Pocketables

Olala PQ102C 10,000mAH Powerbank Review

Olala recently sent in a new powerbank for us to look at their 10,000 mAH power bank featuring a new trick USB-C compatibility. Like it’s predecessor the PQ100 the PQ102C packs two USB-A ports one with QC3 inside an aluminum shell.

PQ102C Unboxing and Physical overview

Just like we’ve come to expect from Olala the PQ102C is well packaged. The powerbank is inside a cardboard box well protected by a plastic insert. Physically it’s roughly the same size as a modern phone fitting in a similar footprint to my HTC10 or M8 with a little added thickness. We do get what is the most varied port count I’ve seen on a powerbank so far with 2 USB type A, micro and USB-c ports on one edge.

Charging the bank itself

Just like it’s sibling the PQ102C manages some impressive rechgarge times. Although still  not exactly quick 4 hours using USB-C is impressive especially considering it’s 10,000mAH capacity. It can be charged via microUSB as well although slower at roughly 8 hours.

Usage

In use the PQ102C does most things well albeit with a striking omission. The type-A ports work exactly as advertised. QC3.0 works and the second port offers a healthy 3 amp max in testing. However the USB-C port was for charging the powerbank only not for devices. This was unfortunate as I had hoped to use it with my HTC10 and a C to C cable I had although considering it shipped with an A to C cable not a huge loss. As far as capacity is concerned I generally saw 3 full or nearly full(depending on usage) charges out of the PQ102C before it was depleted. Considering that I was using a HTC10(3000 mAH) and M8(2600 mAH) this points to the capacity being as advertised with typical conversion efficiency.

Final Thoughts

At it’s current 34.99 the PQ102C sits right where it should considering it’s capacity and features. The lack of USB-C ouput is disappointing but understandable. As an input Type-C is an excellent feature add, quite honestly they could have dropped the microUSB entierly. Considering it’s blend of premium design, features and price it would be hard to go wrong with the PQ102C unless you needed something truly massive or indestructible.


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Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith is a full time IT administrator at a medium sized private business former FRC coach and technology enthusiast.

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