Review: Romoss PEA60 3.7V/60000mAh 22.5W “Fast Charging” Power Bank
When I first started reviewing power banks back in 2013, large ratings were very much associated with fake ratings. Fast forward to nearly a decade later and large power banks are now reality, thanks to our insatiable need for power on-the-go. Nowadays, there are even portable power stations which incorporate a large bank of lithium-ion cells with an inverter to provide AC power on-the-go, although you do pay a premium for them.
Staying with the economical end of the market, I encountered the Romoss PEA60 – perhaps the largest power bank I’ve ever seen. It has a rating of 60,000mAh (or 60Ah) at 3.7V, providing 222Wh of energy. The unit is physically described as the size of a house-brick but can be had for just AU80 including postage and GST (and recently, just AU75). For the price, it packs quite a bit of energy, but it’s only got a “22.5W” output rating, not anywhere near as convenient as say, a 65W or 100W USB-C PD capable power bank. I suppose you can’t have everything for a low price … but let’s put this to the test.
Unboxing
This particular item came shrink-wrapped. On the outside of the shrink-wrap, this unit had the production date of 25th September 2021 printed, making it one-year old stock. I suppose this model is not particularly popular – this is not ideal.
The front of the box has a colour image showing the unit and some of its key features. The side panel features a QR code and scratch-off verification code for authentication. The label itself can be authenticated by wetting it and the waves behind the Romoss logo should blend together into one colour. This unit was verified to be genuine.
The design of the power bank features the ability to use micro-USB, USB-C or Lightning input. Output includes a shared USB-C port, a quick-charging USB-A port and two standard 5V 2.4A USB-A ports. However, it seems that the power bank controller is similar to the Blitzwolf I had previously reviewed, only capable of one fast charging at a time. If multiple ports are used, all are limited to 5V at a total of 3A (15W) shared across all ports making for a relatively slow charge. This is likely because the internal design is made of a single converter shared across all outputs with load switches. Charging can happen at 5V/3A (15W) on USB-C or 2A (10W) for ordinary chargers, or at 9V/2A (18W) for USB-C, Qualcomm Quick-Charge or Lightning. Given a capacity of 222Wh, charging will not be fast. The size of the unit is very much like a house brick and the weight of my unit was determined to be 1364g, so you won’t be slipping this into a backpack unnoticed.
It is packed in a cardboard box with foam ends. This is a much more serious packaging to handle the shock from transit – of note is the large capacity makes this an unsuitable choice for flying as it will fall outside of the 100Wh “approved” capacity and outside of the 160Wh “special approval” capacity as well.
Inside the box is the unit, with its gold coloured Romoss badge up front and LED viewing window prominently on show. A poor excuse for a microUSB charging cable is included with very thin wires – I didn’t use this for testing because it was just too lossy for my liking. A leaflet indicating the user should first drain and then charge the power bank completely in a continuous run is included, no doubt, to help the controller calibrate the battery capacity. Finally, a small instruction leaflet is also included.
Despite the big face of the power bank, the ports occupy a relatively small amount of space. Given the ratings discussed earlier, it’s probably best if only one port were used at a time, if quick charging (i.e. non-5V) is desired.
The underside is printed with the details on the unit’s capabilities and some approvals including FCC and CE marks. No RCM for Australia is present, however. The unit is Made in China.
A power button is present on the side to reset the power bank or to wake it up and check remaining charge. The capacity and power rating are printed on the side as well.
It is really a simple design, with the front window hiding a red 7-segment LED display that indicates capacity in percent, output voltage and output current. A blue “fast charge” indicator also lights up if it is fast charging a load or is itself being fast charged.
The supplied USB cable – a bit thin and without any printed ratings.
One key issue is that the power bank, as supplied, already has a noticeable bulge in the rear plate suggesting the cells inside have already begun to swell. Usually this is a process you would expect to happen only as the cells age or have been stored at high state-of-charge for a long time. When placed against a flat ruler, this is very obvious – the power bank will not lie flat on its rear surface. I suspect, given this fact and the price, the quality of the cells inside may not be very good. Perhaps there’s not much space inside the power bank for the cells to expand, thus the externally-visible bulge – I hope they learned something from the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 issue because not leaving space for expansion can be a recipe for disaster.
Testing
Because of the large capacity of the power bank and a desire not to unnecessarily waste energy, only a limited amount of load testing focusing only on the USB-C output was conducted. As the hypothesis is that this is a single-rail design, the output performance for other outputs are likely to be no different anyway.
Discharge Profile
Testing was performed with the Rohde and Schwarz NGM202 with a YZX Studio USB-C Decoy Board. The connection to the decoy board was made with four-wire connection, and a short 15cm non-eMark USB-C to USB-C cable was used to connect to the power bank. The self-consumption of the decoy board was corrected for in the result.
At 5V/3A, the power bank delivered 193Wh of energy over 13h 13m 36s. This, assuming a 222Wh cell, would indicate an efficiency of 86.9% which is decent. This is better than the Romoss website’s claim of about 180Wh for an 81% efficiency. It seems the battery capacity is honest. The output voltage is very stable throughout.
At 9V/2A, the power bank delivered a touch more energy at 194Wh over 10h 52m 24s for an efficiency of 87.5%. There was a slight “spike” in voltage just prior to shutdown, although this is not large enough to pose any concern.
At 12V/1.5A, the power bank delivered virtually the same amount of energy over 10h 48m 14s for an efficiency of 87.3%. The same spike is also present, but smaller. It seems the power bank discharge efficiency is roughly 87% (assuming the cell size is 222Wh).
Charging Profile
Charging was tested with both the Rohde Schwarz NGM202 for 5V charging using a self-designed four-wire USB breakout and the Kovol Sprint 65W USB-C charger attached to a Tektronix PA1000 Power Analyser with the same 15cm USB-C to USB-C cable.
Charging from 5V took 21h 53m 27s given a 3A-capable source. It seems that as the power bank’s charge progressed, the unit was not able to sustain 3A draw from the source possibly due to voltage losses, which affected the charging speed. The charge consumed 263Wh from the source, implying an 84.2% DC charging efficiency if the cells are 222Wh as claimed. If we go from charge to discharge, the efficiency is 193Wh delivered / 263Wh input = 73.4%, which is not unusually good or bad.
When charging with a 9V-capable source, the charge was achieved in 17h 57m 39s – not quite the 14h they claim on some sites.
Output I-V Curve
The output I-V curve is measured by sweeping upwards from 200mA, then separately downwards from 200mA, which explains the discontinuity at that point. Measurements with USB-A are made four-wire directly to the port, while USB-C is with losses in the 15cm USB-C to USB-C non e-Marked cable. Testing was performed with the BK Precision Model 8600 DC Electronic Load.
At 5V, it seems that USB-A ports turn off below 21mA of load. Over-current protection for all ports were vaguely similar – in the 3.5-3.7A region for USB-A ports and 3.8-3.9A region for USB-C. This is quite a bit higher than expected for ports marked 2.4A although possibly only marginally high for ports expected to deliver 3A.
There seems to be a “boost” to voltage around 1A load to compensate for wire resistance – this appears to be a fixed boost rather than a sloping boost. This creates a voltage discontinuity, which is probably not ideal.
At 9V, the same minimum load is observed for USB-A, with OCP at 2.26A for the USB-A port and 2.51A for USB-C. This is slightly high on the USB-C but acceptable for the USB-A. The voltage discontinuity is also present in this mode.
At 12V, the same minimum load requirement for USB-A is observed, with OCP at 1.73A for USB-A and 1.81A for USB-C. This is pretty acceptable and the voltage discontinuity is carried over to this mode as well.
Ripple and Noise
Ripple and noise are tested using a Rohde and Schwarz MXO4 Oscilloscope (review coming in the new year) with a 20MHz bandwidth filter and AC-coupling for the 10:1 probes. Spring ground is used directly to the rear of the USB-C port on the decoy board with load being provided with the Rohde Schwarz NGM202 Power Supply.
Conclusion
The Romoss PEA60 seems to be an interesting product with one of the largest capacities ever marketed as a power bank. It seems to be borne from someone taking the same “guts” that may be found in a smaller power bank and supersizing the battery attached to it. This results in a power bank which may be inexpensive for the capacity, but also rather slow to charge and limited in power output capability. While it is perfectly serviceable for phones and tablets, it is not suitable for running laptops or heavier loads. While the large capacity is an attractive feature, its size and weight are obvious and the disadvantage of not being able to take it on airlines may be a dealbreaker for some. However, it may do well for a long camping trip or as an emergency source of power for phones for a few days.
The battery capacity appears to be honest and the efficiency is very much “as expected”, reaching about 87% discharge and 84% charge, for a round-trip energy efficiency of 73%. The output ripple and noise seemed acceptable, with I-V curves showing a slightly lax over-current protection and a voltage discontinuity near 1A which may be a cable-loss compensation measure that is not well refined.
Perhaps the biggest issue, aside from the slowness, is the fact the unit arrived with a noticeably bulged cell. This doesn’t inspire confidence that this uses high-quality cells or that it was designed with adequate clearances around the cell to avoid potential mishaps. Perhaps the cell will be stable and not continue to swell into the future – but usually I find swollen cells a sign of poor quality or failing aged cells which have been stored at a high state-of-charge for too long. Nevertheless, it seems I will be keeping this unit for now and if it gets worse, then it may be a candidate for return.
In the end, it seems the Romoss PEA60 is perhaps only suited for users who understand its limitations. Perhaps, if this capacity is desired with more versatility, the Romoss PEA60MAX is a better choice from their line-up with 100W PD capability. It is not a unit that I have actually tested that one and not that it is currently available at the time of writing, but seems related (at least visually).
Доставка в поштомат 55 грн. Від 1000 грн. безкоштовно. Можливість доставки уточнюйте у менеджерів. (макс. сума замовлення 10 000 грн)
Адресна доставка. Кур’єром Нової пошти. 120 грн. Від 4000 грн. безкоштовно. Можливість доставки уточнюйте у менеджерів; Перед тим як оплатити товар,обов’язково оглядайте його. Укрпошта Експрес до відділення. Ціну визначає пошта. За тарифами перевізника Адресна доставка. Ціну визначає пошта.( За тарифами перевіхника) Увага! Терміни доставки вказані орієнтовно і носять лише ознайомчий характер. Терміни доставки визначені з розрахунку, що замовлення оброблене в поточний момент часу. Реальні терміни доставки розраховуються в момент обробки замовлення менеджером. Замовляючи доставку товару іншими кур’єрськими службами ( «Нова пошта», «Пост.ЮА»). при отриманні обов’язково перевіряйте наявність всього товару в замовленні, а так само його зовнішній вигляд. Оплата рахунків, пов’язаних з доставкою товару здійснюється за рахунок Покупця. Важливо! Перед відправкою весь товар перевіряється і страхується за повною вартістю. При отриманні відправлення вам необхідно перевірити товар безпосередньо у відділенні компанії “Нова пошта” в присутності співробітника. У разі неповного комплекту, недостачі товару або відсутності документів (чек, гарантійний талон і т.д.), Необхідно скласти акт невідповідності. Якщо упаковка пошкоджена, або на товарі виявлені механічні пошкодження вам необхідно відмовитися від відправлення або пред’явити претензії компанії “Нова пошта”. Компанія “Нова пошта” відшкодовує завдані збитки, якщо їх було завдано з вини компанії. Читайте також про умови отримання відправлень
Як оплатити товар в інтернет-магазині IBANAN? Оберіть найбільш зручний спосіб оплати: Оплата на сайті (Онлайн оплата) Онлайн-оплата, оплату можно здійнити через додаток mono, Apple Pay, Google Pay, та будь-яку банківську картку іншого банку (Visa,Mastercard). Оплата при отриманні Накладний Платіж. Оплата при отриманні на Новій пошті ( Завдаток 99 грн на карту, ця сумма віднімається від суми накладного платежу, тобто решту ви сплачуєте при отримані. Після оформлення замовлення наш менеджер надішле Вам реквізити у Viber,Telegram,SMS) Оплата на карту банку ( Приват24, Монобанк) Номер карти для оплати. 4035 2000 4058 3244 Після оформлення замовлення наш менеджер надішле Вам у Viber,Telegram,SMS реквізити для оплати. Така оплата вигідна тим що ви не переплачуєте комісію за послугу Накладний Платіж Оплата за реквізитами. Оплата здійснюється на IBAN рахунок підприємства. Після оформлення замовлення наш менеджер надішле Вам всі необхіні реквізити в SMS, viber або телеграм. Оплата криптовалютою Приймаємо оплату в USDT, BUSD та практично в будь-якій криптовалюті на біржі Бінанс. (За бажанням виберіть цей платіж та оформіть замовлення. Після замовлення наш менеджер напише вам у Viber або Telegram і надішле всю необхідну інформацію) Visa / MasterCard Ви можете оплатити ваше замовлення платіжними картами Visa і Mastercard безпосередньо на сайті, в момент оформлення замовлення. Якщо Ви скористалися кнопкою Купити в один клік або оформили замовлення по телефону, наш менеджер відправить вам посилання по якій ви зможете здійснити оплату карткою онлайн. Для повернення коштів при скасуванні замовлення зверніться на нашу гарячу лінію або Viber 38 097 644 04 06 і залиште повідомлення. Гроші будуть повернуті на карту протягом 3-х робочих днів. і залиште замовлення. Гроші будуть повернуті на карту протягом 3-х робочих днів.
Гарантія, Обмін, повернення та сервісне обслуговування Я можу обміняти товар або повернути товар? Так, ви можете обміняти або повернути товар протягом 14 днів з моменту покупки. Це право гарантує вам «Закон про захист прав споживачів».
Категорії товарів, які можливо обміняти
- Товар належної якості. це товар без дефектів, який за певних причин не підійшов Клієнту (під-час оформлення замовлення було не вірно вказано модель або товар не задовільнив клієнта формою, розмірами, габаритами, кольором чи іншими характеристиками і не може бути використаним за призначенням). Повернення чи обмін товару належної якості можливий якщо він не був у використанні, збережений його товарний вигляд. У випадку, якщо на товар відповідної якості впливали температурними режимами, сверлінню чи іншим механічним впливам, обмін та повернення не можливий.
Гарантія
Гарантія та сервісне обслуговування.
Асортимент нашого інтернет-магазину представлений сертифікованим товаром, на який надається офіційна гарантія виробника.
Термін гарантії визначається сервісною політикою виробника, згідно якої ремонт та обслуговування продукції відбувається в авторизованих сервісних центрах. Підтверджує наявність гарантійних зобов’язань гарантійний талон виробника та чек про здійснення покупки.
Для проведення гарантійного ремонту Вам необхідно надати:
- Формулювання недоліку товару (краще в письмовій формі);
- Товар з недоліком;
- Повний комплект товару;
- Гарантійний талон, (правильно і розбірливо заповнений, з датою продажу, ПІБ і підписом споживача.)
- Документ, що підтверджує факт придбання товару/копію (товарний чек, видаткова накладна у разі придбання з доставки)
Обмін та повернення товару належної якості
Обмін та повернення товару, придбаного в мережі IBANAN, відбувається відповідно до Закону України «Про захист прав споживачів». Ви можете протягом 14 днів повернути товар, якщо:
- товар не використовувався;
- збережено його товарний вид;
- збережені споживчі властивості, пломби, ярлики;
- є розрахунковий документ, виданий споживачеві разом з проданим товаром.
Стаття 9. Відповідно до Закону України «Про захист прав споживачів»:
Споживач має право обміняти непродовольчий товар належної якості на аналогічний у продавця, у якого він був придбаний, якщо товар не задовольнив його за формою, габаритами, фасоном, кольором, розміром або з інших причин не може бути ним використаний за призначенням. Споживач має право на обмін товару належної якості протягом чотирнадцяти днів, не рахуючи дня купівлі.
- новий товар реалізується з заводськими захисними плівками; зарядка, гарнітура, будь-які дроти і батарея повинні також бути закриті захисними плівками; слід пам’ятати, що пошкоджувати ці елементи упаковки не рекомендується; так само, мають бути відсутні потертості та подряпини на виробі;
- вся електроніка поставляється з програмним забезпеченням за замовчуванням; перевірити, використовувався пристрій чи ні, може авторизований сервісний центр або менеджер з прийому товару; у разі виявлення сторонніх програм, змін у налаштуваннях, слідів використання (файли, фотографії, замітки, відеозаписи) магазин може скористатися правом відмовити клієнту на підставі порушення відповідного пункту;
- при втраті документів, інформаційніх даних, або при зірванні пломби на товарі, вам може бути відмовлено у поверненні чи обміні; розрахункові документи, оригінал чека та гарантійного талона необхідно надавати для повернення коштів;
- поверненню підлягають тільки нерозпаковані аксесуари; якщо є сліди відкриття аксесуара або спроби повторного запаковування (особливо це стосується ПЕ упаковки або блістерів). товар повернути неможливо.
FAQ
What capacity power bank do I need?
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking a 3,000mAh power bank will give your 3,000mAh battery smartphone a full charge, and that a 9,000mAh power bank will charge it three times. No portable charger runs at 100% efficiency. In truth, most average between 60- and 70%, with the best-performing models able to reach 80- or 90%. Wireless charging models may be less efficient still.
To work out what capacity bank you need, first check the spec of the device you want to charge to find out its battery capacity, then decide how many times you want to be able to charge it. For a rough estimate, calculate Connected device battery capacity x Number of recharges x 1.6 = Minimum power bank capacity you should look to buy.
As a rule of thumb, a 5,000mAh bank is a single-charge device, 10,000mAh hits the sweet spot between capacity and portability, and you want to look for closer to 20,000mAh for a laptop. We’ve got some of those high-capacity power banks here – just don’t try to stuff any of them in your !
How long does it take to recharge a power bank?
The time required to recharge a power bank will depend on its capacity, what you are using to recharge its battery and whether or not it’s empty.
For the fastest charging you should look to the new breed of power banks that support graphene technology and charge over a DC input (such as the Chargeasap Flash Pro – a 25,000mAh bank that can get to 80% in 45 mins and 100% in 70 mins), but these tend to be pricey.
For mainstream power banks, the fastest you’ll find is a USB-C inout/output that supports Power Delivery. This standard now goes up to a maximum of 240W, but in portable chargers you should expect to find an 18W port. Using such a port, the average 10,000mAh power bank might recharge in 2-3 hours from empty.
The cheapest models still tend to charge over Micro-USB, usually at around 10-12W. Avoid 5W power banks like the plague unless they are very low in capacity or you’re not in a rush.
What is passthrough charging?
Passthrough charging allows you to simultaneously charge devices connected to a power bank and the power bank itself. It’s a very handy solution if you are short on mains power outlets and need to get multiple devices charged up overnight, for example. However, not all power banks support it, so be sure to check the spec of your portable charger before you buy.
How do I know how much power is left in my power bank?
Assuming you know how much capacity it had when full, you can work out how much power remains either through a series of LEDs on the casing (usually activated by plugging in a device to charge or pressing a button on the side), or via the LCD if your power bank supports one. LCDs are preferrable, because they give a more accurate readout, particularly when it comes to higher-capacity power banks.
What are GaN power banks?
GaN is short for gallium nitride. It requires fewer components than traditional silicone chargers, which means power banks that use the technology can be less bulky and more efficient. If portability is your primary concern, then as well as considering the power bank’s capacity you should also look for one that uses GaN.
What charging speed should I look for in a power bank?
The first power banks on to the market ran at 5W, which is the same speed as the original iPhone chargers (aka slllllloooooowwwww). We wouldn’t recommend anything below 10W these days. This speed is known as ‘fast charging’, and it’s still rather common in cheaper models, but it’s not really the fast charging we’ve become accustomed to today. So many of the latest smartphones now support super-fast wired charging, and it seems crazy not to buy a portable charger that supports that top speed if possible.
The standard your phone uses to achieve its top charging speeds is important here. Some have proprietary technologies that work only with accessories manufactured and sold by that company. Some offer fast charging through Quick Charge or Power Delivery. Some support neither Quick Charge nor Power Delivery, but do support protocols such as PPS (Programmable Power Supply) or SCP (Super Charge Protocol). Make sure the portable charger you buy matches the fast charging standard supported by your phone.
The term Power Delivery does not in itself denote a performance rating. It could be capable of delivering anything between 18W and 240W. This is particularly important if you’re looking to charge a USB-C laptop – anything under 30W won’t cut it, many laptops will refuse to play ball below 45W or even 60W, and some larger laptops might require 90W. You will need to check the spec of your laptop to know what speed it requires.
At the other end of the scale, if you need to charge a low-power device such as a smartwatch or a pair of wireless earbuds, look out for a power bank that is certified for low-power devices. Many of those that are not will simply cut out when you try to charge these devices, because they aren’t able to detect a significant drain on the battery.