RAVPower AC Portable Charger Universal Powerbank 27000 & 30000 mAH Review

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4.0 stars

This updated review/rating is for the new RAVPower 30000 AC Charger. We DO NOT recommend the old RAVPower 27000 AC charger. The old 27000 version (without USB-C PD) is still available online at same price!  

Good AC Outlet power bank for Car and emergency home use with handy 60-watt USB-C PD for USB-C laptops and Macbooks. Handy for occasional portable AC power. For professional AC/DC/Solar use and niche AC/DC use such as drones and photography equipment, consider Omnicharge Omni 20+  as it offers same 60-watt USB-C PD, with variable adjustable DC input/output, pass-through charging and wireless charging. 

If you are just need 60 or 45-watt USB-C PD for Macbooks, laptops and do not need AC outlet, a much better alternative is a 60-watt USB-C PD power bank such as ZMI PowerPack pro 20K or a 45-watt USB-C PD power bank such as RAVPower 20000 45-watt USB-C PD. Also, for HP/Dell laptops, consider dedicated HP Spectre  laptop portable chargers or Dell Notebook PowerBanks.

RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000 offers the flexibility of portable AC power, 60-watt USB-C PD for laptops, and USB ports in one package at a competitive price. It does work for charging big laptops, and AC equipment up to 85-watt, where most regular power banks cannot provide backup AC power.

On the flip side, the efficiency in AC mode is very low, AC output is about 80-watt at 110 volts, and the powerbank is quite heavy. If you simply need to power Macbook Air/Pro, you are better off buying a good 60-watt USB-C PD power bank such as ZMI PowerPack pro 20K or RAVPower 45-watt USB-C PD power bank. Buy it only if you occasionally need AC power for some equipment or high power laptops or for use in car/road travel. For professional use, frequent requirement of AC Power, and air-travel, you are better off buying better Omnicharge Omni 20+ for some extra price. For powering big laptops (Dell XPS 13, HP Spectre), consider dedicated HP/Dell  laptop portable chargers that are available at same price or buy a Omnicharge Omni 20+.

What We Like

  • 60-watt USB-C PD port
  • Suitable for charging emergency AC equipment for short periods of time.
  • Can run a huge variety of AC equipment ranging from LED TVs to printers, PC monitors, fans, CPAP machines etc.
  • Can be quickly charged in about 4 hours flat with 45-watt PD charger
  • PD and Quickcharge USB 3.0 port fast-charge all latest iPhones and Samsung/Lg phones
  • Standard three-prong regular AC outlet
  • Two fast charging Quickcharge 3.0 smart USB ports
  • Sturdy build
  • True 30,000 mAh capacity is great for road travel, camping and powering niche AC equipment in wild

What We Don’t Like

  • It is not air-travel friendly. 30000mAH is beyond TSA in-flight powerbank guidelines for 27000mAH max (100 WH). It is not advised to carry it on flights neither in carry-on/cabin baggage nor in luggage as it may cause problems at airports.
  • Lower than expected efficiency in AC mode.
  • 40 oz or 1.8kg weight is heavy for the battery capacity provided.
  • No Pass-through function. For this much weight and 30000mAH non-TSA friendly capacity, it would have been handy.

Quick Review

Portable AC outlet with USB-C & USB charging in a sturdy package
The RAVPower universal powerbank offers portable AC outlet, USB-C & USB charging in a sturdy package

The RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000 is a unique power bank that (on paper) offers much more versatility and flexibility than a regular power bank.

This power bank claims a world of possibilities in portable power backup by enabling you to run AC electrical appliances with up to 100 watt of required power. This includes Macbook Pros, almost all types of laptops, fans, printers, christmas lights etc..

It comes with 60-watt USB type-C PD charging that allows you to run or charge the latest Macbook Pros or Chromebooks and ultrabooks from it directly. Running capable devices directly using USB-C is more efficient then running them using the AC adapter and allows you to maximize the powerbank’s run time.

Run a Macbook Pro for hours using the AC outlet
Run a Macbook Pro for hours using the AC outlet

Additionally, it comes with two smart charging USB ports that deliver up to 18-watt power and automatically sense and adjust charging current. This allows you to charge smartphones and devices such as iPads at their charging speeds over twice as fast as usual charging ports.

The 30,000 mAH capacity however makes RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000 unfit for flights and beyond TSA-approved limit of 27000 mAH. This means you may face questioning and issues at airport if you take this powerbank with you in flights. We hence recommend that you DO NOT take it on flights.

The power bank comes in a sturdy solidly built heavy-ish package that is priced competitively with other other comparable AC outlet powerbanks.

The AC outlet looks good on paper, but please be advised it is meant only for emergency use. Using the AC outlet, we could charge our 2017 Macbook Pro Just about 60%.

Fast Charging Input

Despite having a massive 30,000 mAH battery, the RAVPower Universal power bank gets charged at blazing speed in about four hours flat as it gets charged at an incredible 45-watt with a 45-watt PD charger!

 

Design and Build

RAVpower powerbank for Macbook Pro
RAVpower powerbank for Macbook Pro can charge up to 3 devices at once

The RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000 is solidly built with rounded sides and overall sturdy construction. This black matte-finish power bank is quite a handful with dimensions of 5.5 x 6.7 inches, 1.5-inch thickness, and a weight of 29.9 oz (1.8kg) but given its capacity and the sheer usefulness of carrying a 100 watt AC power outlet in your pocket, it is OK as long as you are carrying it by car or keeping it at home for emergency use. The powerbank offers total four charging ports:

Two iSmart USB ports for charging smartphones at 18-watts Quickcharge 3.0 max.  The iSmart ports sense the required charging current of plugged device and deliver output of up to 18-watt.

One 60-watt USB-C PD output port for charging latest Macbooks and laptops.

One three-pronged AC outlet that can deliver up to 100 watts of AC power. The current delivered by  AC outlet depends on the wattage used. For example, at 100 watt, the current output is 0.9 Amp. Some of the countless uses for the AC outlet include running printers, Christmas lights, audio-visual equipment, fans, lights, PAP machines etc.

Portable AC outlet charger
Run a huge variety of appliances with the two pronged 100 W capable AC outlet

A huge variety of laptops, including Macbook Pros, can be charged through the AC outlet as most laptops draw about 60-100 watts of power. Please note that no direct DC output pins or ports for charging laptops are provided and laptops are charged by either USB-C PD or AC adapter.

Charging efficiency while charging laptops or Macbooks via AC is low and you can only charge Macbook Air from zero to 70% using AC power. Charging efficiency using USB-C PD is way way better.

The AC outlet delivers 110 volt output (220 V for chargers sold in European union).

The power bank has vents for cooling for handling the high power output capability of the power bank and this keeps temperatures to normal levels despite extended use. The eight blue indicator lights are very handy for battery-level indication.

USB_C macbook and laptop powerbank
It can charge a Macbook, iPad and an iPhone at once!

This monster power bank will charge a Macbook Air 2015 about 70% with the AC port and about 1.3 times with the USB-C port. It will charge an iPhone 8 more than 10 times, and a Samsung Galaxy S10 more than 6 times. It can charge three devices simultaneously through the two iSmart and USB-C PD  ports, allowing you to charge your Macbook Pro or Macbook Air, iPad, and iPhone at the same time!

RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000  supports Quickcharge 3.0 output and will charge Quickcharge compatible phones such as Samsung S10/S9 etc at fastest speed.

RAVPower Universal Powerbank 27000 vs OmniCharge Omni 20

Omnicharge Omni 20 is a direct competitor to RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000 as both offer AC outlets in compact power bank format. Omnicharge Omni 20 has 20000 mah capacity, which is less than RAVPower Universals 30000.

RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000 and Omnicharge Omni 20  differ greatly in features and price. Omnicharge Omni 20 offers many great extra features such as pass-through charging, variable adjustable DC output, adjustable DC input, wireless charging while delivering same 60-watt PD and 100 watts of AC power same as RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000.

A big plus of Omnicharge Omni 20 is its variable adjustable voltage DC output barrel port that can charge almost every laptop out there. It also has variable DC input feature allowing you to charge it with whatever power source you have available.

Both, Omnicharge Omni 20  and RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000. get charged in just 4 hours. 

We think that Omnicharge Omni 20 is much much better portable AC outlet portable charger than RAVPower 30000 as it is flight-friendly, much lighter, much more flexible in input/output and has additional multi-volt adjustable DC input/output feature.

Omnicharge Omni 20 also offer complete solar charging support and wireless charging pad function making it an excellent power backup solution for for travellers, business people, campers,  survival enthusiasts and other professional users such as photographers.

Final Verdict

This one of the lowest priced decent portable AC outlet powerbanks with excellent 60-watt PD for charging laptops directly with USB-C. However, its AC charging efficiency is a bit low, it is not-air-travel friendly due to higher than TSA-recommended battery capacity, and it is heavy. We therefore recommend RAVPower Universal Powerbank 30000 only for road-travel car use, emergency home use, and camping use if you need to power some niche AC equipment occasionally or if you need to power laptops that draw 80-90 watt of power.

For simply charging Macbooks and laptops, we recommend a good 60-watt USB-C PD power bank such as ZMI PowerPack Pro 20K or RAVPower 45-watt USB-C PD power bank. These are both lighter, TSA-allowed in flights, and also more attractively priced.

For professionals, avid travellers, survival, outdoor and camping enthusiasts and even regular home-owners who may need a handy AC outlet in the event of power cuts or while travelling or for emergency or remote use, we instead recommend Omnicharge Omni 20+ AC outlet/USB-C portable charger as it offers better quality and a high efficiency DC barrel port for charging laptops directly.

If you are buying a powerbank to power big screen HP/Dell laptops, (Dell XPS 13, 15 HP Spectre etc.), also consider dedicated HP/Dell  laptop portable chargers that are available at same price. For big screen laptops up to 100+ watt , Omnicharge Omni 20+ AC outlet portable charger is also an excellent choice, though at a much higher price.

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