Silicon Power QP60 Power Bank GBAtemp review
Hardware
Product Information:
In a lot of instances, you get what you pay for. And sometimes, companies manage to balance a low price with good value. That seems to be Silicon Power's goal with its QP60 power bank, which is priced cheaply, yet comes with some useful features.
The battery looks rather unassuming; the body is all one single color, in this case black, with the slightest of chrome lining wrapped around the two ends. It’s very sleek yet understated, making for a nice looking product to pair with your phone. Silicon Power sells the QP60 in a variety of colors, so if you’ve ever wanted to match the appearance of your backup battery to your phone case, you’re in luck. There’s even a little mesh traveling pouch to store the battery in, so it doesn’t get scratched up as it inevitably rattles around inside your backpack or purse.
Another point in favor of the power bank is that it’s quite slim, something appreciated when it comes to batteries, as it’s the kind of thing you’ll want to be carrying with you on an everyday basis. The thickness is measured at 13.7mm, while the device weighs in at 225g. On its own, the power bank is light, but if you're trying to hold both the bank and your phone at the same time, it might be enough weight that you'll need both hands. If you're just keeping it in a bag or in your pocket as it recharges your device, the size is fine.
In terms of what the QP60 is made of, the outer shell is made of aluminum, cool to the touch when not in use, but will definitely warm up considerably when charging. On one hand, I appreciate the quality of the case--the metal is certainly nice to hold, but that also means it won’t be so fun when you’re charging up your phone and both devices heat up to a mildly uncomfortable degree. Granted, it never got dangerously hot, and no issues ever arose from it, just both it and the phone were fairly heated up after over an hour of continuous use.
As over the top as some may think it is to consider the style factor of a simple power bank, it’s important that it doesn’t feel cheap--if it both looks nice and has a premium build, there’s more incentive to bring it along on your travels than compared to a budget tier plastic, clunky portable charger that feels awkward to use. Silicon Power did a good job on both fronts here.
Those aren’t the only aspects that matter, however, as technical stats are also important. The QP60 gets 10,000 mAh of mileage, an average amount, though a respectable one given the form factor. More capacity would of course be appreciated, but 10k will still get you pretty far, especially if you’re just looking for something slim with a purpose of just keeping your phone topped up. It's also enough to help get your laptop by in a pinch, if it takes USB-C.
Internally, you’ve got a Li-polymer battery running the show, and externally, there’s four different ports used for charging. You’ve got two USB outputs, perfect for basic needs, a micro-USB input to charge the power bank itself, and lastly, a USB Type-C PD port, which can double as an input to quickly recharge the battery, or to deliver power via USB-C output.
- Input: Micro-USB: DC 5V/2A, 9V/2A ; Type-C: DC 5V/2A, 9V/2A (PD)
- Output: USB1 (USB Type-A): DC 5V/2A, DC 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A ; USB2 (USB Type-A): DC 5V/2A, DC 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A ; Type-C: DC 5V/2.5A, DC 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A ; USB1+USB2+Type-C: DC 5V/3A (max.)
- Colors: Black, Space Grey, Deep Green, Royal Blue
- Capacity: 10,000mAh
- Battery charge time: 3.5 hours
- Certifications: CE, FCC, RoHS, PSE, Li-ion 00, BSMI, WEEE, Un38.3, 1.2M, MSDS
Charging the power bank up from zero took just a little over three hours when using USB-C, while using the Micro-USB input will take double the time. When it came to the amount of time for the battery to charge an iPhone X from dead to full, it took around two hours give or take, and was able to charge it fully twice-over with the phone being in full use the entire time with before running out of juice. In the case of the pictured Huawei Mate 10 Pro, it automatically detected that it was being supplied with fast charging power, and charged to full much quicker. Should you need multiple devices charged, you can plug up to three different devices into the QP60 at once, which is unwieldy, but still possible.
At around $17.99 USD, Silicon Power's QP60 power bank is a great portable battery for rapidly charging the devices that you carry with you and use on a daily basis. For the price, it's a fantastic value when compared to other typical 10,000 mAh chargers, thanks to the inclusion of USB-C PD input and output, and an aluminum body that's both durable and stylish.
Verdict
- Slim
- Type-C PD output
- Supports quick charging with a wide variety of phones
- Aluminum body tends to heat up a little when in use
