Realme Power Bank 2 Review: Affordable, Safe, and High-Capacity

Unable to make electronic money payments because the battery died…

I forgot to charge my earphones…

Portable chargers solve problems just like these.
They have truly become an essential item for modern life.

Even when you call them portable chargers, there are various types available, such as small and highly portable models or types capable of ultra-fast charging. They differ in charging speed, capacity, and various other features, with each model having its own unique characteristics.

The “realme Power Bank 2“ introduced here boasts a large capacity of 20,000mAh while priced at just 2,980 yen.
With just this one device in your bag, anyone can stop worrying about running out of battery during the day!

In this article, we will summarize the key points to consider when choosing a portable charger, introduce the brand behind this portable charger, and discuss who it is recommended for.

Basic Information on the realme Power Bank 2

What kind of company is realme?

“realme” was originally a sub-brand of OPPO targeted at younger demographics.
It has since become independent from OPPO and now sells smartphones and IoT products primarily targeting young people in emerging markets.

Data source (September 2022)
https://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/mobile/worldwide

The pie chart above shows the global smartphone market share (as of September 2022).
realme boasts the 7th largest market share in the world and has earned quite a high reputation globally.

Having entered the Japanese market just recently in April 2021, it still has a short history in Japan. It does not sell its flagship smartphones in the Japanese market yet, entering only with IoT products such as smartwatches and earphones.

Specifications

Battery Capacity	20000mAh	Colors	Yellow/Black
Input	18W	Dimensions	Approx.  150mm × 72mm × 27.5mm
Output	18W	Weight	Approx. 495g
Number of Output Ports	3 (USB-C × 1 / USB-A × 2)	Actual Weight	427.7g (measured by our site)

Input (USB-C)	5V 3.0A (Max) 9V 2.0A (Max) 12V 1.5A (Max)
Output Single Port (USB-C)	5V 3.1A (Max) 9V 2.0A (Max) 12V 1.5A (Max)
Output Single Port (USB-A)	5V 3.1A (Max) 9V 2.0A (Max) 12V 1.5A (Max)
Output Multi-Port	5V 3.1A (Max)
Fast Charging Protocols	USB-PD/QC/PE/AFC

It also features a low-current mode designed for IoT products provided by realme, such as wireless earphones and wearable devices.

Keep the above points in mind to choose a battery that matches your specific purpose and application.

With these points in mind, the key features of the “realme Power Bank 2” can be summarized as follows.

Additionally, there was a discrepancy of about 70g between the actual weight and the official specifications.

The actual weight of the “realme Power Bank 2” was 427.7g.
Honestly, even with this, it is quite heavy.

The smartphone in the photo is the nostalgic iPhone 6s.
In terms of size, it feels about the same as or slightly larger than recent smartphones.

Included Items

The manual is fully localized in Japanese.

Instead of a standard Type-C cable, it comes with a 2-in-1 cable that also supports MicroUSB Type-B.

Since many devices such as earphones still use MicroUSB Type-B, this is a thoughtful touch typical of realme, anticipating use for charging IoT products!

Design

Sometimes when you buy a cheap portable charger on Amazon, you might encounter illegal products that lack the PSE mark, but this “realme Power Bank 2” naturally comes with the PSE mark.

Actual Usability

Ultra-high capacity and 3 ports make this single unit totally satisfying

Because the “realme Power Bank 2” features an ultra-high capacity of 20000mAh and three ports, this single device will basically solve all your worries about running out of charge during the day!

For reference, the iPhone 14 Pro has a 3200mAh battery, so purely in terms of capacity, the “realme Power Bank 2” has about 6 times the capacity.
Although the battery capacity is about 6 times larger, power conversion occurs during actual power delivery, which results in energy loss.
Therefore, you can actually only draw about 60% to 70% of the listed battery capacity.
In the case of the iPhone 14 Pro, that translates to roughly 4 full charges.
However, this happens not only with the “realme Power Bank 2” but with any battery pack.

Since it can supply power to three devices simultaneously, it makes it possible to charge wireless earphones, a smartphone, and a tablet all at the same time!

Reliable safety design with circuit protection

As you can see, it comes with a variety of protective functions!
I have rarely seen a portable charger equipped with as many as 14 types of protection features.

As mentioned earlier, not only does it feature the PSE mark, but realme is also the world’s 7th largest smartphone brand, so its reliability is in a different league compared to some unknown, obscure brands out there.

Portable chargers carry the risk of exploding or catching fire.
Personally, I think it is best to choose a reliable brand whenever possible, not just for portable chargers, but for any product containing a battery.

Low-current mode to prevent battery degradation

If you read instruction manuals carefully, they generally state that wearable devices like earphones and smartwatches should ideally be charged with low power, such as 5V/1A.

This feature prevents battery degradation in such devices. It’s simple to use—just press the power button twice to switch to low-current mode.

However, you do need to keep in mind that it only lasts for a maximum of 2 hours.

Maximum output is a modest 18W

While it’s reasonably fast for charging smartphones, tablets, and other IoT products, it feels like it might lack the power to charge laptops and similar devices.

It supports USB-PD, QC, PE, and AFC fast-charging standards.
Personally, support for QC and PD is more than enough for me, but if you care about other standards, please make sure to check them thoroughly.

Too big and heavy for carrying around…

As I mentioned earlier, this portable charger is, to be honest, heavy and large.
As shown in the image above, it weighs over 400g—roughly the same as a commercially available bottled drink—and is about as big as a modern smartphone.

Some lightweight 10,000mAh portable chargers weigh around 180g, so it’s a bit questionable whether a portable charger weighing over 400g is easy to carry around casually.

This also depends on how you plan to use it; since it feels like having a full plastic bottle permanently in your bag, opinions will likely be split between those who mind and those who don’t.
In short, portability is a trade-off with performance and safety…

Conclusion

The exceptionally cheap realme Power Bank 2 is a buy

What do you think?
At the time of writing, the price is an extremely affordable 2,980 yen, and it is truly surprising that something with such a large capacity, high performance, and high safety is available.

When purchasing on Amazon, you can also select Amazon.co.jp as the seller rather than a third-party marketplace vendor, which minimizes the chance of having to deal with unscrupulous sellers.

While there are portable chargers from lesser-known brands in the same price range and with the same capacity, when you consider safety, minor features, and performance, there is likely no portable charger that can rival the “realme Power Bank 2.”

If you are working with a limited budget and want to buy a high-capacity portable charger no matter what, this is pretty much the only choice.

Recommended For

Thank you very much for reading to the end!

• Product prices and information are current as of the time of writing.
• Please note that our site assumes no responsibility whatsoever even if this information contains errors.

This article was originally written in Japanese and has been translated.