We all want a well-built power bank with lots of ports. Read our Crave Plus portable charger review to find out if it’s right for you.
Crave Plus portable charger review: the desire for faster speed
Sometimes power bank manufacturers seem to be arguing for the lightest, thinnest option on the market. Crave seems to have found a possible solution. Their Crave Plus portable charger is only 10.16mm thin, but what is the price? The 10,000mAh capacity still has to hold up somewhere, so let’s see how Crave meets the challenge. This is our Crave Plus portable charger review.
What you need to know about the Crave Plus Crave Plus portable charger (10,000 mAh):
49.99 Euro Crave Plus Pro (20,000 mAh): 99.99 EUR As mentioned above, the Crave Plus series power bank only includes two models. Today we have the smallest 10,000 mAh option. There are three ports on the bottom edge of this metal shell power bank: a micro USB for input / output, a USBC for input / output, and a USBA for output only. It requires the maximum output speed from the USBA port to be 18W and the maximum output speed from the USBC port to be 15W, although our test results are slightly different (we’ll see later).
Crave Plus usually has a gray metal case with a silver plastic edge. There is a small silver button and four white LEDs on one side to check the remaining charge. As already mentioned, the power bank is very thin at 10.16mm. The longest side is 157.48mm and the width is 78.74mm. Crave Plus also weighs 246.6g. Overall, it’s thin enough to fit in a backpack, but you will feel the weight inside the bag.
The packaging is simple, with a small instruction manual and a USB A-micro USB cable in the box. An important point clarified in the user manual is the input limit of 2.4A. This means you need to spend around 7 hours charging the power bank.
What should I do?
Crave set themselves the goal of building a lean and sturdy power bank and were generally successful. With a thickness of only 10 mm, it is still possible to reserve space for CravePlus. I am on the move. It’s on the way. Twist and turn several times with a metal structure. Even the edges of the plastic look solid, but you should do everything to protect the port.
We also found that CravePlus portable chargers outperformed their advertised speeds, at least with USB C cables. Although it is listed up to 15W, it has a speed of 17W on Microsoft Surface 3 laptops and 17.5 W on the iPhone 12 Pro. The Samsung Galaxy S21 delivers a speed of 14.7W on its USB A port, thanks to its fast charging support. Samsung is customizable. Overall, CravePlus supports a robust set of charging standards. No mention is made of USB power, but the same speed has been achieved on multiple devices. Older devices can use Quick Charge 2 and 3, and Crave Plus includes Samsung’s AFC, Apple 2.4A, and Huawei Fast Charge.
What is not so good?
The Crave Plus is pretty slim, but it’s not the lightest power bank I’ve ever used. Due to its metal construction, it feels heavier than the stated weight of 246g. Desire can also make the power bank higher and wider to compensate for the thickness. Samsung’s new flagship phone and Google Pixel 6 series require USB PD PPS for maximum speed, so it would have been nice to see official Power Delivery support.
Should you buy it?
If you are looking for a slim power bank, use the CravePlus portable charger. Even though the body is wide and wide, it is not easy to make it much thinner than 10mm. Reasonable charging speed for non-Samsung devices with an appropriate range of charging standards, although the latest power options are not included.
Unfortunately, the use of microUSB and very slow charging has slowed down otherwise well-built power banks. If you don’t like metal construction, check out Anker’s PowerCore III Wireless ($ 49). It’s not too expensive, but it does include Anker’s own Power IQ and Qi chargers. On the top plate. If you have an impressive budget, consider Samsung’s 25W Cordless Portable Battery ($ 79). Expensive for a power bank, but includes a USB PD PPS and a rubber charging pad that keeps the device powered off.