, I haven’t tried to charge with both cables connected at the same time. I’ll deplete the unit and run some numbers for you over the next few days.
I’ve been looking for a quick charge 3.0 power bank for my S7, any idea when this is going to be available in the UK?
Hi,
hmm, seems like RAVPower might have stock issues in the UK at the moment, hopefully it will be back soon. In the meantime, try this link That should show you the other Quick Charge 3.0 Power banks now available. The 20000mAh EasyAcc QC 3.0 power bank is a good alternative.
Hi again,
It’s back in stock in the UK now, if you are still looking to buy one.
Nice review, I needed a big power bank that would charge quickly, do you have any suggestions on what charger to use with it? Thanks.
Hi Peter, I did a review of the Tronsmart Quick Charge 3.0 adapter, which is a pretty good option, alternatively follow this link to see the most popular QC3.0 wall chargers and car chargers, hope that helps.
I think that you must have the dimensions listed incorrectly:
’17cm x 80cm x 2cm”
Is it really 80cm long? That would be enormous! It is hard to tell scale from the pictures, but it doesn’t seem that long.
Thanks for the heads up! It’s 8cm not 80cm – I worked as a precision engineer for 15 years, you’d think I’d be able to measure to a closer tolerance.
I’ve got a galaxy S7 coming next month which has the latest Qualcomm processor, so I’m guessing I can use this power bank with the quick charge 3.0 on it?
Hi James, I think there are a few different varieties of the Galaxy S7 when it comes to the processors, as long as it has the Qualcomm snapdragon in it, then it will be compatible with this Quick Charge 3.0 power bank – hope that helps.
Actually it appears the Galaxy S6 is actually using Quick charge 2.0 instead of the new QC 3.0 version. The RAVPower Quick Charge 3.0 power bank will still work perfectly with it, but just at the Quick Charge 2.0 speeds.