Why you possibly can belief TechRadar
We spend hours testing each services or products we assessment, so that you might be positive you’re shopping for the most effective. Find out more about how we test.
VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Energy Financial institution assessment
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Energy Financial institution is a small energy financial institution with a design that makes it a vogue accent in addition to a transportable battery. The Cath Kidston crossover means you get the model’s illustrative designs. The bee print end of the mannequin I had was slightly refined, with its cream background and the small drawings missing any vivid colours.
If you need slightly extra vibrancy, two extra finishes can be found, each floral in nature, and incorporate vivid shades of purple and inexperienced. All schemes have a high-gloss end, which VQ claims is scratch-resistant. After spending a few days with it, I didn’t discover any blemishes.
Different good touches embody the small energy button built-in on the bezel, and the equally discreet LED dots indicating the battery lifetime of the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Energy Financial institution. These are built-in on the entrance panel within the backside proper nook, and are barely noticeably, designed to intrude as little as potential on the Cath Kidston design. The issue is, nevertheless, that they’re onerous to see even once they’re lit up, and are just about invisible when them from an angle, which is lower than ideally suited.
What’s extra sensible, although, is the pleasingly gentle and slim kind issue, making it straightforward to hold in a bag or pocket. Nevertheless, whereas the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Energy Financial institution is constructed fairly nicely, it isn’t up there with the very best power banks. The plastic panels do flex considerably, and whereas the joins to the bezel are sturdy sufficient, I did discover a couple of vast gaps in locations. Additionally, the facility button doesn’t fairly sit flush with the bezel as maybe it ought to, though it’s not less than straightforward to make use of.
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Energy Financial institution options one USB-C, one USB-A, and one Lightning port – disappointingly, although, solely the USB-A can be utilized for charging units, as the opposite two are for enter solely. That is particularly baffling within the case of the Lightning port, as it is a now-defunct commonplace for older Apple units, so fairly what it’s doing right here as an enter is a thriller.
What’s additionally uncommon is that VQ doesn’t present an influence output determine, though it does listing the voltage and amperage for each the enter and the output, so with some primary math, its whole wattage ought to be 20.5W.
Charging my Google Pixel 7a from 50% to full took about two and a half hours, which is an satisfactory efficiency. The financial institution depleted by one dot, which means it ought to be capable of deal with two roughly full expenses. Charging the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Energy Financial institution itself from about half full took simply over two hours, which once more isn’t a very spectacular effort.
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Energy Financial institution is dearer than different common energy banks with related specs, so it appears you’re paying for its seems to be greater than anything. Until you actually should have the Cath Kidston design, there are higher worth picks on the market.
VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Energy Financial institution assessment: worth & specs
Worth |
£29 (about $38 / AU$60) |
Capability |
5,000mAh |
Complete wattage |
20.5W |
Variety of ports |
3 |
USB-A |
1 |
USB-C |
1 (enter solely) |
Lightning |
1 (enter solely) |
Wi-fi charging |
No |
Weight |
6.1oz / 174g |
Energy-to-weight |
29mAh/g |