Review: Lumsing Harmonica Style Power Bank -- external battery for iPhone, iPad

Review: Lumsing Harmonica Style Power Bank -- external battery for iPhone, iPad

When you are away from the office for an extended time, it is often useful to have a portable battery with you.  And nowadays, when many of us have both an iPhone and an iPad, it is even more useful to have a battery that is designed to work with either one.  Because the iPad has such a large battery, when you carry an external backup battery that works with the iPad, you always need to balance capacity versus the size and weight and cost of that battery.  The Lumsing 10400 mAh Harmonica Style Portable Power Bank strikes the right balance — large and heavy enough to get the job done, but small and sleek enough that you won't mind carrying it with you.  Lumsing sent me a free unit to review, and I have been testing it for the last week.  I like it a lot.  This looks like a great battery to toss in your briefcase or purse when you are on the go, and it only costs $23.

Design and Features

My main concern with an external battery is simply that it work well, but since you are going to carry this thing around a lot, it is nice to have something that has a pleasing design.  I was very impressed with this device.  As the "Harmonica" in the name implies, this device is shaped like a long rectangular box which is curved on one long end and is tapered on the other. 

The Lumsing Power Bank is about 5.5 inches long, almost 2.5 inches deep, and is about .8 inches high.

The curve on one of the long sides of this device makes it feel good when you hold it in your hand.  A minor feature perhaps, but one that I liked.

The device weighs 8.35 oz.  (An iPhone 5S weighs 4 oz; an iPhone 4S weighs 4.9 oz.)  You probably won't notice 8.35 oz. in a purse or briefcase, but you'll definitely notice it if you slip it into the pocket of your pants.

The tapered end contains most of the inputs and controls.  First, there are two ports, one which provides 1 Amp and one that provides 2.1 Amps.  You can use either port with an iPhone, and as noted below, you will get a slightly faster charge with the 2.1 Amp output.  For an iPad Air, you'll want to use the 2.1 Amp port.

Next there are a series of four blue lights, and then a long silver button.  If you press the button when you are not using the device, it will display 1, 2, 3 or 4 lights depending upon how much charge you have left.  When the device is almost out of power, only one light comes on and it flashes.  When you are charging the Lumsing Power Bank, you will see the lights come on in a sequence.  At first you see the first light, then two lights, then three lights, then four lights.  After 25% of charge the first light stays on and you just see the other three come on and off.  By the end, when all four lights stay on, the device is fully charged.  Finally, when you are charging an iPhone or iPad, the lights stay on to show you how much power is left in the battery.

As noted above, pressing the button when nothing is plugged in shows you the remaining power.  The button also serves to turn to device on, so to charge an iPhone or iPad you plug in a USB cord (such as the one that came with your iPhone or iPad) into one or both of the ports, plug in to your iPhone/iPad, and then press the button to start charging.

On the short side of the device, there is a Micro-USB connector.  The device comes with a Micro-USB to USB cord. 

Connect the cord to either your computer or any USB power supply.  I used the Apple 10W charger that comes with an iPad, and it took almost seven hours to charge the Lumsing Power Bank — longer than I had expected.  This is a device that you will most likely want to charge overnight.

The unit that Lumsing sent me is white, but I see that you can also get it in black or gold.

The unit comes with a carrying pouch.  I didn't see any reason to use it.

Capacity and Charging

The Lumsing Power Bank has a battery capacity of 10400 mAh.  The iPhone 5S uses a 1560 mAh battery and the iPad Air uses a 8,827 mAh battery.  In theory, then, the Lumsing Power Bank could charge the iPhone 5S over six times and the iPad Air once with some to spare, but in reality you lose some of the charge to heat and other factors. 

In my tests this week, when I used with completely charged Lumsing Power Bank with an iPad Air that had gone down to 3%, I was able to charge it back to 80% before the Lumsing Power Bank ran out of power about four hours later.  It roughly added another 20% to the iPad every hour.

When I tested with an iPhone 5S that was at 3% or less power, the iPhone would be back to around 60% in an hour, and in just over two hours the iPhone was back to 100%.  It takes a little longer to charge at the end, so you see almost 1% of power added every minute, and then going from 98% to 99% to 100% takes longer.  Charging an iPhone with the 2.1 Amp port was slightly faster than using the 1 Amp port; a full charge took two hours with the 2.1 Amp port and about two hours and 10 minutes with the 1 Amp port.  So you get slightly better performance charging an iPhone with the 2.1 Amp port, but it doesn't make a huge difference.  With a fully charged Lumsing Power Bank, I could charge an iPhone 5S from 3% or less to 100% four times, and then had just a small amount of charge left over.

As noted above, you can also use the Lumsing Power Bank to charge both an iPhone and an iPad at the same time.  When I did so, each device charged slower.  The iPad Air received on average an additional 13% to 15% per hour, in contrast to around 20% when it was plugged in by itself.  The iPhone 5S received anywhere from 20% to 38% of additional charge each hour, as opposed to around 57% when it was plugged in by itself.  And while I could completely charge in iPhone 5S from almost 0% to 100% in just over two hours when it was plugged in by itself, when both the iPhone and iPad were charging at the same time, two hours just brought me up to around 60% on the iPhone.

You can also charge the Power Bank while you are charging an iPhone and/or iPad.  Thus, you could plug in the Power Bank to a wall charger or computer and plug in an iPhone and iPad into the Power Bank to charge them all.  When doing so, the iPhone and iPad seemed to charge at the same rate as when the Power Bank was not plugged in to AC power.  Note, however, that at the outset when the Power Bank was close to empty, it would sometimes stop charging the iPhone and iPad for a short while so that it could charge itself, and then it would start charging the iPhone and iPad again (and I would hear them beep as if they were just plugged in).

Conclusion

There is something to be said for a smaller battery that is light and can be tossed in your pocket, like the Powerocks Super Magicstick that I reviewed a few months ago and which I see is now selling for only $19.50, $10 less than when I reviewed it.  Small external batteries are great for bringing extra life to an iPhone. 

But if you want to be able to charge an iPad, or if you want to be able to charge an iPhone over and over again, you need a larger battery.  I know that there are lots of large external batteries for sale, but after using this one extensively for the last week, I really like the Lumsing Harmonica Style Power Bank.  It is big, but not too big and heavy, and it feels nice in your hand when you carry it.  It has a large enough battery to charge your iPad or your iPhone — or both at the same time.  And best of all, it is a steal for only $23. 

Click here to get the Lumsing Harmonica Style Power Bank from Amazon ($22.99).

Article Posted by Lumsing Blogger
Want to be Lumsing Blogger to free try our products, please visit: http://www.lumsing.com/lumsing-bloggers/

contact us

Review: Slimmer, sexier, but pricier per mAh: the Lumsing 6000 Portable Power Bank

Another in Lumsing's excellent series of 'Power Banks', the 6000mAh model here is distinguished from its larger 10400mAh sister by being dramatically slimmer and almost all metal. As a result, the price-per-milliAmp-hour is higher, but I don't care - the 6000 is a "man's" charger - a veritable mobile power tool and yes, you can knock nails in with it. Probably.

Arriving in the same deluxe packaging as the 10400mAh version, the Lumsing 6000mAh Portable Power Bank feels like more of a premium product. Whereas the bigger, bulkier model had plastic styled to look like metal, here we actually have an aluminium shell that wraps around the body of the charger, the only exception being the status edge, which is shiny black plastic and has the 'on' check/power button and the traditional four status LEDs.

On the top edge is microUSB input (i.e. for charging the Power Bank) and two standard USB outputs, one rated at 2.1A (for tablets) and one at 1A - though either work for most smartphones, of course, and both at 5V. A 0.5m elasticated microUSB cable is supplied in the box, though doubtless most users will already have their own favourite leads.

Notably, there's no mains charger in the box - again, it's assumed that most people have multiple microUSB wall chargers (or similar) and, on the whole, I'm fine with this. Along with phone makers omitting headphones, this sort of reduction does have a practical impact on waste and duplication. Though the 1.5A input rating for the Power Bank does mean that you'll need a meaty charger if you want to recharge the accessory in the quoted 'not more than five hours'.

If five hours still sounds a long time, remember the capacity here. 6000mAh is well over twice what's in most 2014 smartphones. At any point the LEDs indicate what's going on - animating when filling the Power Bank and showing 25% increments when the button is pressed when static or discharging.

In terms of charging devices, this being the All About sites, the 6000mAh Power Bank recharged a Nokia 808 PureView from scratch and a Nokia Lumia 1020 from scratch, and had enough juice left over to take my big batteried Lumia 1520 from zero to over 60%. Which is quite impressive from an emergency charger that's itself no larger than a typical phone.

There's no denying the 6000mAh Power Bank's style - the orange trim is a little quirky, but the mass of brushed black aluminium (there's also a silver version) is enough to firmly put the accessory in most people's 'want' lists. An emergency charger needs to look and feel like it's a mission critical tool and not an overblown child's toy - and this Power Bank most definitely feels, in the hand, like it belongs in a geek's toolkit.

Yes, the sheer value for money isn't quite as high as in its plastic predecessor, at £19 here in the UK, but it's still pretty darned excellent and I'd be particularly proud to take this from my pocket in any meeting or show in order to render assistance to a fellow smartphone owner in need.

 

Article Posted by Lumsing Blogger
Want to be Lumsing Blogger to free try our products, please visit: http://www.lumsing.com/lumsing-bloggers/

contact us

Lumsing 10400mAh Harmonica Power Bank Review – A Must-Have for Your Getaway Trip

As our smartphone gets bigger and smarter, it also drains more battery juice. Even with a big capacity battery, you will still find it drying up at the end of the day. This is where power banks come in useful. It allows you to charge your phone on the move and doesn’t require you to remain stationary at a power point.

There are tons of power banks around, but the one we are reviewing here is the Lumsing 10400mAh Harmonica Power Bank. In case you don’t want to read the review, the conclusion is: if you are in need of a power bank, this is the one you should go for.

Design

Lumsing Harmonica Power Bank comes shipped in a simple recyclable package. The box contains the Power Bank, a USB power cord, a soft casing and user instruction.

This is what the Lumsing Power Bank looks like:

In the front there are two USB ports for charging. The port on the left can output 1A of current, while the one on the right outputs 2.1A. If you are confused with the technical term, it simply means that for faster charge, use the port on the right.

To charge your phone, simply plug in the USB cable (and the other side connected to the phone) and press the power button (there is only one button on the device, so you can’t miss it). When it starts charging, the indicator light brightens to show the amount of power left in the power bank.

Performance

The interior of the Power Bank is a Grade A Samsung lithium-ion cell specified at 10,400mAh. At 0.53lb (240g), it is definitely not the lightest power bank around. However, at 10,400mAh, there is plenty of battery juice in it for you to charge your phone five to six times, depending on the model of your phone.

It will take about six hours to fully charge this Power Bank. When I first took it out of the box, it was already fully charged, according to the number of indicator lights that were ON (though I think that is not accurate). I was able to charge my Android phone (with a 2000mAh battery) from 10% to 100% three times.

After the first charge, I was able to charge my Android phone five times before it went out of juice.

The USB cable provided in the cable is of the micro USB type, which is the default port for most Android phones. The power bank will work with iPhone and iPad too, though you have to come up with your own lightning cable.

The good thing about the two USB ports at the front is that you can charge multiple devices at the same time.

Lumsing Harmonica Power Bank is available at Amazon for $22.99, which is a steal considering its great design and performance. If you are always on the move and hate that your phone always runs out of battery very quickly, then this power bank is definitely one you should grab.

Article Posted by Lumsing Blogger
Want to be Lumsing Blogger to free try our products, please visit: http://www.lumsing.com/lumsing-bloggers/

contact us

Lumsing 10400mAh Harmonica Power Bank Review – A Must-Have for Your Getaway Trip

As our smartphone gets bigger and smarter, it also drains more battery juice. Even with a big capacity battery, you will still find it drying up at the end of the day. This is where power banks come in useful. It allows you to charge your phone on the move and doesn’t require you to remain stationary at a power point.

There are tons of power banks around, but the one we are reviewing here is the Lumsing 10400mAh Harmonica Power Bank. In case you don’t want to read the review, the conclusion is: if you are in need of a power bank, this is the one you should go for.

Design

Lumsing Harmonica Power Bank comes shipped in a simple recyclable package. The box contains the Power Bank, a USB power cord, a soft casing and user instruction.

This is what the Lumsing Power Bank looks like:

In the front there are two USB ports for charging. The port on the left can output 1A of current, while the one on the right outputs 2.1A. If you are confused with the technical term, it simply means that for faster charge, use the port on the right.

To charge your phone, simply plug in the USB cable (and the other side connected to the phone) and press the power button (there is only one button on the device, so you can’t miss it). When it starts charging, the indicator light brightens to show the amount of power left in the power bank.

Performance

The interior of the Power Bank is a Grade A Samsung lithium-ion cell specified at 10,400mAh. At 0.53lb (240g), it is definitely not the lightest power bank around. However, at 10,400mAh, there is plenty of battery juice in it for you to charge your phone five to six times, depending on the model of your phone.

It will take about six hours to fully charge this Power Bank. When I first took it out of the box, it was already fully charged, according to the number of indicator lights that were ON (though I think that is not accurate). I was able to charge my Android phone (with a 2000mAh battery) from 10% to 100% three times.

After the first charge, I was able to charge my Android phone five times before it went out of juice.

The USB cable provided in the cable is of the micro USB type, which is the default port for most Android phones. The power bank will work with iPhone and iPad too, though you have to come up with your own lightning cable.

The good thing about the two USB ports at the front is that you can charge multiple devices at the same time.

Lumsing Harmonica Power Bank is available at Amazon for $22.99, which is a steal considering its great design and performance. If you are always on the move and hate that your phone always runs out of battery very quickly, then this power bank is definitely one you should grab.

 

Article Posted by Lumsing Blogger
Want to be Lumsing Blogger to free try our products, please visit: http://www.lumsing.com/lumsing-bloggers/

contact us

Lumsing Power Bank Review: An external battery that charges all of the mobile phones

Lumsing Power Bank Review: An affordable external battery that charges all of the things

Looking for an affordable external battery pack that isn’t bulky and awkward? Check out the Lumsing Portable Power Bank. It’s a 10,400mAh battery with two USB outputs, allowing you to charge two devices at the same time. It’s slim, not too heavy and stylish to boot.

And here’s the kicker-it’s under $30!

Is this the portable power for you? Read on to find out!

The front: USB outputs, LED power level indicators, power button

The two USB outputs pump out ample charge with one USB output putting out 5V / 1.5A, while the other doles out a little more juice at 5V / 2.1A. Its 10,400mAh charge capacity, which should give you around three or four full charges depending on how power-hungry your divice is. Charging the power bank is easy thanks to one Micro USB port on the side.

Micro USB in for charging

The Power Bank is extremely easy to use. Simply plug in your dead devices, press the power button and the battery will take care of the rest. You’ll see the four blue LED’s light up once charging begins. If you need to check the level of the Power Bank’s battery, simply press the power button once with no devices plugged in. The LEDs will show if it’s time to juice up the battery or not.

Power multiple devices at the same time

The Lumsing Power Bank is designed to keep you and your devices safe with an internal protection system which makes sure that your precious devices don’t short-circuit or receive an overcharge. Its ergonomic design makes the power bank fit great in the hand, and slide easily into any handbag, purse or backpack.

Interested in the Lumsing Power Bank? Head to Amazon.com and grab one for just $22.99!

 

Article Posted by Lumsing Blogger
Want to be Lumsing Blogger to free try our products, please visit: http://www.lumsing.com/lumsing-bloggers/

contact us

Review: Lumsing DCH-5U 5 Port USB Travel Wall Charger

Review Summary:

Simple packaging, great performance, decent price, this device is extremely useful and diverse in it's potential. A definite must-have item!

Hello folks and welcome to another wonderful product review here at Dragonblogger, brought to you by yours truly. On the menu today, we have the DCH-5U 5 port USB travel wall charger, from Lumsing. Before reading further, please take a quick moment to watch the following brief video review.

I have to say, this charger is actually pretty neat! As I type this out, I’m actually connected to it, typing all of this out on my Akaso W100 Android tablet, and it’s charging up just wonderfully. With power supply ratings of 31W and 6.2A (max), the DCH-5U USB wall charger is diverse and powerful, not to mention decently-priced. There’s not much to say really, being that the charger pretty much speaks for itself, however I’d still like to take a moment to focus on what I can say. There isn’t much which comes in the package, just the charger and it’s power cable, which is a fairly common 2-prong figure-8 kind of deal, much like those which come with many printers.

One of the neatest features of this device, is that it has each of the 5 USB ports labeled accordingly with which devices work best with each connection. From left to right, we have ports for iPad, iPad (yes, 2 are marked the same), Samsung Tab, iPhone and then Android. There is a bit of significance in this design, but to know this, you would normally need to do a little bit of reading; of course it’s still slightly confusing to figure out, even after doing so. In the instruction manual, which comes in printed form, in the box, there is some distinction between 2A and 1A connections. It’s not as simple as saying which ports give off exactly what amperage, however, so it’s sort of a matching game based on the info, as you can see in the images and video.

You can charge up to 5 different devices at once on this charger (up to a total of 6A, which is slightly puzzling given that the manual says 6A and the package says 6.2A, leaving one to wonder which it is, honestly), which essentially eliminates the need for separate chargers, generally speaking; but one would be a fool to just get rid of their other chargers just because of that, so if yours still work(s) then I suggest keeping it/them for use at some other point in time. Of course, you can also charge/power other devices than just those labeled on the device, however it appears that they are just trying to give some obvious labels for some of the most common types of products used currently. For example, on the back of the box, toward the bottom, it notes that you can also use this for digital cameras, power banks and other mp3/4 players. Also noteworthy, is the built-in surge protector, as noted in the “features” list on the packaging.

The shell of the DCH-5U wall charger is constructed of fire-and-heat-resistant ABS plastic, and is molded to give off a stylish aesthetic appearance. It’s boxy and small, measuring a mere 5 3/8″ long x 3″ wide x 1 1/4″ high, not including the cable, which comes in at a lengthy 3.3′ on it’s own.

Simple packaging, great performance, decent price, this device is definitely one that I recommend. Admittedly, the text on the packaging and in the instructions gives off the obvious vibe of slightly-broken English, however it is still yet easy to read and comprehend.
My final verdict is that the DCH-5U 5 port USB travel wall charger is a wonderful device, which is both affordable (regularly priced at $49.99 USD, currently on sale for $19.99 USD, which is practically a steal!) and extremely useful. I see no reason that, if it’s affordable for you to purchase, you should pass up the chance.

It seems that my time here is over for now, folks, however it’s been a pleasure to present this product review for and to you. This is Ronald DMNKLR Smith signing off, and always, remember that I want to know what you want to know about. 

Simple packaging, great performance, decent price, this device is extremely useful and diverse in it's potential. A definite must-have item!

Lumsing Ultrathin Wireless Keyboard

Lumsing Ultrathin Wireless Keyboard [Review ]

Lumsing

Lumsing Ultrathin Wireless Keyboard

The Lumsing Ultrathin Wireless Keyboard, a very thin and portable keyboard. This keyboard exceeded my expectations as it performed well and lasted considerably longer than I thought it would. In other words, this keyboard is fantastic for the price and for the portability that it provides due to its small and thin size.

The keyboard as I mentioned is very thin as in the name “Ultrathin”. The dimensions of this keyboard are the following: 9.5 x 5.11 inches. The keyboard weighs 6.7 ounces. What this all means is that it is very thin and lightweight, making it quite easy to carry around and taking it with you wherever you go without much trouble or problem.

The Bluetooth connectivity of this keyboard is very easy to setup or link up with any device as it takes a couple of seconds, roughly about 5-10 seconds, depending on the device that you are connecting it to. The range at which the keyboard can still be functional without losing its functionality or before it stops to work due to lack of proper Bluetooth signal strength is about 10 meters. This means that anything past 10 meters, the keyboard will not operate effectively.

The keys on the keyboard are very responsive and feel great when typing. Unfortunately these keys are not backlit, instead they are fluorescent, meaning they glow in the dark. I myself did not have any trouble viewing and using the keyboard in the dark.

The battery life of this keyboard is great as it should last about 100 hours according to Lumsing. This pretty much depends on how much you use it and whether or not it is being constantly used over time. The reason why I mentioned this is because after 15 minutes of it not being used or in idle, the keyboard will automatically go into sleep mode in order to save battery life. The charge time is not bad as it usually takes about 4-5 hours to charge.

What is great about this keyboard is the fact that it is universal, meaning that it can be connected to almost any device as long as this device has Bluetooth support or capabilities. For example, it can be connected to Android devices, Windows devices, Apple devices, and others that support Bluetooth functionality.

The Lumsing Ultrathin Wireless Keyboard is a great keyboard overall. It is thin and small, has great battery life and a not so bad charge time, as well as multiplatform support for almost any device. This keyboard is great for the price and if you are looking for a keyboard that can perform well and be easy to carry on the go, then this keyboard is the right keyboard for you.

Product Link:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lumsing-Ultrathin-Ultra-Slim-Bluetooth-Blaceberry/dp/B00GX0CDU6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

As mentioned in the title of this article, I will be giving away one keyboard to one lucky winner. All you have to do is simply comment below what you will be connecting this keyboard to. For example, iPhone, surface tablet, galaxy note, etc…, and I will be choosing one person at random.

Don't forget to "like" and "follow" Lumsing at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LumsingFans
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LumsingTM

*Note*:
- Liking and following Lumsing will not improve chances of winning or being picked.
- Participation in the giveaway will only be available to those in these specific countries due to shipping restrictions: United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan.

 

• Website: Lumsing.com
• Email: support@lumsing.com

   

  Article Posted by Lumsing Blogger
  Want to be Lumsing Blogger to free try our products, please visit: http://www.lumsing.com/lumsing-bloggers/

  contact us

   

Lumsing 10400 mAh Portable USB Charger Review

For the past few weeks I have been testing the Lumsing 10400 mAh battery bank. The product is a stylish portable charger that uses a bank of rechargeable batteries (hence the “battery bank” moniker) to simultaneously charge up to two 5V USB devices. The battery bank charges via a micro USB port and features two full size USB ports for charging other devices while away from a power outlet.

The Lumsing LUM-008-01 is the model I am reviewing today. It weights slightly over half of a pound (8.35oz) and measures 5.43″ x 2.35″ x 0.86″. In practical terms, the battery bank is twice as thick, 3/4″ as wide, and just as tall as the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone without a case. The battery bank is rated at 10,400 mAh and can theoretically charge the S4 up to four times (which has a 2,600 mAh battery). On the box, Lumsing claims that for the average smartphone, users can expect to get five to six full charges.

The 10400 mAh battery bank comes in white, black, and champagne gold colors with silver accents. The top of the battery bank has a bit of plastic that looks like brushed aluminum. Lumsing packages the charger well using thick foam padding. The package includes the battery pack, a short micro USB charging cable, a brown soft-touch carrying pouch with drawstring, and a small instruction sheet. The model I received for review was the white version, which is shown in the photo below.

The Lumsing LUM-008-01 10400 mAh battery bank is currently being sold on Amazon (non-affiliate link) for $22.99 USD. Lumsing is relatively new to the US and Amazon marketplace, and in addition to portable chargers, the company also produces Bluetooth speakers and iPad keyboards. The MSRP of the 10400 mAh battery bank is currently $24.99 per the Lumsing website which has fallen quite a bit from the previous $49.99 MSRP and $34 Amazon list price. Note that I reviewed the product with the $34 price in mind, and the new $22.99 price is a nice bonus for what is quality hardware.

The Hardware

The battery bank is a harmonica style design with a micro USB port on the left side and two full size USB ports on the front. A set of four blue LEDs (which indicate battery level and charging status) and a power button sit to the right of the USB ports on the front of the device. A plastic accent strip resembling a piece of brushed aluminum resides on the top edge  and hosts the Lumsing logo.

The battery bank is all plastic in construction, but it feels quite solid. There is no flex or creaking in the plastic even when squeezing it tightly. The white casing is not a single piece, but is actually two with a seam on the curved back edge. The mating between the two edges is not perfect, but it does not interfere with the function or rigidness of the device.

Charging can be done via the included cable and a computer USB port or any other 5V USB AC charger such as the one that came with your smartphone or tablet. While you can use a 2+ amp charger, the battery bank will actually only draw a maximum of 1.5amps to charge the internal Samsung 18650 3.7V 2600 mAh Li-Ion cells. As far as charging other devices from the internal battery, there are two options. The leftmost port provides a maximum of 1.0 amps while the other USB port provides a maximum of 2.1 amps. Devices plugged into these ports will draw up to those maximums with the exact amperage dependent on your particular device.

Notably, both USB ports can be used simultaneously. Users can charge two devices while also charging the internal battery though once the Lumsing Power Bank’s battery drops below 25% it can be a little finicky as far as charging goes–you need to plug in the external devices and hit the power button before plugging in the power bank’s micro USB charging cable for it to work. I only noticed that issue when the internal battery level was low, however. When it is more that 25% charged you can plug stuff in in any order as one would expect. Note that the input is limited to 1.5 amps while the two USB devices can draw a maximum of 3.1 amps which means that unless you have a good buffer of battery, charging is going to take longer than usual.

Pressing the power button will light up the LEDs to indicate the current charge of the internal battery bank. If USB devices are plugged in, they will begin charging. If no devices are connected, the device will return to a sleep state after five seconds. There are four blue LEDs and each lit LED represents 25% charge, so when all LEDs are lit up the device is 100% charged and when only two are lit up the device is approximately 50% (50-74%) charged.

Lumsing claims several safety features of the battery bank in relations to charging and the internal battery including overcharge, overvoltage, overcurrent, and short-circuit protection.

The internal battery is rated at 500 full charge cycles. In theory, I should be able to get a theoretical maximum of 2,000 full charges on my Galaxy S4 which seems respectable.

Charging and Usage

My Galaxy S4 has decent battery life, but once I add in streaming media and web browsing on my hour lunch and breaks I would be in the single digits of battery life by the end of the day (eek). That situation where I have but 3% of battery life to call for a ride or to add money to my Ventra card (and not wanting to give up being able to use my phone on my breaks of course) led me to search for a portable charger to extend my phone’s battery life.

During my testing, I put the Lumsing battery bank through its paces by taking it with me to work each day and using it to charge up my phone during my lunch hour while I used the phone normally.

The battery bank does have some heft to it, but the weight more-so speaks to the build quality than to portability. At slightly over half of a pound (plus the charging cord and carrying pouch), the battery bank is noticeably heavier than my S4 but overall was not a burden and, really, the extra weight was trivial once it was in my bag. Technically it is even pocket friendly in that it will fit but not to my taste as it pulled on my pockets too much when walking around.

As mentioned above, the theoretical maximum of the 10,400 mAh portable charger is four full charges of my Galaxy S4’s 2,600mAh battery. There is some overhead and inefficiencies to account for, however. In all though, I have to say that I was impressed with its performance as it came very close to delivering four full charges. If you follow the conservative advice of keeping your smartphone battery as 20% to 80% charge, you can get four recharges while away from an AC outlet, actually.

During my testing, I wanted a way to measure and graph the charging and discharging of the battery to see just what kind of battery lfie I could get before needing to find a wall outlet to charge up my S4. I ended up finding a Play Store app called Battery Graph that comes close to the functionality I wanted. The app allows you to zoom in and out on a line graph of battery charge percent over time. Unfortunately, when compiling media for the review, I discovered that it is not actually possible to zoom out far enough to get all of the Lumsing-powered charges in one screen grab (d’oh). The app does support exporting the data so I am looking into graphing it in another program on my computer to get a cleaner graph, but in the meantime I was able to stitch together the complete graph from multiple screenshots.

After nearly-fully discharging the phone, I was able to use the Lumsing charger to charge the phone four times before the battery bank completely died. Further, i was able to get about four days of usage out of the phone without needing to use the AC wall charger! I will definitely be bringing this to next year’s GPU Technology Conference if I can convince Ryan to let me go again as that kind of portable power i!

Editor’s Note: (The battery graph test is something that I want to work on and improve upon for future reviews, including a continuous rundown test if i can find a way to make it repeatable and comparable to other devices/chargers).

Note that ”typical usage’ for me includes YouTube streaming, web browsing, and music playing in addition to a bit of email, texting, and brief phone calls.

Warranty and Pricing Information

Lumsing offers a 1 year (replacement or refund) warranty for  the battery bank should the hardware fail from a manufacturing defect. It is available for purchase in Gemany, Japan, the US, and the UK.  The MSRP is currently $24.99 USD according to the Lumsing website, but Amazon is selling the LUM-008-01 for $22.99.

Conclusion

In all, the Lumsing 10400 mAh battery bank is a stylish and well-built portable charger  that lives up to its promises. It is an incredibly useful device for road warriors and mobile device enthusiasts (every teenager ever? heh) alike. At the time of publication, the battery bank is available from Amazon.com for $22.99, and at that price it is well worth the money.

Below is a TL;DR-style breakdown of the review following the format of my previous reviews along with a special note about the hardware used in this review (and as my previous reviews were of free software such a legal notice was not needed). Of course, my words are all my own as is my conclusion, but transparency and honesty is a good thing so I felt it was worth a mention.

What I loved: The build quality and design is solid. It is light enough to carry with you but with enough heft that it stays put when sitting on the desk with devices plugged in. The included carrying pouch and charging cable are nice touches for a low-price battery bank.

Issues and/or what I’d Like to see improved: The included USB-to-Micro USB cable is charging only and does not support a USB data connection, so if you need to connect your smartphone to your PC you will need to bring along a different cable.

Review considerations: I received a free review sample of the Lumsing LUM-008-01 battery bank in exchange for a review on Verry Technical. Lumsing had no financial or editorial control over this review and was not provided an advance copy prior to publication.

The verdict: If you are looking for a portable charger/battery pack, the new Lumsing 10400 mAh battery bank is definitely worth considering. It is a great value for the money.

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned to Verry Technical for future reviews! 

Further Resources:

Manufacturer Contact Information:

• Website: Lumsing.com
• Email: support@lumsing.com

  Article Posted by Lumsing Blogger
  Want to be Lumsing Blogger to free try our products, please visit: http://www.lumsing.com/lumsing-bloggers/

  contact us

   

Lumsing Harmonica Style Portable Power Bank

• Capacity – 10,400mAh
• Outputs – 2 ports
• Weight – 236g (8.35oz)
• Price – $25

This is a good looking, pocket-friendly solution to your battery life woes. There are two USB ports, one offering a 1A output and one with a 2.1A output. The power button brings the four LEDs to life; each represents 25 percent of the overall battery. It turns itself off within a few seconds if there’s nothing plugged in to charge. The pack will charge anything that can plug into a USB port and it takes a charge itself via a micro USB port on the side (you’ll have to use your smartphone charger plug because there isn’t one supplied).

All you get in the box is a USB to micro USB cable and a soft, velvety, drawstring carry pouch. It’s comfortable to hold in the hand and fits easily in your pocket or in a bag. It also looks pretty good, with a brushed aluminum panel and your choice of white, black, or champagne gold for the plastic body. It will charge your Android smartphone two to three times over, or keep your tablet ticking for a few extra hours. Overall this is a great value, portable charger for everyday use.

 

Article Posted by Lumsing Blogger
Want to be Lumsing Blogger to free try our products, please visit: http://www.lumsing.com/lumsing-bloggers/

contact us