Red-E 4000mAh powerbank review: for the GoPro toter

It’s now operating standard for manufactures (and consumers) that smartphones ought to do more. Each new device launched needs to be packed with even more features and functionality. Of course, not all these features are great, some are’t even needed, but the common denominator among all these features, is that they almost always demand more from the battery.

One wonders why some manufacturers have been adopting the trend of shrinking the battery in their newer models. Under heavy use, smartphones, with the exception of a few, cannot see users through the day and it should not be.

Take the iPhone 6S by Apple for example. With 3D Touch, the devices are pretty much required to be on for most of the time, or at least lay in wait, ready to quickly respond to a touch. However, Apple has decided to drop its battery size when compared to the outgoing iPhone 6, from 1810mAh to 1715mAh.

It makes no sense at all.

When the Red-E PowerBank 4000mAh arrived on my desk, it was after much disappointment at the hands of other powerbanks that were simply not good enough. The demand for powerbanks has meant that the market is practically saturated with them, with every other manufacturer crafting it own version. The truth is that most powerbanks fail to do what they are meant to do.

The first charge with the Red-E 4000mAh was great. My LG G3 was charged fully and the power bank still had a little juice left. To push it to its maximum, I completely drained the LG G3’s battery before charging it with the powerbank. The charging time was not super quick but it was not considerably slower than charging on the wall.

However, for some mind boggling reason charging after the first time did not come close to being that good. It took forever to charge to full and other times it simply would not charge.

Read more: Red-E PowerBank review: smartphone charging on the go

The Red-E looks great, and is compact, tiny and rigid. It is fitted with squirrel rubber casing on the sides and plastic at the bottom and top. Fitted around it, in the most subtle way possible, are two cables, to charge a GoPro camera, and an Android device. The power bank also comes with iPhone and extra Android adapters.

The unit we received had a slider mount for GoPro that enables users to charge their GoPro’s on the go. Though it never was tested on a GoPro (as we couldn’t source a unit in time of publishing), the results are conclusive enough.

There’s also a bike mount as well, for those who love to use their action cameras on a ride. Overall, that was sturdy too.

Everything is discreetly hidden away on the powerbank, clearly suggesting that Red-E holds its design in high regard. The cables and adapters are all hidden or tucked along the sides of the device, making for a great looking techy block. With that said, the Red-E is not overly impressive as a day-to-day powerbank.

Though charging the Red-E takes a bit of time, it’s not much of a bother, unless you forget to charge it and your phone dies and your time for charging is limited then maybe, but please, blame yourself and not the power bank.

Overall, unless you’re purchasing it particularly for the rigid build, or the bundled bike accessories, it isn’t a great choice as an every day battery reserve.

Verdict The Red-E powerbank is a beautifully designed product but unfortunately, it’s not as impressive in charging. Though it is certainly better than a lot of powerbanks in the market, it’s not worth the premium, unless you’re an active sports nut.

Score: 6/10