What is the Purpose And Functionality of Power Banks?

Gadgets like smartphones and tablets have been an integral part of our daily life walks. With more than 2000 apps added to the play stores and app stores on a daily basis, the engagement level of individuals exponentially rises with this soar in the number of apps. Multifold functionalities offered by the modern-day gadgets, need power to operate. While chargers can meet their power requisites, it sort of becomes a huge deal when away from switchboards. This is when power banks find their applications.

Power banks are nothing but portable chargers consisting of a special circuit to control the flow of power. Such devices enable the storage of electrical energy for its utilization later when a gadget requires a power backup. They can top-up the power level of a device anywhere and anytime. Devices such as Portable Speakers, Cameras, GPS System, Smartphone, and MP3 Players can be charged using a power bank.

Present-Day smartphones and similar electronic devices are turning compact. Meanwhile, the power bank manufacturers have also started reducing the size of these devices, making them portable and flexible devices. Power efficiency provided to the electronic gadgets has triggered the growth of the power banks market at the global level.

What is a Power Bank Lifetime?

Larger the power storing capacity of the power bank, the lesser you will need to charge it. This has an impact on the lifetime of a power bank. Below are the two life cycles associated with the power banks.

Charge-Discharge Cycles:

Any battery that can be recharged has the property to wear out eventually. A lifetime of a battery broadly depends on the number of charge-discharge cycles it undergoes. Every time a cycle is completed, the performance of a power bank degrades to a certain level.

Self-discharge Time:

Rechargeable or chargeable, all the batteries have a definite self-discharge. Since these portable power banks have their independent circuit control, it requires a little amount of power to keep the circuit working.

What Technology Does a Power Bank Use?

Most of the power banks and electronic gadgets available in the market today run on the lithium technology. Right from batteries used in your smartphone to the electric batteries used in automotive, lithium-based batteries is their sole constituents. However, within lithium technology, there are two types of batteries that are extensively used in the power banks – Lithium-Polymer and Lithium-Ion. Both these technologies have slightly varying properties:

Lithium-Ion:

Lithium-ion batteries have an impressive energy density. Owing to this property, it can store more electrical energy in a given volume or size. Such technologies are cost-effective in nature. However, the only drawback they possess is that they age very rapidly.

Lithium-Polymer:

Lithium-polymer batteries perform excellently for a longer period of time as compared to the lithium-ion batteries. However, the performance does cost the manufacturers making it higher on the budget of the end-users.

What are the Types of Power Banks?

Owing to the huge demand for the power banks in the electronic market, the manufacturers are pacing up with them by devising innovative power banks. Below are four types of power banks utilized to store electrical power and supply power to electronic gadgets:

Portable Power Banks:

The power need of the modern-day devices have been eased by the power bank and enhanced the customer experience. Traditionally the power banks were voluminous in size to store a large capacity of electrical energy. On a contrary, the contemporary power banks have become compact without compromising on the power capacity. Portable power banks can store power up to 5000mah and can be used for routine outings.

Built-in Rechargeable Line Type:

While the portable power banks are used for electronic gadgets, they need an adapter to plug in the devices for charging. Built-in rechargeable line power banks are manufactured with the adapter. The user can directly use the charging cable from the power bank and utilize it to charge their gadgets.

Power Bank with LED:

Currently, the power bank with LED light reigns supreme in the power banks market. Such power banks possess a large energy storing capacity and can be used to supply power externally.

Solar Power Bank:

As the name suggests, the solar power bank obtains energy directly from the sunlight. Such power banks can be utilized while away from the charging socket, e.g., Trekking or camping. However, the solar power banks also comprise an option for charging them using the power supply.

Key Takeaway

While setting to buy a power bank, you will find yourself amidst confusion with plenty of choices. Hence, it is recommended evaluate your battery recharging needs before buying one. If you only wish to charge your mobile phone, then a power bank with a low to moderate power supplying capacity could work for you. However, if you have multiple devices to be charged like iPad and tablet, apart from a smartphone, then it is crucial to select a power bank with a higher capacity. Same is the case with the usage. If your device needs to be changed frequently, then it is recommended to purchase a good quality power bank.

Arslan Khan is currently living in Delhi, working as a Senior Research Manager @ Fact.MR. He is a blogger with unique content each time.