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Hands-on: dodocool DP13 20100 mAh Power Bank with 45 Watt USB-C PD

dodocool DP13 20100 mAh power bank with 45 Watt USB-C PD in our hands-on.
dodocool DP13 20100 mAh power bank with 45 Watt USB-C PD in our hands-on.
For its DP13 power bank with 45 watts of power delivery, dodocool promises compatibility with the Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro, the Lenovo ThinkPad X270, and the Huawei MateBook, among others. We checked the PD power bank by dodocool in a brief hands-on. Here are our findings.

Nowadays, nobody can go without portable power banks to provide power. Whether you need to charge smartphones such as the Apple iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+, a tablet, a camera, a game console, or an eBook reader - at this point you can even charge and provide power to laptops such as the Apple MacBook using a powerful power bank. However, the numerous products as well as varying technologies and qualities of the portable batteries, charging standards, and cables cause much confusion for the customers. It continues to be difficult for users to find the right battery packs among the large number of power banks with varying capacities and USB cables.

With the dodocool DP13 20100 mAh, dodocool offers a power bank with 45 watts of USB-C power delivery (PD) that also allows charging of notebooks such as the Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro. With its metal case, the dodocool DP13 visually follows other power banks from China such as the Anker PowerCore+ or Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 PD. In the 20000 mAh power-bank class, the DP13 battery pack by dodocool brings almost half a kilogram (486 grams, ~1.1 lb) to the scale. The basic technical data and specifications of the dodocool DP13 power bank are briefly listed here:

  • Weight and Dimensions: 486 grams (~1.1 lb), 188 x 66 x 23.4 mm (7.4 x 2.3 x 0.9 in)

  • USB Type-C In: 5 V/3 A (15 W), 9 V/2 A (18 W), 12 V/2 A (24 W), 14.5 V/1.5 A (21.75 W), 20 V/1.5 A (30 W)

  • USB Type-C Out: 5 V/3 A (15 W), 9 V/3 A (27 W), 12 V/3 A (36 W), 14.5 V/3 A (43.5 W), 20 V/2.25 A (45 W)

  • Total USB Type-A Out: 5 V/2.4 A (12 W)

  • Battery: 20100 mAh, 3.6 V, 72.4 Wh

dodocool DP13 power bank: box, design, case, and workmanship

The dodocool DP13 power bank comes in a solid box. The box contains the dodocool DP13 battery, one USB charging cable with a micro USB plug on one side and a USB-A plug on the other (cable length 28.5 cm, 11.2 in plugged in) and one USB Type-C charging cable with USB-C plugs on both ends (cable length 28 cm, 11 in plugged in). The manual for the DP13 power bank is in Chinese, German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. That's all there is in the box. A protective cover for the portable battery pack or the corresponding power delivery charger (PD charger) to charge the dodocool power bank are not included. The slightly roughened metal case of the DP13 leaves a good visual and haptic impression. The workmanship of the dodocool DP13 is first-class and leaves nothing to be desired.

With its metal case, the dodocool DP battery feels almost like a solid metal brick. The metal case of the dodocool DP13 has advantages for cooling: In our brief hands-on, dodocool's mobile battery shows practically no warming worth mentioning during a longer period of power delivery of up to 30 watts at a room temperature of about 21 °C (70 °F). The measured temperatures range between 32 and 34 °C (90-93 °F). Only during higher power demands in our hands-on could we notice a temperature rise up to 39 °C (102 °F) in the area at the front with the power bank electronics near the PD connection. Overall, the battery case remained hand warm during the whole test. To display the state of charge as well as control the charge, there is a bar of four LEDs in front below the right USB Type-A connection. By pressing the power button, which is on the far right at the front, you can check the currently available capacity of the power bank.

dodocool DP13 20100 mAh: power output and usable capacity

In our measurements via the PD connection with a load of 4.55 V/3.1 A (14.1 watts), the dodocool DP13 power bank delivers a capacity of 13,405 mAh or 60.89 Wh (measurements rounded). Converted to 3.6 Volt for comparison, this would correspond to 16,942 mAh. With this, the DP13 achieves 84.3% of the manufacturer's specification of 20,100 mAh, which is an acceptable value. In an additional series of measurements to confirm the results with 4.53 V/3.09 A, we also determined a time of about 4 hours and 21 minutes as well as 61.01 Wh and 13,422 mAh.

An older 15-inch MacBook Pro from 2016 could be charged using the included USB-C charging cable within one hour from about 10% of the battery up to 60%. In our brief test, the DP13 power bank by dodocool has charged every device that we connected for a recharge quickly and without any problems. As a "thick power bar," we took the dodocool DP13 power bank to outdoor photo shoots and charged smaller pocket power banks such as the Intenso S5000 (5,000 mAh, 18.5 Wh), smartphones and tablets (Galaxy S7, Galaxy S8, iPhone 8, iPhone SE, iPad), and a MacBook using the portable battery bar.

We also tried the Samsung EP-NG930 wireless charger in our test, which also worked fine with the DP13 power bank. However, using the DP13, the wireless charger did not switch into the quick-charging mode (S7/S8). Using the PD Type-C port of the dodocool DP13, the Galaxy S8 was charged from 10% to 100% in 1 hour and 38 minutes. The Galaxy S7 could be charged via the combination of DP13 and EP-NG930 wireless charger at about 6.12 W (4.9 V/ 1.25 A).

dodocool DP13 20100 mAh: slow charging via USB-A/-C adapter cable, fast via USB-C PD

For charging the "large" dodocool DP13, we recommend a powerful PD power supply such as the dodocool DC58 45 W USB Type-C charger or an Apple USB-C power supply for a MacBook or MacBook Pro. That is because the portable DP13 battery is solely charged via the combined USB Type-C in and output port, a so-called Dual Role Port (DRP) on the front of the battery pack. As needed, the DRP can either be the power source (DFP, Downstream Facing Port) or the power user (UFP, Upstream Facing Port). The two USB-A ports are only for output.

According to dodocool, the DP13 only supports two speeds for charging the power bank, even if different parameters are specified for the PD input. According to the manufacturer's support, a regular charge occurs at (up to) 5 V/2.1 A and a quick charge accordingly at 20 V/1.5 A. In our brief test, despite using a number of premium cables (USB-C to USB-A) and several chargers with Type-A ports which mastered various charging technologies such as Quick Charge, etc., we were unable to reach more than 10 watts (5 V/2 A). Correspondingly, charging took a long time, and 11 hours and 36 minutes passed before the DP13 was fully recharged. According to the protocol, the battery pack used 18,645 mAh (93.38 Wh). At 3.6 V, this would be 25,896 mAh. The shortest recharge via USB-C/USB-A we measured took almost 10 hours (9:55 h) at 17,987 mAh (@3.6 V: 24,982 mAh) or 90.408 Wh respectively.

A recommendation when using the DP13: Charge it with a correspondingly powerful PD charger via the USB-C to USB-C charging cable. We charged the external DP13 battery pack with coded USB Type-C cables (up to 100 W with E-marker chip) using an Anker PowerPort I PD (model A2056) with a maximum PD output of 20 V/1.5A (30 W). From three measurements, we determined an average charging time of about 3 hours. You can see a charging process of 3 hours and 18 minutes in the attached measurement protocol. During the charging process, the dodocool DP13 battery did not show any warming of the case or charging port worth mention.

Verdict

The dodocool DP13 20100 mAh power bank with USB-C PD is excellently built and also offers a very high-quality visual as well as haptic impression.  Even though with its high-quality coated metal case and a weight of almost half a kilogram (~1.1 lb), the 72.4 Wh battery block from dodocool is no light-weight for the pocket; it is a real power package for the universal supply of power on the road away from the outlet. Not only does the dodocool DP13 power bank charge smartphones, tablets, or game console with power on the road, but it also packs sufficient power to charge laptops and ultrabooks in any situation. In our short test and hands-on, the dodocool DP13 power battery did not show any weaknesses.   

dodocool DP13: Charging the Samsung Galaxy S8 (15% to 85%)
dodocool DP13: Charging the Samsung Galaxy S8 (15% to 85%)
dodocool DP13: Charging the Intenso Powerbank S5000 (5,000 mAh, 18.5 Wh)
dodocool DP13: Charging the Intenso Powerbank S5000 (5,000 mAh, 18.5 Wh)
dodocool DP13: Charging the Samsung Galaxy S7 via EP-NG930 wireless charger (5 min.)
dodocool DP13: Charging the Samsung Galaxy S7 via EP-NG930 wireless charger (5 min.)
dodocool DP13: Charging the DP13 power bank with the Anker PowerPort I PD (model A2056)
dodocool DP13: Charging the DP13 power bank with the Anker PowerPort I PD (model A2056)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Hands-on: dodocool DP13 20100 mAh Power Bank with 45 Watt USB-C PD
Ronald Matta, 2018-04-17 (Update: 2018-04-18)