Thanks to the iPhone, magnetic and wireless powerbanks have made a huge leap in popularity. I’m not a big fan of wireless charging for powerbanks, it’s just quite inefficient, but I can see the charm of just magnetically attaching a powerbank to your iPhone and you’re done.
No cables or other annoying things you have to lug around.
An affordable and interesting powerbank in this field is the Podoru KT-D013. This is supposed to offer 10000mAh, as well as a 20W USB C port.
Sounds interesting, but let’s take a look at the powerbank in the test!
The Podoru KT-D013 in the test
The Podoru KT-D013 is a quite compact powerbank with 10000 mAh. Compact, but not tiny either because of the wireless charging.
The power bank measures 104 x 68 x 19 mm and weighs 188g.
The power bank has an interesting soft-touch plastic housing. On the top of the housing you will find the wireless charging pad, which is marked by a rubber ring.
The powerbank has “Magsafe”, which means it can magnetically attach to supported iPhones.
In addition, we have a small “flap” on the back which allows you to stand the powerbank upright, nice!
To check the charge level, we have a small display on the front that shows you the charge level in %.
The connections
On the front of the powerbank we find a USB C and a USB A port.
USB C – Power Delivery 20W – 5V/3A, 9V/2.22A
USB A – Quick Charge, Super Charge – 4.5V/5A, 5V/4.5A, 9V/2.22, 12V/1.5A
We also have an Apple Lightning port on the side.
Lightning – 5V/3A
So you have the choice of charging the powerbank via Lightning or USB C, great!
The wireless charging pad can provide up to 15W, but in combination with the iPhone we have a maximum of 7.5W.
With PPS
The USB C port of the Podoru KT-D013 supports PPS.
5-5.9V at up to 3A
5-11V at up to 2A
This is not a “gigantic” PPS level, but fits for a powerbank of this class.
PPS stands for Programmable Power Supply. Normal USB Power Delivery offers your smartphone several voltage levels, usually 5V, 9V, 15V and 20V. Here, it can select a level and charge with it. PPS now allows your smartphone to freely select a voltage within a certain range, for example 3.3-16V. If your smartphone thinks it would be ideal to charge at 6.5V, then a PPS charger can supply it with 6.5V.
Some smartphones, such as the Samsung S20/S21/S22/S23 series, require PPS to reach full charging speed, see here Charging the S23 Ultra. An S23 Ultra can charge at a maximum of 14W on a normal USB PD charger and 45W on a PPS charger. If your smartphone does not support PPS, it will simply ignore this function and treat the charger as a normal USB PD charger.
The capacity
Let’s take a look at the capacity of the Podoru KT-D013.
Wh | mAh | |
5V/1A | 31,003 | 8379 |
9V/1A | 30,536 | 8253 |
In the test, the Podoru powerbank reached a capacity of up to 8379 mAh, which is just under 84% of the manufacturer’s specification. Great!
In general: The capacity specification for powerbanks always refers to the capacity of the battery cells inside. However, discharging them is not 100% efficient. There is always a certain loss in the form of heat, due to internal processes, voltage conversions, etc. This is especially true when using Quick Charge, USB PD or other fast charging standards. 80-90% is the common “good” value for usable capacity. Above 90% is very rare and below 80% is unusual. Also consider that your smartphone is not charging at 100% efficiency! If it has a 2000mAh battery, about 2600mAh is needed for a 100% charge. However, this depends on the model and the method of charging.
Charging time
Let’s take a look at the charging time of the powerbank.
I was able to measure a charging time of 3:26h on a USB Power Delivery charger, which is pleasantly fast. On a classic USB A charger, a charge took approx. 5:25h.
Conclusion
If you have a current iPhone with MagSafe charging, the Podoru KT-D013 is a great powerbank!
Thanks to the 20W USB C port, the powerbank charges quickly in all directions. We also have PPS support. The range is not gigantic, but it does speed up the charging of the Samsung S series considerably
But the Podoru KT-D013 is already primarily built for the Apple ecosystem. We can also see this in the optional Lightning port. If possible, I would use the USB C port to charge the powerbank, which helps you fill it up in about 3:26 hours.
Wireless charging also works perfectly and the magnetic force of the powerbank is pleasantly strong.
In short, if you can get the powerbank at a good price (around 30€) and have a current iPhone, then I can recommend it with a clear conscience.
Alternatively, take a look at the AYCLIF 10000 mAh Magnetic Wireless Powerbank.