The Ghosts of Power Banks Past

power banks battery cases ravpower power bank history first portable charger

We’ve been in the business of keeping your devices charged up and ready when you need them for a while now, and over the past ten years we’ve seen the paradigm change from simple replaceable phone batteries to Transformers-esque high tech power banks that can charge all of your appliances at once. As we await the next evolutionary advance (likely a power bank that can drag itself along the floor toward you by shaking its many USB cables like flagella), we decided to take a tour through recent power bank history. So please join us on this little adventure we like to call… Ghosts of Power Banks Past.

 

Prehistory

The Matrix was a film about a sophisticated (if slightly bug-ridden) computer simulation of reality created by an artificial intelligence to keep billions of human beings comatose. This science fiction dystopia’s hottest piece of tech? A flip phone you could play Snake on.

As undeniably sweet as the old Nokia 8110 was (and is), it couldn’t do a fraction of the tricks even a bargain basement smartphone can manage. On the plus side though, a well-maintained candy bar phone could last days between charges. Not only that, but most models had easily removable batteries. If you expected to go off the grid for a while, all you needed were a few fully charged backup batteries in your back pocket and you were right as rain.

(In fact, we still sell legacy products like these for users who never saw much need for an Instagram-enabled device, and all its accompanying power woes.)

But, as is often the case in the mobile sphere, Apple changed things.

RAVPower Samsung Galaxy S4 Samsung S4 Replacement Battery Spare Battery
It was a glorious time when you could change the battery instead of buying a new phone. This one is for the Note 4.

 

The iPhone Problem

The iPhone is rightly remembered as a revolution in mobile, but early adopters may also recall it boasted a less-than-stellar four hour Screen On Time (SOT) between charges. Despite the grousing this caused, Apple’s engineers had rightly guessed that users would be willing to forego the convenience of a replaceable battery in exchange for the right sweeteners. In this case, those sweeteners were a quantum leap in performance and compact design.

Although there had been some huge advances in battery technology during the period, manufacturers were still hard-pressed to improve battery life. Given how little room engineers have to work within a smartphone’s confines, any little edge makes a big difference. That’s why today’s smartphone batteries often have unusual custom battery designs to optimize the space they use.

RAVPower Dynamo-On-The-Go RP-PB04 10000mAh
Our old Dynamo-On-The-Go Power Bank from 2012. Buy it here to own a piece of history.

 

Battery Cases

Third party manufacturers quickly jumped in to fill the breach with battery cases. Battery cases snapped onto the back of your smartphone, augmenting its capacity at the cost of the sleek, pocket-friendly design people liked about their new devices. In a way, battery cases can be seen as a predecessor to today’s popular portable power banks.

It’s a little surprising they failed to establish a foothold in the market, given that they are smaller than even the most compact power bank and attach directly to your phone with little fuss. Unlike power banks, however, each battery case only fit a specific model of phone, meaning each new phone would require investing in a new case. They were also incapable of charging several devices at once.

Ravpower 6700mAh power bank (Blue) for iPhone Sony HTC and Samsung Galaxy
While you can still find the blue and black models lurking online, we currently only sell the pink one. Available here.

 

The Power Bank Era

Today, the charging peripherals niche is far less schismatic than it was five or six years ago. The major manufacturers have gravitated to a few accepted standards (USB-C, Lightning), and it’s increasingly likely that between your car, office, home and even the coffee shop you’ll never be more than a few steps from a charging station. But power-hungry rich media experiences, constant connectivity and longer trips mean more people than ever are leery of ever going without power.

Power banks can store enough electricity to charge your phone many times over, and higher-end models can also handle your laptop, tablet and other devices all at once. Just last year we took a comprehensive look at how power banks work, from questions about amps and volts to the protections they offer users from surges and fires.

RAVPower 10000mAh Portable Charger Power Bank
One of our latest power banks. The outside might look similar to the past but the inner workings are futuristic.

 

Innovation never rests, however. The next frontier for power banks is likely more wireless charging integration, as this hybrid beast suggests.

Let us know if you enjoyed reading this in the comments, and why you carry around a bank (or why you don’t!).

Our RAVPower 27000mAh Portable AC Charger is now 25% of until May 25. Simply enter 2AF2CXJ2 at the checkout to own this futuristic power bank.

5 Replies to “The Ghosts of Power Banks Past

  1. Hi, just a general comment of appreciation!
    I really like the frequency, length and varied content of the RAVPower Blog.
    When your blog email arrives, I like to set aside some quiet time to enjoy it.
    I’m tech savvy but by no way an expert or nerd
    So I enjoy the well pitched insights which leave me informed and educated.
    Oh, and I think you’ll be pleased to know, you are definitely building my brand loyalty to you! Keep up the good work

    Many thanks,

    Huw Crosby

    1. Hi Huw,

      We just want to thank you for taking the time out to send this message. It’s really made our day to hear that you get a lot out of this blog. We’re always trying to think of new topics that provide value to people, whether they are a RAVPower fan or are curious about power banks. We will definitely keep this up! Feel free to suggest any topics that you would like to see explored. Once again, thank you so much.

      Best wishes,
      The RAVPower Blog Team.

  2. Riffing off George Santayana:

    Those ignorant of the past are condemned to repeat it.

    Still, in the field of electronics one learns to appreciate a health amount of backward compatibility.

    Thanks for the short history of mobile power.

    Makes me wonder what’s coming.

  3. Came across this while trying to find a cable for my old RP-PB04
    It looks exactly like the one in the pic and I bought it in late 2012 but the middle port (power in) on mine is a circular Barrel connector.
    I’m trying to replace the cable and don’t know what size it is.
    3.5mm?

    1. Hi James

      Thanks for getting in touch! Unfortunately, as this power bank is no longer sold, so we have little information for it. We suggest you take it into your local tech store, and they should be able to help you find the correct cable!

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