Sandberg Pocket Powerbank 5000 Review

Sandberg Pocket Powerbank 5000 Review: Introduction and product features

Welcome to my Sandberg Pocket Powerbank 5000 Review. Sandberg is no stranger when it comes to producing mobile power banks. They have a wide range of mobile power banks suited to the different everyday needs of people. For example, they have rugged power banks in excess of 10000mAh of capacity, normal power banks with enough capacity to fully charge a phone and small power banks designed with providing your battery a boost when you need it most. The Pocket Powerbank 5000 falls into the category of power banks the provide your phone with at least one full charge. With an RRP of £19.99 this really is a cheap choice in the large market of power banks.

The following feature list is taken directly from the product page on Sandberg’s website.

Capacity: 5000 mAh
Battery type: Li-polymer
Input: 5V/1A
USB Output: 5V/1A
Connectors: 1 x Micro USB female, 1 x USB A female
Charging time: 6-7 hours by AC adapter / 12-14 hours by PC

Sandberg Pocket Powerbank 5000 Review: Design

When the marketing department at Sandberg decided to name this the ”Pocket Powerbank”, they were quite obviously paying very good attention to the product, (well that is what they are paid for) as right away the first thing to strike you about this device is its size. Coming in with a height of 0.7cm, a width of 6.5cm and a depth of 11.5cm, this certainly is a device that will fit in any pocket. This certainly is a world of difference, when compared to bigger and bulkier power banks which require a bag at least. Pair this size with the relatively light weight of only 131g and you have a wonderful little product that you’ll easily forget you’re carrying around.

In terms of looks, I have to say there is a device from the past 17 years that this greatly reminds me of. That device is the original iPod. The reason for this is blatantly obvious. Just look at the photos. The Pocket Powerbank 5000 has a plastic white front and a silver aluminum alloy back plate. The only things missing to 100% match the iPod design are the buttons, a headphone jack, an iPod charging port and of course a large monochrome display. That said it does look fantastic and who knows maybe this design is a little nod to the original iPod.

There are only two ports on this power bank, a microUSB port for charging the power bank itself and a normal USB port for connecting a mobile device. On the front plate of the device at the very top is a small black rectangle that is home to four sets of lights, which each consists of three tiny LED’s. These lights are used to indicate how much battery life remains in the power bank itself. Next to this series of lights is a power button used for activating device charging and resetting the product.

Sandberg Pocket Powerbank 5000 Review: Charging performance

There are two ways to charge the internal battery of the power bank. You can plug it directly into a PC’s USB port, although this will mean waiting 12 to 14 hours for the battery to charge, or you plug it into a USB AC adapter and only have to wait half of that time. I personally prefer things done quickly so I have been charging this using an AC adapter. Of course, when the device arrived it was already almost full, so I ran it down to flat and then fully charged it to see how long it would take. True to the claim it took about6.5 hours to charge using my AC adapter. Admittedly I have had larger power banks that charge a bit quicker than this, but with a bit of forward planning, it isn’t going to be hard to have this fully charged before it’s needed.

When it comes to power banks it’s always important to remember that the stated mAh (in this case 5000mAh) is not the full amount of capacity available to the user. The actual amount can vary but during my tests has often been around the 3500mAh mark. The reasons for this isn’t because the manufacturer lying to you, but rather because the battery has to convert its 3.7v to 5 v which then means conversion losses are made.

The phone I have only has a 3120mAh battery, which means I can get one full charge and then a tiny bit of boost if required later. You could get close to two full charges if using a device such as an iPhone 6 that has a smaller 1810mAh rated battery. A full charge for my phone takes roughly 4 to 5 hours from the Sandberg Pocket Powerbank 5000.

Sandberg Pocket Powerbank 5000 Review: Overall

The Sandberg Pocket Powerbank 5000 is a shining example of how to create a budget-friendly power bank that offers most phones at least one full charge, while still being pocket-friendly in other ways, such as the fact that it fits perfectly in a pocket. Its sleek iPod like design is stunning and certainly sets it aside from similar products.