Power banks are a device category that never ceases to fascinate me. They store an incredible amount of energy in the smallest of spaces and are incredibly practical in everyday life. My fascination with these things is certainly one of the reasons why you can find so many power bank tests on the Sir Apfelot blog.
In this review, I tried a power bank from JIGA, which has a whopping 30.000 mAh. Most large power banks that still have a reasonably handy format usually have no more than 26.800 mAh. That's why the JIGA GW1 with 30.000 mAh is a bit out of the ordinary.
But the JIGA GW1 has another special feature: It has a Lightning input (next to Micro-USB and USB-C) so you can charge them with an iPhone charging cable.
Chapter in this post:
- 1 Notice of transparency
- 2 Specifications of JIGA GW1 power bank
- 3 What the JIGA GW1 can do
- 4 What the JIGA GW1 power bank can't do
- 5 No load-through feature
- 6 design and workmanship of JIGA GW1 power bank
- 7 My tests and measurements with the Powerbank GW1
- 8 efficiency and capacity rather weak
- 9 measurements:
- 10 Small inset: mAh and Wh – what is the difference?
- 11 My conclusion on the JIGA GW1
- 12 JIGA GW1 manual
- 13 Similar posts
Transparency notice
JIGA gave me the power bank for free. However, there were no conditions associated with the test. So, as usual, I'll write my test report "open snout" and openly criticize if there's something to criticize. I don't think you would expect anything else, but I still wanted to make it clear that I'm not influenced by just because someone sent me a free product.
Specifications of the JIGA GW1 power bank
- Manufacturer: JIGA
- Model: GW1
- Capacity: 30.000 mAh (measured: 71 Wh)
- Input USB C PD: 5V / 3A; 9V / 2A; 18W max.
- Input Micro USB: 5V / 2,4A; 9V / 2A
- Lightning input: 5V / 2A
- Qi charging output: 5W, 7,5W, 10W
- Output USB 1: 5V, 2,1A
- Output USB 2/3 QC 3.0: 5V / 3A; 9V / 2A; 12V / 1,5A; 18W max.
- Output USB-C PD: 5V / 3A; 9V / 2A; 12V / 1,5A; 18W max.
- Load through: no
- Flashlight function: yes
- Price: approx. 39 EUR (minus -19% discount at Amazon)
Scope of delivery: power bank, USB-C cable, Micro USB charging cable, manual
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What the JIGA GW1 can do
The technical data says it all, but sometimes it helps if you explain in detail what the abbreviations and values mean.
On the one hand, I find it very advantageous for Apple users that the power bank can be charged both via a USB-C socket and via a Lightning socket - a charging cable that has either one connection or the other is actually always at hand. However, you have to be aware that charging the power bank over USB-C Power Delivery the faster way is - almost twice as fast as Lightning (18 watts instead of 10 watts for Lightning).
The second advantage of the power bank is charging the power bank AND charging devices with USB C Power Delivery. It sounds like the most logical equipment, but there are actually power banks that can quickly charge devices connected via USB-C PD, but only charge at a snail's pace themselves because they don't offer power delivery that way.
The last positive point - besides the impressive capacity - is the variety of connections: Lightning input, USB C in and out, USB with Quick Charge 3.0 for non-iPhone users, Micro-USB - you can hardly ask for more. Quick Charge is a charging standard that is not supported by Apple devices, but Samsung smartphones are compatible with this type of fast charging.
Oh, and what you shouldn't forget: the power bank even has a built-in Qi charging pad to charge the iPhone or AirPods in particular wirelessly. Not essential, but nice to have.
What the JIGA GW1 Powerbank can't do
There are of course a few applications for which the JIGA Powerbank is out of the question due to the maximum output power of 18 watts. This includes, among other things, charging MacBook models, as these require significantly more than 18 watts.
A 12,9-inch iPad Pro can be charged with the JIGA GW1, but not quickly, because in my test, the iPad Pro consumed more than twice the maximum output power of the power bank when it was plugged into a suitable power supply unit – namely 36 watts.
So I see the JIGA GW1 as a power bank for smartphones, tablets and small devices like AirPods and the like.
No load-through feature
Another thing that some might miss about the JIGA Powerbank is "load-through". This means that you can charge devices on the power bank while the power bank itself is also being charged. I tried this and charged my iPad Pro via USB C while charging the JIGA power bank via micro USB.
As soon as the micro-USB connector supplied power to the power bank, the charging power at the USB-C port dropped to 1 watt. That's next to nothing. So you can say that it is practically impossible to charge the power bank and connected devices at the same time.
Design and workmanship of the JIGA GW1 power bank
Power banks are rarely design objects and the JIGA GW1 is no exception. I would say the optics are functional. The case is made of hard plastic and only one ring around the Qi charging pad is rubberized to prevent smartphones from slipping off.
All the sockets are – just like the flashlight – attached to one end of the power bank. If you want to plug in many plugs at the same time, it quickly gets cramped here. In the test, however, I was able to use the USB A and C sockets without them blocking each other.
Ultimately, the power bank makes a solid impression. I wouldn't throw it on the tile floor three times a day, but it should survive a fall without major damage.
My tests and measurements with the Powerbank GW1
The technical specifications that the manufacturers name are always great, but they often don't have too much to do with reality. That's why I've gotten into the habit of always checking a few things.
In the case of power banks, it is particularly interesting to see whether they really deliver as much charging power as the manufacturer claims and how much capacity you can actually get out of them.
The manufacturer specifies an output power of 18 watts for the charging power. I was also able to measure this with my iPad Pro and got a value of 18,3 watts.
Efficiency and capacity rather weak
When measuring the "efficiency" I measure the energy that is needed to charge the power bank from 0 to 100% and then see how much energy I get out.
It is quite normal to have a loss of 20 to 30% here, because whenever you charge a battery, some of the energy goes into the environment as heat. Of course there are other aspects that prevent you from achieving 100% efficiency, but I don't have the expertise to report more about them here.
For my measurements, I charged the power bank via the USB-C port with USB C Power Delivery. A total of 105 watt hours (Wh) were fed into the power bank. The charging process took about 7 hours.
When discharging (via a USB load resistor) I was able to draw 71 watt hours from the full power bank. This corresponds to an efficiency of approx. 68%.
measurements:
- Full charge: approx. 105 Wh (in approx. 7 hours)
- Completely discharged: approx. 71 Wh
- Efficiency: 68%
The efficiency is therefore at the lower end of all power banks that I have tried so far. For comparison: The Zendure A8 QC has an efficiency of 81% for me.
The result of this difference is that I can practically get more energy out of the Zendure A8 (84 Wh instead of 71 Wh!) although according to the specifications it has a significantly lower capacity at 26.800 mAh than the JIGA GW1 at 30.000 mAh.
I think the purchase price is also reflected here, because the Zendure A8 also cost over 100 euros at the time, while the JIGA GW1 is less than 40 euros.
Small insert: mAh and Wh - what's the difference?
If you are looking for a smartphone battery, the technical data of a laptop or if you want to buy a high-performance power bank, then you will definitely get past the mAh unit of measurement. This refers to the physical quantity milliampere hour; i.e. the thousandth of the ampere hour (Ah). The specification (admittedly also here in the blog) is often referred to as the "capacity" of the power storage unit, which is not entirely correct, but has become commonplace in everyday language.
Values in Wh (watt hours) are more meaningful for the energy storage capacity and thus with the actual boom in the battery. However, you can use the information in mAh to calculate those sizes if you know the output voltage in volts.
With the JIGA Powerbank, for example, the output voltage of the battery cells used is 3,7 volts. If you offset this 3,7 V with the 30 Ah (= 30.000 mAh) of the mobile power supplier, then you get a value of 3,7 Wh using the equation W=Q*U (30 V * 111 Ah).
My conclusion on the JIGA GW1
Despite the poor capacity readings and not-so-high performance, the JIGA GW1 power bank is a cheap solution for people who only want to charge iPads and iPhones and not MacBooks.
I also find it practical for camping because it has an integrated flashlight and combines many connections. If you see yourself as a target group here, you can Check out JIGA GW1 on Amazon.
- 【QI Wireless Charging】: Latest power bank with wireless panel, supports wireless fast charging with 5W, 7,5W...
- 【Power Bank with ultra-high capacity】: With the high-capacity Li-polymer battery, the integrated intelligent ...
- 【3 Inputs and 4 Outputs】: Use Type C, Lightning or Micro USB to charge the power bank. 4...
If you are more like this target group: "I need performance for MacBook and Co. and I don't care about money!", you can try it Zendure Super Tank Pro look at the power bank. It charges MacBook Pro models with up to 100 watts and you can even park your car on it.
JIGA GW1 manual
For everyone who is looking for the operating instructions for the JIGA GW1 Powerbank, I have made a small photo collage here:
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Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He acts as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with technical problems. In his spare time he rides electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with the iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions to current bugs.
The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de
Thanks for the test, but the part is already a fat hum.
Yes, anything in the 26800mAh range and up is pretty thick. The 10.000 mAh batteries are still reasonably handy. After that it goes steeply downhill. 😂