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Build
I think perhaps the best word to describe Kmashi’s Victor K7 20,000mAh external battery pack is solid. At just under a pound (14oz.), with an aluminum case and red rubberized accents, this battery is an absolute brick. At 6.4″x4″, it’s a bit bigger than your average modern phablet, with a pretty slim 0.5″ for a 20,00mAh battery. Slim is relative, though, and this is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a pocket battery. It’s definitely better suited to sitting in a backpack, or a purse perhaps. As with many standard externals, there is a single input port (MicroUSB) and two output ports (both Type-A USB), with a small line of LEDs to show the current level of juice in the pack. While there’s no USB-C on this version, I suspect the next generation of external batteries – from Kmashi or otherwise – will make liberal use of USB-C’s reversible connector and dual-use input/output connector.
Performance
When it comes to external batteries, there isn’t really a whole lot to say – so I’ll keep it sweet. Kmashi’s 20,000mAh battery is perfectly adequate, offering a standard 5V/2.4A USB-A output as well as a variable charge 3.6-6.5V/2.4A Quick Charge 3.0 output. The lone input is MicroUSB-A, which is unfortunate for anyone using a smartphone that was purchased within the last year or so. As you’d expect, though, it charges QC devices very quickly and can charge all but the largest of smartphone batteries three times over without breaking a sweat.
Value
At $35.99 from Amazon, Kmashi’s Victor K7 is on the higher end of the 20,000mAh price range, on par with Anker’s own comparable unit at $39.99. There are a number of lesser-known manufacturers that offer the same size batteries for $20 or less, but Kmashi’s reliability is up there alongside Anker and Aukey – in this case, you pay for that consistency and quality. Looking at one of those lesser brands in particular, Vinsic offers a 20,000mAh battery pack for $34.95 that also includes a Type-C port, making it more versatile and future proof than Kmashi’s product.
As such, if you have a phone that has a USB-C connector, I’d wait until Anker, Aukey or Kmashi comes out with their own model of USB-C compatible external batteries. If you’re using a phone with MicroUSB, Kmashi’s battery is a nice balance of cost and quality, for a great value.
