In a world where staying connected while travelling is almost a non-negotiable, a reliable power bank becomes an essential companion. I recently got my hands on the Charmast W1148 Power Bank, and after putting it through its paces, I’m excited to share my experience with you.
Purchasing Overview
With an urgent need for a new reliable Power Bank, Amazon was the logical choice and the taking my eye was the Charmast 10000mAh with its distinctive built-in cables and slim appearance. One of my pet hates is never being able to find the correct cable or battery banks so bulky they don’t fit in a regular pocket.
At 10,000 mAh (37 Wh) the battery is large enough to fully charge most smartphones a few times or sustain a power-hungry iPad on a long-haul flight while still being compact and allowed on an aircraft. As tempting as it is to get a battery bank with a huge expensive battery the reality is they just aren’t practical in many situations and may be confiscated by Airport Security (ask me how I know).
At the time of writing the device is listed for $28.04 AUD which puts it in line with other battery banks in the same 10,000mAh capacity and is part of the Amazon Choice program qualifying it for Next Day delivery.
Charmast appears to be an exclusive brand and only sold on Amazon, however the product and Charmast does have their own website.
Design and Features
- The Charmast W1148 weighs in at a light 240g and has a similar feel to that of a smartphone.
- Available in Black, White, Pink and Purple, however it does look best in Black!
- It can be charged with USB-C at up to 3A (5v) or with MicroUSB or the built in USB-A cable at 2A (5v). Approx 4.5 hours to full at 3A, or 6 hours at 2A.
- The device has built-in Lightning and USB-Micro output cables which will output at 2.4A and USB-C at up to 3A
- On the top of the battery has 2x standard 3A (5v) USB-A outputs if you want to use your own cable
- LED Display which displays the current battery percentage between 0-100%
- Passthrough charging support (charging device with battery connected to charger)
Product Instruction Manual & Specifications:
Unboxing & What’s Included
The Charmast power bank is packaged in a compact rather undescript box with minimal information on it, small multi-lingual user manual and a decent-quality fabric pouch bag you’ll never likely use.
No charger or USB cable is included, however let’s be honest, you have one of those anyway!
Out of the box the battery bank was charged to 78% allowing for it to be used immediately or safely stored for extended durations.
Experiences & Conclusion
Using the Charmast W1148 Power Bank for the past month while travelling has been great, and an investment I should have made earlier.
The built-in cables almost completely eliminate the need to dig bags trying to find the correct cables to charge various devices and the ability to charge the battery using its own cable has been a lifesaver. As the battery supports pass-through charging, you are able to securely charge your devices from public USB ports, such as airports.
In terms of comfort and practicality, it’s the perfect size to fit in trousers pockets while charging a phone or live in the bottom of a backpack. One observation with this though is that the gloss plastic screen does get pretty scratched up after a few weeks of being carried in trousers pockets.
Real-world battery capacity should be sufficient for most people, with it able to charge an iPhone SE from flat approximately 5 times or 20% per charge.
My only criticism of this is it does not support Qualcomm Quick Charge like its larger 20,000 mAh brother and other battery packs. The W1148 is still no slouch able to charge at 3A@5v (15w) and represents excellent value.
Amazon United States:
Amazon Australia:
