Busting Myths About Portable Charging

Portable chargers are incredibly helpful tools that can ensure your devices are always fully charged and ready to go. But some techno Luddites out there still have the wrong idea about using a portable charger which keeps them from enjoying their benefits.

In an effort to help these people enter the 21st century, this article will look at six different myths about portable chargers and bust them once and for all.

portable chargers portable charger portable charging phone iPhone XS XS Plus iPhone XR

Using a Portable Charger Will Damage My Phone

This is one of the biggest concerns most people have when it comes to using a portable charger However, the answer to whether a power bank will damage a phone is..… maybe. Don’t panic. Let us explain. See, if you purchase a sketchy or cheap portable charger you run the risk of it delivering an incorrect voltage, which could damage your device. However, if you buy a portable charger from a trusted source, you can be sure it will not damage your device. Not only will they have the correct voltage, they will also come with other protections such as overcharge protection, overheating protection, and more.

We’ll explore this topic in a future blog entry.

They Will Only Work For a Short Period of Time Before Dying

Some people incorrect believe that portable chargers will only work a few times before losing efficiency or even completely stop working. While that might be the case for a cheap knockoff on eBay, it’s not for a quality portable charger. When purchasing the right portable charger, you will find that they can be charged and used hundreds of times before losing efficiency. This means they can conceivably last many years before needing to be replaced. Of course, other factors like wear and tear play a role too. For effective charger use, check our four best tips on keeping yours in tip-top shape.

Wireless Chargers Replace The Need For Portable Chargers

Look, we love wireless chargers. Believe us. They are convenient, stylish, futuristic, and just great to have around for a quick charger. But the sad reality is that wireless chargers are not yet on the level of portable chargers. Yes, wireless chargers can provide a 7.5W to the latest iPhones and even a 10W+ charge for Samsung and other phones, but that pales against the speeds from technology like Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 or even USB-C.  While there is some truth in thinking wireless charging or another type of technology with render your portable charger obsolete, we are still many years away from that happening. Given how affordable many portable charger are, you might as well get one in order to take advantage of its benefits before other charging technologies take over.

Portable Chargers Will Explode

Again, this is a concern that largely comes from a lack of knowledge about portable chargers, similar to our first myth. The only banks that have a chance to explode are very cheap and low quality banks or ones that have been severely mishandled. The very few portable chargers that are at risk are only because poor construction leads to thermal runaway (which is why quality portable chargers come with overcharge protection to prevent against this). If you purchase from a reputable source, the chances of your portable charger exploding are incredibly low. Seek out reviews online beforehand and ensure the bank you buy has been tested by a few brave souls.

[Cover] Most Common Power Bank Protections

They Take So Long to Recharge That They Are Basically Useless

While some can take a longer time to charge up (primarily larger-capacity banks or ones with a 1A input), the majority can be fully recharged within half a day. However, if you really want your portable charger to be able to recharge as fast as it can, there are a two different input methods you can chooses:
• 2A or above input
• USB Type-C
Both connection methods offer a faster recharge meaning you can fully recharge in only a couple of hours.

Portable Chargers Cannot Be Taken On Planes

This is a myth that has some truth to it, but isn’t completely true. While most portable chargers are able to be brought onto planes, there are some caveats. Portable chargers that use lithium-ion batteries can only be stored in your carry-on and any with over 100Wh per battery are restricted unless given prior approval from an airline. So as long as you check your portable chargers beforehand, and keep it with you or in your carry-on bag, you shouldn’t have any problems.

Flying with a portable charger? We have prepared a free eBook that includes a list of major airlines and their rules regarding bringing a portable chargers on board. Download it here.Free Flying with a Power Bank eBook — Get it here

Closing Remarks

Hopefully this article has helped to dispel some of these common myths and thoughts that people have about portable chargers. As long as you are buying a quality portable charger from a quality provider, your product should work incredibly well as long as it is treated with respect.

Note: A variation of this article appeared on Medium.

3 Replies to “Busting Myths About Portable Charging

  1. Hi there, I just bought a RAVpower 26800mah PD power bank and am currently looking at options to charge the power bank itself. I have a 61W usb C macbook pro charger from 2017 which has access to USB-C Output: 5V/2.4A, 9V/3A, 20V/3A.
    However, on comparison to the RavPower bank inputs of
    Micro USB Input: DC 5V/2A or Type-C Input: DC 5V/3A,9V/2A,15V/2A,20V/1.5A
    Does this mean the 26800mah will take longer than the advertised 4-5hours to fully charge?

    Would appreciate any responses,
    Cheers

  2. I totally agree with you! I just to want to say that ” cheap things are not always good” especially when the technology comes in picture. This is a wrong myth that portable charge will damage your phone. I am using BMW portable charger since so long and it works very efficiently without harming my phone.

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