MiLi Power Prince Plus (HB-C50-2) Review

Another day, another review. Well, not actually. This is my first review after a few months of being inactive. Anyway, today I'm going to review an external battery unit or a portable charger (or a power bank, some might say) by MiLi: the Power Prince Plus. I am aware that this might be an old product, but since I got it on a steep discount (approximately U$13), it shouldn't hurt to get one and review it immediately.

Okay, before moving to the review, let's cover the surface first. This unit is capable of holding 6,000mAh of charge, allowing it to almost fully charge an iPad once or a smartphone once to three times, depending on the battery. Oh yes, and this device is also certified for use in Apple's iDevice lineups, so you shouldn't be afraid to use it on your iPhones, iPods, or iPads.

That's it for the basics. Hit the break if you want to read the full review. Happy reading :D

The Package

The box is pretty neat for a spare battery unit, which isn't a surprise since MiLi is considered as one of the premium battery brands in the market (at least in Indonesia).The package is tightly sealed, with the unit sitting in the middle, locked into a plastic container.

The contents are straight and simple

Unpacking the box, you'll find the battery unit along with the main USB - Micro USB cable and two Micro USB extensions, which I'll cover later. Unfortunately, MiLi doesn't include a USB adapter, so you'll have to rely on your smartphone's adapter or your PC's USB to charge it. Additionally, MiLi has also included a small sheet of product instruction. Strangely enough, there's no warranty card although the box says that 1 year warranty is included. I can't comment much on the warranty, but I think users will have to rely on the seller to claim the warranty should they receive a defective unit.

Overall, the package is neat, simple, and straight. Next, let's move on to the unit's design and features.

The Unit

The reflection clearly states that this unit has a glossy casing

This unit is probably a piece of art, one of the few beautifully designed power units to date. At a slim dimension (122mm x 65mm x 15mm), it easily fits into your pockets or bags. Its piano paint color is also beautiful to look, though not very friendly to touch. Having a glossy casing means that the unit is very prone to fingerprints and scratches. Thus, I advise you use to hold and use the unit with care.

Having three ports is a standard in modern
portable charger units

This unit is pretty thin despite its
medium-large capacity

Done with the design, let's take a look at what this baby has to offer. In the front, you'll have the usual ports: 2 USB ports for output and 1 Micro USB port for input. One notable (but not unique) feature of this unit is that it may charge two devices at the same time, but with two different outputs. The first port can only give maximum 1 A of charge while the second can give up to 2.1 A of charge. As for the input, you're welcome to charge it with up to 2.1 A adapter. I really don't recommend using higher-spec adapter, since it may break and / or give overheat to your unit.

On one of the sides, this unit has 4 small blue LED lights indicating how much power is still left in the unit. Each light (which represents 25% of power) is so small that you might have to examine it closely to see it. Unfortunately, my smartphone camera couldn't capture the individual LEDs, but it's there.

Aside from the unit, there's also a micro-USB cable and two additional cable extensions. Both of them are mini USB and connector for Galaxy Tab. Interestingly, there's no lightning connector. Probably because Apple has enforced hardware security into their lightning architecture and you'll have to pay license to adopt it.

The Performance

The four LED power indicators

According to the spec sheet, this unit is capable of holding 6,000mAh of charge. Not only that, this unit is also capable of consecutively charging two devices, although that means the unit's battery will also drain much faster.

I was able to fully charge my BlackBerry Q10 twice and roughly half of my LG G2. This, however, may change according to how you charge your device, and the condition of the batteries themselves. Next, to charge it from null to full, takes approximately 8 hours using a 1A adapter. It will obviously charge faster with 2A adapter, but I had no time to try it.

The Verdict

So now it's finally down to the final question: is it worth your money? Well, you could extract the answer yourself from here:

Pros:

• Elegant design
• Solid performance

Cons:

• Quite expensive, considering there are external battery units with more capacity with lower or equal price.
• Piano finish might attract numerous fingerprint.
• No carrying case included in the package.

So, to sum up: If you want a good-looking and solid battery unit from a premium brand, then you might give this a look. If it's on a steep discount, you should get one. Otherwise, well... I could offer you other choices that might be of your interest.

Well, I guess that's all, Folks. I'm sorry if this review doesn't cover anything beyond design and performance since I'm in the middle of a test. However, if you have any questions regarding to the product (no, I won't persuade you to buy it since I'm not a marketer...), then feel free to ask. As always, I'll try to give you my best answer.

Okay, in the end, thanks for reading and I'm looking forward to your next visit :)