INTRODUCTION

   If you happen to enjoy taking long road trips or if you just like to take a break from civilization every once in a while then you probably own at least one powerbank (portable battery) in order to provide all your mobile devices with sufficient power until you get back (cutting all contact with civilization and its perks is not really easy). As I’ve mentioned before in previous reviews not only do i always carry around with me a tiny card sized powerbank in my wallet for emergencies but i also have a regular sized model in my car for when I’m in a hurry to leave and may end up forgetting to pack one with the rest of my stuff. Xtorm is among a handful of manufacturers that focus in releasing high quality models with top of the line battery cells and many interesting features and today we'll be taking a look at one of their latest powerbank the XB202 DISCOVER 17.000mAh.

   Xtorm was founded in 2008 and is part of the Dutch company Telco Accessories B.V., which has its head office in Houten (NL). Xtorm designs, manufactures and markets innovative universal mobile charging solutions. Xtorm Business products complement the range. Xtorm products are contemporary, user friendly and high quality. Xtorm products are currently available in 57 countries worldwide.

   Although inside the XB202 DISCOVER Xtorm has placed 17.000mAh worth of high quality (A-class) lithium-ion battery cells it's most important feature is the ability to charge multiple mobile devices simultenously via its 3 USB ports (two USB 5V/2.4A and one USB-C 5V//3A). On top of that one of the two "regular" USB ports fully supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 technology (can charge devices up to four times faster compared to conventional charging - as long as it's also supported by your mobile device that is) which according to the manufacturer essentially allows your mobile device to determine what power level to request at any point in time thus enabling optimum power transfer while maximizing efficiency. The Discover 17.000mAh also features a partially rubberized exterior, storage area for a bundled removable micro USB charging cable, 360 degrees power level LED indicator and protections against overload overcharge and overheating.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As usual a large product picture is placed at the front of the box right over the main product features and beneath the company logo.

The main product features are also showcased on the left side of the box.

A few words about the XB202 are placed at the rear of the box in 7 languages right over its specifications.

The front of the box also opens up to reveal not only the powerbank itself but also a few words about its features.

Along with the XB202 DISCOVER 17.000mAh powerbank you will also get a USB-C cable, USB to micro-USB cable, product registration paper and the user manual.

THE XB202 DISCOVER

The XB202 is a medium sized powerbank so its 320g heavy partially rubber coated enclosure measures no less than 135.2mm in length, 81.46mm in width and 23mm in height.

To get a better idea about the size of the XB202 we placed it right next to the AL420 9.000mAh model again by Xtorm, the Ultra Compact Powerbank 10.000mAh by CHJGD and the PL3 10.400mAh and PL2 6.000mAh models by Luxa2.

The power button is placed at the top of the enclosure and is surrounded by the 360 degrees power level LED indicator.

Xtorm has placed their logo both on the top rubber area of the enclosure and on a small piece of fabric as seen above.

A rather short micro-USB cable is stored inside a special area located on the right side of the enclosure.

The removable cable is roughly 110mm in length and is quite durable since it's braided.

This cable is actually held in place by a small magnet so it's not very easy to detach.

All three USB ports are located at the front of the device as seen above (only the far right however supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 technology).

CONCLUSION

   After having tested a very large number of powerbanks (portable batteries) whenever a new model arrived in our lab we always hope to see new and innovative technologies and/or features something which unfortunately hasn't happened in quite a while. So does the DISCOVER 17.000mAh fit that description? Well the answer is perhaps since it does have a USB type C port (we just started seeing those), supports Quick Charge 3.0 (although 4.0 is already available 3.0 is more widely available and we have quite a few mobile devices that support it) and features a nice rubber coating on both its top and bottom. These of course are not groundbreaking features and we have seen them before but since they are not widely available the DISCOVER 17.000mAh is far from your average powerbank. Moving to battery capacity as expected the XB202 doesn't deliver 17.000mAh and so after using it for 2 weeks and testing it with several mobile devices our sample (battery cells are never 100% identical) seems to deliver anywhere between 12.500-14.000mAh a number which is by no means small and should provide up to 5-6 full charges for most current smartphones.

   Xtorm makes some of the best powerbanks in the market so it's only normal that they are not what most people would consider extremely affordable. So currently you can find the XB202 DISCOVER 17.000mAh model for USD110.11 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 76Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which actually lands it very close to other models with support for Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0/4.0 technologies (unfortunately since Xtorm is an EU based company the USA pricing for the XB202 is set quite higher than what we were expecting). So in conclusion the XB202 DISCOVER 17.000mAh may not bring anything extraordinary on the table (always compared to for example some solar and notebook models again by Xtorm) but it does feature A-class battery cells which can charge your mobile devices (and up to three of them simultenously) up to 5-6 times and is fully compatible with Quick Charge 3.0 so we can't really deny it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design (Rubber Coated Exterior)
- Quality (A Class Battery Cells)
- High Capacity (17.000mAh)
- 3 Output Ports (Quick Charge 3.0)
- Removable Micro USB Cable
- 360 Degrees Battery Charge Indicator

CONS

- Price (For Some)