TP-Link 10400mAh Power Bank: charge your phone and tablet while on the go

Many of us tend to have smartphones that run out of battery life while we're on the go. For those annoying times, a mobile charger is the ultimate accessory. TP-Link's 10400mAh Power Bank (model number TL-PB10400) is one of the most useful on the market, allowing you to charge your device multiple times, or even to charge two devices at once. The only downside is that you have to carry around a bit more bulk.

It's a battery pack with a rectangular shape that's 88mm long and 42mm wide, and it's got that white Apple-device-like styling we're all so familiar with. Up top there are two USB ports, one with a 1A (amp) rating, and another with a 2A rating, and these are the ports that you use to plug in your devices. One the side is a micro-USB port, and this is what charges the battery pack. You can use your phone's charger to charge the battery pack, and you should do so overnight as it's a big battery and will take many hours to be filled completely.

With a 10400 milliamp-hour (mAh) rating, the Power Bank packs plenty of juice for today's big phones. Models such as Samsung's Galaxy S5, for example, feature a battery with a 2800mAh rating. This means that on a single charge of the Power Bank, you can charge the Galaxy S5 up to three times from anywhere.

During our evaluation of the Power bank, we tested with both a Samsung Galaxy S5, and with a Samsung Galaxy S4, which has a slightly smaller battery of 2600mAh. We were able to get three and a bit charges out of the Power Bank before it was depleted (one of the S5, and two and bit of the S4). There is a string of indicator lights at the top of the battery pack to let you know how much life it has remaining, and there is a quick-check button to press as well, so you can make sure the battery has enough life in it before you venture out.

We didn't charge our phones when they were completely dead, nor while they were off. Instead, we waited until we received the Android battery notification telling us that the battery was a few percent off dying, and only then plugged them in to the Power Bank. We feel that this is a typical way to use the portable charger, because you don't want to wait until your phone is completely dead. Furthermore, you will still want your phone to be operational while you charge it so that you can continue to receive calls and messages (the supplied USB charging cable is about 80cm long).

A typical charge off the 1A USB port took about 2hr 30min for the Samsung Galaxy S5, while a charge on the 2A port took about 1hr 30min. The charge time from the 2A port is approximately the same as the time we get when charging the phone using its supplied 2A wall charger. This means you won't have to compromise charge time for convenience for that phone.

You don't have to restrict usage of the Power Bank to phones either. We found it to be useful for also charging other micro-USB equipped devices, including Bluetooth headphones. That said, it's best suited to those of you who use big phones and also tablets. It costs $50 and is a good investment, especially if you want to keep two or more devices charged up while you're out and about.