Ayaneo Retro Powerbank hands-on review: Super Nintendo-look and OLED display draw attention

The Retro Power Bank by Ayaneo is modeled after the Japanese Super Famicom or the PAL version of the Super Nintendo (SNES), although the manufacturer avoids using the brand name "Nintendo" in its own product information. The design of Ayaneo's new power bank also differs slightly from its retro counterpart, for example, the two switches on the Retro Power Bank are placed slightly lower than on the Super Nintendo.

The Ayaneo Retro Power Bank is equipped with a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 12,000 mAh and measures 98 × 81 × 24.4 mm with a weight of 239 grams. Instead of a cartridge slot, the Power Bank has a monochrome OLED display with a screen diagonal of 0.91 inches (approx. 23 mm) and a resolution of 32 × 128 pixels. The monochrome display shows the charging status of the battery, the output power during charging, the fast charging protocol currently in use, and the temperatures of the battery and the microprocessor of the Ayaneo Retro Power Bank.

Where the original Super Nintendo has two controller ports on the front, the Ayaneo Retro Power Bank has two USB-C ports. The left USB-C port can be used to charge both the power bank and external devices, while the right USB-C port can only be used to charge other devices. Theoretically, two devices such as smartphones, gaming handhelds, controllers, headphones or laptops can be charged simultaneously.

The Ayaneo Retro Power Bank supports a variety of fast charging protocols that allow charging at up to 45 watts, which we were able to achieve in our tests with a MacBook Pro (2021, M1 Pro). When both USB-C ports are used simultaneously to charge external devices, the charging power is reduced to 15 watts each, for a total output power of 30 watts. The temperatures of the battery and the processor of the Super Nintendo-style power bank are between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius when charging at a low output of 10 watts, and between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius when charging at 35 watts or more.

The build quality of the case is decent, but the plastic used is somewhat susceptible to scratches, which should be taken into account in daily use. The OLED display offers good contrast, as is usual for this type of panel, and is still readable even in direct sunlight. Operation via the two buttons on the bottom of the case is also easy to learn, although the pressure point of the two buttons is a bit mushy.

The settings menu contains options for the language setting, the temperature unit, and the time until the power bank's SNES-style mini-display automatically turns off. The Ayaneo Power Bank is set to Chinese at delivery, and switching to English required a look at the manual. The manual is easy to understand with lots of pictures, but only in English and Chinese. The same goes for the languages that can be set for the power bank itself, which are also limited to Chinese and English.

Smartphones, Bluetooth headphones or game controllers can be charged several times with the Ayaneo Retro Power Bank. With 12,000 mAh, the battery of the Ayaneo Power Bank is generally undersized for laptops, gaming handhelds or tablets. For example, we were able to charge an iPad Pro (11-inch) using Power Delivery 3.0 (PD 3.0), with the power bank's output fluctuating between 20 and 35 watts and the battery temperature at 35 degrees Celsius and the power bank's CPU temperature at 42 degrees Celsius. In tests with a MacBook Pro (2021, 14-inch, M1 Pro), the Ayaneo Power Bank also used PD 3.0 at 20 volts and 2.2 amps and charged the Apple laptop with values between 44 and 46 watts. During the charging process of the MacBook Pro, the power bank showed a battery temperature of 41 degrees Celsius, while the internal microprocessor reached up to 69 degrees Celsius according to the information on the OLED mini display.

The power bank itself is charged via the left of the two USB-C ports on the front of the case; charging the internal 12,000 mAh battery from 0 to 100 percent is possible at a maximum of 45 watts and takes an average of one hour. The temperature of the battery was up to 51 degrees Celsius, while the internal processor of the Ayaneo Retro Power Bank reached a maximum of 72 degrees Celsius. Thanks to the good charging speed, the Ayaneo Power Bank is quickly ready for use again, even if the battery is completely discharged. With a nominal capacity of 45.6 Wh, the Ayaneo Retro Power Bank also meets the formal requirements for transportation on airplanes or certain high-speed trains.