Hello my fellow Gadgeteers and Power-Hungry Peeps;
This is part 2 of the Lepow Power Bank Power Hour. Last time I reviewed the U-Stone and how sexy it was in packaging and performance, I’ll be reviewing it’s other counterpart, the POKI which is its other counterpart albeit a bit less capacity, but no less badass. I should clarify that I should point out that I’m reviewing the POKI 5000 and not the 10000 version. However, the 5000 delivers no less of a punch.
I should point out to you that the POKI comes in a little bit of a different format. The packaging wasn’t as intricate as the U-Stone’s, but it was no less effective. To make up for the lack of it, it came with its own carrying case which seems to be made from some felt-like material that I should make a throw blanket out of. (Great idea, try that Lepow!)
First of all, I really like the slender design of the POKI. It is gentle to my delicate hands that write this article. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the utilitarian shapes that some power banks and other mobile devices come up with, but it’s a nice thing when they make something can easily be gripped without worrying about DROPPING the thing in the first place. That’s right, the shape is the most suited to me holding it and is pleasurable to hold. Even the carrying pocket I got makes me want to touch it endlessly like on how I want to pet Cookie Monster.
What I have to note is Lepow’s products charge FAST. I’m quite amazed at how fast they charge. Now, I’m not talking about that it will charge things in one second, but I’ve noticed that the power output and storage is very impressive. First of all, the capacity is quite nice. When I charged my iPhone overnight, the power doesn’t deplete to even HALF. I charged my iPad Mini overnight and it went down to half, but that’s because I had my iPhone hooked up to it beforehand.
The POKI also has a really simple and fun way of indicating power level. You touch the metal strip on the side of the unit, and then a Star Trek-like beam illuminates all across the metal strip, then a second passes, and the beam reduces or darkens to give you a visual of the actual amount of power in the unit. For me being more of a visual person, it gives me a good idea of how much more mileage I’ve got out of it for the day and can help me properly gauge what power levels I have. I’ve even charged my iPhone on it OVERNIGHT, and there was still plenty of power left over.
I do love the ribbon cables they enclose with their product and I’m beginning to be a huge fan of either ribboned/knitted (fabric) cable as that reduces on kinks, tangles, and are overall constructed much more tougher than regular cables. (Especially after dealing with them IRL and having a rather energetic kitten, I value them SO much more.) The cable that Lepow enclosed is slightly longer than the POKI unit, but it’s not an issue as they’ve enclosed two pockets in the unit. My only beef is that at least in the market, they should or it is recommended to enclose an iPhone lightning cable. However, it’s not a glaring oversight as you can use the enclose cable to daisy chain your unit to a USB to charge simultaneously while you use your own Lightning cable to simultaneously charge your Apple product. (I did try that, it was ridiculous, yet glorius.)
I will also say for both units. The build is SOLID. I was noting the design, but the actual construction of materials and parts are of high quality. I didn’t feel any cheapness in quality on any of the units. Even the packing material wasn’t shoddy either.
Good job, Lepow. I’d love to see more of your units and keep up the good work! What would really be awesome is to see a good multi-use cable that I’ve seen from other manufacturers where they have a microUSB port on the cable, but there’s also a lightning port attached to the cable as well.
Colors available: White, Green, Yellow, (although the image on Amazon and their personal shop does show a black option, and it does state that it is available in white and yellow, but on their personal Shop it shows that Mint Green is currently the only available in their product list)
SPECS:
5000mAh
Height: 2.5 inches (6.4 cm)
Width: 5.0 inches (12.8 cm)
Depth: 0.5 inches (1.3 cm)
Weight: 4.94 oz (140 g)
Cell type: Li-Polymer
Capacity:5000mAh
Operating temp: 5°C~45°C
Standard:GB4706.18-2005
Output voltage: DC5V
Input voltage (Threshold): 5.0V± 0.25V
Output current:2100mA
Input voltage: DC5V
Input voltage (Standard): DC5V
Input current: 2100mA
$24.99 for the 5000mAh
10000mAh
Height: 2.8 inches (7.0 cm)
Width: 5.4 inches (13.8 cm)
Depth: 0.6 inches (1.6 cm)
Weight: 7.69 oz (218 g)
Cell type: Li-Polymer
Capacity: 10000mAh
Operating temp: 5°C~45°C
Standard: GB4706.18-2005
Output voltage: DC5V
Input voltage (Threshold): 5.0V± 0.25V
Output current: 2100mA
Input voltage: DC5V
Input voltage (Standard): DC5V
Input current: 2100mA
$79.99 for the 10000mAh