The Xiaomi 165W Power Bank 10000 (Integrated cable) is a great piece of hardware, but it's not for everyone. Who should buy it?

In mid-March, the previously announced power bank Xiaomi 165W Power Bank 10000 (Integrated cable) arrived on the Czech market, which we received for testing. After about two weeks of testing, I can say that it is precisely the piece of accessory you didn’t know you needed. Compared to common solutions, it costs a bit more money, but it offers fabulous charging speed and an integrated cable, which is more practical than it might seem at first glance.

Integrated cable: why yes and why no?

One of the main attractions of the new power bank is the built-in cable with a USB-C output, through which you can charge connected devices with up to 120W of power. This is more than enough to charge smartphones, including those from Chinese manufacturers, whose supported charging power often exceeds 100 W, as well as, for example, a laptop. 

The cable is almost 20 cm long, so it doesn’t unnecessarily get in your way when working with a connected phone. In addition, it is, of course, an advantage that instead of two items – a power bank and a charging cable – you can carry only one. Instead of wondering which cable to take (some may not support as high power as the integrated one) and where to find it at all (which is my frequent problem), you simply reach for the power bank.

I used the power bank most when I was a leader at a children’s camp in early July. Charging my phone peacefully was practically impossible for me, as I either had to take photos with it or I used it when preparing camp-wide activities (which includes communicating with other leaders, organizing materials, etc.). At this moment, one truly appreciates being able to carry a power bank with an optimally long built-in cable everywhere and not having to deal with anything extra at all.

However, I also see certain negatives in the integrated cable. The power bank is a bit harder to pack into luggage with it (e.g., into a completely overstuffed backpack), as the middle part protrudes significantly when the end is secured in a special compartment. 

From a long-term perspective, I would then have a slight concern about whether the cable might get damaged due to normal handling, but also as a result of contact with other objects in luggage. After a few weeks of testing, I naturally cannot say whether this fear of mine is justified or not – and ideally, I shouldn’t be able to confirm it even after a year – but the integrated cable feels exactly like something that should be handled as gently as possible.

High power at the expense of capacity

The Xiaomi 165W Power Bank 10000 (integrated cable) with dimensions of 143 × 48 × 36 mm can still be considered a suitable power bank for travel. However, it is not this large due to its high capacity – which, on the contrary, remains at a basic 10,000 mAh – but rather due to its 165W output power (120W via integrated cable, 45W via USB-C port). 

Therefore, users who will actually utilize this above-standard power should primarily consider this power bank. If your phone or tablet does not support fast charging at least above 80 W, or if you do not own a laptop, you probably won’t need such a powerful power bank, and a cheaper solution (or even a similarly priced one, but with significantly higher capacity) will suffice.

A capacity of 10,000 mAh then means in practice that you won’t even charge your phone twice from the power bank (typically only once to 100% and a second time depending on the specific battery capacity in your mobile), so you need to account for that. For trips where there’s a risk of being without access to an outlet for several days, I would therefore rather choose a power bank with at least 20,000 mAh (if you don’t want to explicitly conserve battery).

What is more pleasing, on the other hand, is the support for 90W charging of the power bank itself. In just 15 minutes, with the right adapter, you can charge it to 75%, so during a coffee break, you’ll gain enough power for one full phone charge.

Color display as a pleasant bonus

A pleasant bonus on the power bank is the color display, through which you can monitor the charging process of the device and the power bank itself, or the remaining capacity in percentages. Under normal circumstances, it remains off; you can turn it on with the button located just below it. I might only criticize the display for its lower brightness, which makes it harder to read outdoors.

Verdict

All in all, the Xiaomi 165W Power Bank 10000 (integrated cable) is a very well-made piece of accessory, but it’s not for everyone. The integrated cable is an advantage in my eyes, but in the long term, I would be concerned about potential damage. The integrated color display with a nicely designed interface is a clear plus, and the biggest trump card is, of course, the 165W power, with which you can easily charge your mobile, tablet, and laptop. At a price of 1 449 Kč, it is overall a great product, which I originally didn’t even think would be so useful to me. However, for longer trips, I would definitely take a model with a higher capacity.

What power bank do you have experience with?