Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Review (10,400 mAh)

Usually when someone asks me about buying a portable battery pack, I always tell them specifically to avoid cheap power bands because usually, that price is just way too good to be true.

Buuuttt then Xiaomi came along. The 10,400 mAh Xiaomi Mi Power Bank went on sale on Indian retailer FLIPKART.com [Flipkart Product Link] for just Rs 999. That’s way cheaper than any competitor’s power banks, heck I couldnt even find a 2000-ish mAh one around that price. Xiaomi’s pricing is (as usual) extremely affordable, so I just had to pick one up. I needed a high-mAh-rating power bank to replace the two 1500 mAh and two other 2500 mAh power banks I usually carry around.

So, is Xiaomi’s Mi Power Bank any good? Read on for my review.

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The Video Overview:-

Here’s a detailed overview of the Xiaomi Mi Power Bank, incase you prefer video:

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The Design:-

Well, there’s not much to really say about the Mi Power Bank’s design. For a device at this price range, it feels extremely well built, and most of the casing is CNC machined from a single piece of aluminum.

That material is then anodized to make it lightly textured enough so that it is somewhat grippy. As if that all wasnt enough, Xiaomi also says that the surface of the Mi Power Bank is corrosion and water resistant, as well as able to withstand a pressure limit up to 50 kg. Xiaomi also says the Mi Power Bank has passed through a 300-time rub test, but honestly I’m not even sure what means, haha. Actually, wait, all that basically means this thing should be able to withstand daily usage easily, so you can just throw it into your backpack or (large) purse when you’re done using it.

To assure users that the Mi Power Bank is a solid quality product, Xiaomi also states that the micro-USB port is tested to withstand 5,000 insertion/removal cycles, and the bigger USB port 1,500 cycles. They’ve even posted ESD (electrostatic discharge) testing results, which are: 8kV for contact and 12kV for air. If all that wasnt enough, there’s also a built-in temperature control mechanism which ensures that the Li-ion batteries operate within a safe range, there’s protection from short circuits, input overvoltage protection, an OVP circuit to prevent voltage surges from damaging any device you’re charging with it, and protection over over-charging or over-discharging as well. Phew.

So it’s needless to say, the build quality of this thing is rather impressive, for the pricetag. It’s all curved along the sides, but the top and bottom do have sharp edges that might get a couple notches on them with daily handling.

The top and bottom of the Mi Power Bank have the only plastic parts, with one end having a regular USB port to charge devices with, and a standard microUSB port to charge. There’s also a circular capacity check button, and a 4-LED indicator to let you know how much charge is left in it. The other end has regulatory labels, and displays the mAh spec (the power bank is also available in an even-cheaper 5200 mAh version). It’s all pretty self-explanatory if you’ve ever used a power bank before, so there’s no documentation included in-box.

Each of the 4 LEDs represent a 25 percent charge, so you know the power bank is full charged when all four LEDs are lit and not blinking, and so on.

Also worth noting, is that there’s no power button here, because the Mi Power Bank automatically turns on and charges the device when you connect both over the included USB cable. That’s pretty convenient as many-a-time, I have connected a power bank to a phone and forgotten to switch it on, heh.

The included USB-to-microUSB cable is about 16cms long, and seems high quality. You’ll need it to charge something with the power bank, or charge the power bank itself. The short-ish usb-cable length wasnt an issue in my usage, but if it’s a problem for you, you could always just purchase a longer USB cable.

Apart from that, in terms of size the power bank is slightly large (the 5200 mAh one is way more portable). It’s not huge, by any means at all, but at 90.5 x 77 x 21.6mm it is quite chunky. It’s also a bit heavy at 250 grams, but honestly for the mAh, it’s a worthy sacrifice. It could fit into a back pocket quite easily, but this thing is more suited for carrying around in your purse or backpack.