Recently my colleague Artem Sutyagin reviewed an unusual UGREEN charger and confirmed that the company knows how to surprise. I picked up a power bank from the same brand — UGREEN Mini 55W 10000mAh Built-in Cable Power Bank — and wasn’t disappointed either. On AliExpress with delivery from Russia, it costs around 2,500 rubles. I’ll honestly share what I liked and what I didn’t.

This power bank pleasantly surprised me

What Is UGREEN

UGREEN is a reliable brand with a reputation it has something to lose. I stopped buying no-name phone power banks from AliExpress after discovering several times that the claimed 20,000 mAh actually turned out to be 12,000 — and that was in the best case.

I chose the UGREEN power bank specifically because of the built-in cable, since I was tired of searching for one in my bag or pocket every time. When you need to charge your phone on the go and the cable is somewhere in your backpack — it’s annoying.

Compact Power Bank with Display

A compact power bank in a bluish-gray matte case. The surface doesn’t show fingerprints, it sits confidently in the hand — doesn’t slip and doesn’t feel cheap. The braided built-in cable attaches neatly to the edge and doesn’t dangle: it tucks away so it doesn’t get in the way when stored in a pocket.

Power bank package contents

The main visual highlight is the display. Not four LED dots like most competitors, but two indicators simultaneously: a circular one with five segments showing the charge level, and next to it — a digital wattmeter displaying current power output in real time. This changes the user experience: you see 45W — you understand that fast charging is working. You see 5W — something went wrong.

In the box alongside the UGREEN Mini 55W 10000mAh Built-in Cable Power Bank itself, there’s a short USB-C cable included. That’s a nice bonus: the built-in cable is the main one, the separate one is for when you need to charge two devices or when you want to charge the bank itself.

External Battery with Fast Charging

A power bank with fast charging at 55W — sounds like a lot for such a compact device. In practice, you can feel it. I connect my vivo X300 via the built-in cable — the phone shows fast charging and gains percentage noticeably faster than from a regular power bank. And if you use a Xiaomi smartphone, the speed will be maximum thanks to native protocol compatibility.

The power bank really charges the smartphone fast

The separate USB-A port isn’t neglected either — I connected earbuds to it for charging. A standard problem with cheap power banks: they shut off at low current draw, thinking the device is fully charged. Here there’s a trickle charge mode activated by double-pressing the button. The earbuds charged without issues. The UGREEN external battery also supports simultaneous charging of two devices — a phone via the built-in cable and something else via USB-A. The wattmeter at that moment honestly shows the total power output.

How Many Times Does a 10000 mAh Power Bank Charge a Smartphone

In practice, this means the following. A smartphone with a 6000 mAh battery — around one and a half full charge cycles with a small remainder. A smartphone with 5000 mAh — almost two times. If you’re taking a one-day trip with one phone — it’ll be more than enough. If two devices or a tablet — plan more carefully.

The UGREEN 10000 mAh power bank weighs little and fits in a jeans pocket — that’s the whole point of the word “compact.” Most 20,000 mAh power banks won’t fit in a pocket at all. This one will, but the device still has its drawbacks.

Drawbacks of the UGREEN External Battery

No pass-through charging. This means that if you plug a charger into the bank while a phone is connected to it — the ports restart and phone charging is interrupted for a few seconds. Not critical, but inconvenient if you want to charge the bank and power something from it at the same time.

The external battery has its drawbacks too

Under maximum load — when charging something powerful at 45W for an extended period — the case and the connector area get noticeably warm. It’s far from uncomfortable, holding it is fine, but the difference from regular charging mode is noticeable. This isn’t a defect, it’s physics — just worth knowing.

Is the UGREEN Power Bank Worth Buying

2,500 rubles with delivery from Russia on AliExpress — that’s a very fair price for a powerful power bank with real 55W like Xiaomi, a built-in cable, and a display with a wattmeter.

The UGREEN power bank is worth buying if:

  • you regularly need a quick top-up on the go without searching for a cable;
  • you want to see what’s happening during charging rather than guessing from LEDs;
  • you need an external phone battery that fits in a pocket and doesn’t lie about its capacity;
  • you have earbuds or a fitness band with low power consumption — the trickle charge mode is a lifesaver.

Don’t buy it if you absolutely need pass-through charging or capacity above 10,000 mAh for multiple devices. In that case, look at the higher-end models in the same lineup. The UGREEN Mini 55W 10000mAh Built-in Cable Power Bank is one of the best compact power banks I’ve ever held in my hands.