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: craving faster speeds
Sometimes it seems like power bank makers are in a race for the lightest, thinnest option on the market – Crave seems to have found a possible solution with its Crave Plus portable charger that’s just 10.16mm d. thickness, but at what cost? The 10,000mAh capacity still has to hold up somewhere, so let’s see how Crave rose to the challenge. This is our test for the Crave Plus portable charger.
What you need to know about the Crave Plus portable charger
Crave Plus (10,000 mAh): € 49.99
Crave Plus Pro (20,000 mAh): € 99.99
As mentioned above, the Crave Plus family of power banks includes only two models. and today we have the smallest 10,000mAh option in our hands. This metal-cased power bank has a trio of ports along the bottom edge: a micro USB for input / output, a USBC for input / output, and a USBA for output only. It requires maximum output speeds of 18W from the USBA port and 15W from the USBC port, although our testing produced slightly different results (as we’ll see in a moment).
The Crave Plus has a gray metal housing with mostly silver plastic ends. It has a small silver button and four white LEDs on one side to check the remaining charge. As already mentioned, the power bank is incredibly thin at 10.16mm. It measures 157.48mm on the long side and 78.74mm wide. The Crave Plus also weighs 246.6g. Overall, it’s thin enough to fit in a backpack, but you’ll likely feel the weight in a bag.
The packaging is simple, with a small instruction manual and a USBA to micro USB cable in the box. One important point that the user manual makes clear is the 2.4A input limit, which means you will need to spend around seven hours charging the power bank.
What is good?
Crave set themselves the goal of building a slim and sturdy power bank, and overall they’ve been successful: With a thickness of just 10mm, it shouldn’t be a problem to make room for the Crave Plus anytime you are on the move. Take a few twists and turns with the metal structure. Even the plastic ends feel solid, although everything still needs to be done to protect the ports.
I’ve also found that the Crave Plus portable charger outperforms advertised speeds, at least for the USBC cable. It’s listed up to 15W, but I got 17W speeds on a Microsoft Surface 3 laptop and 17.5W speeds on an iPhone 12 Pro. A Samsung Galaxy S21 reached speeds of 14.7W with the USBA port thanks to support for fast charging. Samsung customizable.
Overall, the Crave Plus supports a robust set of charging standards. There is no mention of USB power, but I got the same speeds on multiple devices. You can use Quick Charge 2 and 3 for older devices, and the Crave Plus includes Samsung’s AFC, Apple 2.4A, and Huawei Fast Charge.
What is not so good?
While the Crave Plus looks good and slim, it’s not the lightest power bank I’ve ever used. Due to its metal design, it feels heavier than the stated weight of 246g. Desire can also make its external battery higher and wider to compensate for the thickness; It would have been nice to see official Power Delivery support, as Samsung’s new flagship phones and the Google Pixel 6 series require USB PD PPS for maximum speeds.
Crave Plus portable charger review: should you buy it?
Those of you looking for a stylish power bank will be well served with the Crave Plus portable charger. Getting a waistline much thinner than 10mm isn’t easy, even though it comes with a wider and fatter body. Reasonable charging speeds for non-Samsung devices with a decent range of charging standards, although the latest power options aren’t included. Unfortunately, the use of micro-USB and the incredibly slow charging slowed down an otherwise well-built power bank.
If you’re not concerned about metal construction, check out Anker’s PowerCore III Wireless ($ 49). It’s not more expensive, but it does include Anker’s proprietary PowerIQ charging, as well as a Qi charger. on the top plate. Those of you on an impressive budget might consider Samsung’s 25W Cordless Portable Battery ($ 79). It’s expensive for a power bank but includes USB PD PPS and a rubberized charging pad that will keep your devices powered off