# REVIEW: Xiaomi Mi 5200 Portable Charger for mobiles.



## Samarth 619 (Sep 25, 2014)

*Xiaomi Mi 5200 Portable Charger for mobile phones.*

*Prologue:*

So, after my well invited and applauded review of Canon MP 287 Printer with ESYINK ink tank system, I'm back with another review... But, I wasn't sure about writing this review. Why?
Because, would you think twice before spending just Rs. 799? Many people I know would gladly throw their money on this thing without thinking twice.. But maybe some might not.
Secondly, would you pursue a product that's out of stock most of the time? Damn. Tough questions.

I purchased this from a famous online store, which is a partner of Xiaomi, popularly known by their logo tag, Mi. It was out of stock, but I kept email notifications on. And when it was "in stock", I immediately logged in and purchased it! 


*About the company & its marketing strategy:*

Xiaomi, or Mi, is a Chinese electronics company from Beijing, but unlike what we associate this country's companies with, this is a well reputed brand. This company is known for good products at very cheap prices. It sells its products around the world, including Singapore, India, etc.

Hmm... Good products for cheap prices? Sounds yummy? But any commerce student would ask, "there will be High Demand, right?" And I would say, "Yes".
This company's major products like mobiles, portable chargers, etc. have such high demand that they aren't available easily. We have to participate in Flash sales.
Flash sales means that you have to register online on Flipkart, 1-2 days in advance for the product, for a known quick sale on a predefined date and time. Then before the sale date and time, you have to log in and be ready. When the countdown reaches zero, you see and immediately click on the "Buy Now!" button. If you're lucky, and your internet's fast, you get a sale. Often there are 3,00,000+ registrations, but only 20,000-60,000 phones to be sold. So, it becomes a chaotic situation that some buyers are beginning to hate too.
The plus point is that the company's reputation goes high, by making headlines like, "60,000 Redmi 1S' sold in just 5.2 seconds".


*About the Portable Charger:*

This charger came in a simplistic box. No extra BS here. See some pics of the box:-

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7214_zps6013ed5c.jpg

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7215_zps7c1124b1.jpg

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7217_zpsb84f2915.jpg

On opening the box, you find the following things inside the box:

1. Portable charger, with built in battery,
2. USB to Micro USB cable, usable for:- 1. charging the Mi 5200, or 2. charging another phone/ tablet using Mi 5200.
3. User Manual.

See the pics of unboxing:

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7219_zpsaabcf842.jpg

Further unboxing we observe the objects in detail:

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7223_zpsf857d0cb.jpg

*image.dhgate.com/albu_706479693_00/temp2.0x0.jpg
(The above 1 image has been taken from internet. Rest are all my own images.)

Honestly, USB cable is a little too short, right? A charger is missing, right? Well, that's something costing just Rs. 799. So... you get the drift? 

See this battery's size in my hand:

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7225_zps2f0c4226.jpg

We remove the plastic protective covering on the battery to use it:

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7227_zps65e2ce59.jpg

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7228_zpsc083594c.jpg

Mi 5200 has a battery built in, plus circuitry to ensure effective management of current. Why is this circuitry required? Well, because a direct bigger battery to smaller battery charging will not be efficient, as the voltage will be more in the starting and less in the end of its charge.
The voltage provided to your tablet or mobile phone must be constant. And this Mi 5200 doesn't disappoint. I didn't experience loss of charging or any error message in the devices I tested.


*Charging the Mi 5200.*

First, this portable charger charges itself using the below shown port:

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7231_zps3253a497.jpg

How much time does it take to charge the Mi 5200?
Well, it depends on the charger you're using to charge Mi 5200. Check your mobile's original charger's output. It will show a voltage around 5V and current in Amperes.

2A will charge your Mi5200 in around 5 hours. Above 2A current is not recommended.
1.3A which I got with my Nokia 808 Pureview, charges this battery in around 8 hours.
1A will take 10 hours. 0.5A will take 20 hours to charge, same as USB 2.0 in PC/ laptops.

Pretty much long times, but I suggest you avoid PC charging, and see your mobile's original charger.
For me, 1.3A is not a problem, as it charges the charger in around 8 hours. It means I set it for charge in the night, and wake up in morning, with it fully charged.

See the four LED lights? When it charges, the number of lights indicate how much charge is done already. For example,
1 light means 0-25%
2 lights mean 25-50%
3 lights mean 50-75%
4 lights mean 75-100%. And the last light in each case, blinks while it is being charged.

When not charging, pressing the power button on the Mi 5200, informs you of the remaining charge using these lights only. No LCD display or so.


*Using Mi 5200 to charge your mobile/ device:*

Your mobile/ device must have a Micro USB port to benefit from this Mi 5200. This device's charging value is 5200 Mah.

Theoretically, how much your device gets charged depends on its battery's Mah (Milliampere hour).
My Nokia 808 has a 1400 Mah battery. So, we expect that my mobile can be full charged approximately 3.7 times, on one full charge of Mi 5200.
That's because 1400 x 3.7 = 5200~ Mah.

See below how a device gets charged:

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7229_zpsfd4103f2.jpg

Practically, there is a loss of current due to mobile battery's age & condition, and normal losses. So, in real conditions, my 808 Pureview gets charged about 2.5 times completely.
Going by this equation, if you have a tablet with 10,000 Mah battery, like iPad or so, then this Mi 5200 will be able to charge it upto approx. half way only. This is a problem for big battery users though..


In short, here's a usability summary expressed in an image:

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7228help_zpsd7e53a83.jpg

The overall fit and finish of the product is sturdy, and its outer shell is very durable.



*(+) Plus points:*


Small Size,
Works as expected, charges devices without electricity in emergency/ other situations,
Very low price,
Good quality,
Durable, the outer shell can take a lot of weight & beating, Fit and Finish up to the mark. Even USB slots are rated at high insertion/ removal cycles...


*(-) Minus points:*


Too high demand, mostly it is seen as "out of stock",
No charger bundled with it, you must use your own charger to charge this Mi 5200,
USB wire is too small,


----
*Conclusion:* So, there you go. The concept is clear. If you often find yourself in a situation when you don't have a charger, but the phone is about to die, then this can be helpful. Charge it once, keep it in your bag, and use when required. So, you might never run out of battery again.

Its a very good cheap alternative, because for 5200 Mah life, you will not get a charger from a reputed company below Rs. 2000 or so.
So, if you want one, try your luck here.

But if you have a very big tablet or device, you might need more number of charge times, or charge life... Then, its better to go for *Mi 10400*, which is sold here. It has a larger size, but the concept is the same though.

If any of the above devices are "Out of Stock" (they are, most of the times), submit your email on the above links and when they're in stock, you'll be informed. I've submitted my email on both of the above devices' status.


-------
*My Next Review?*
Do you wish to know about My next Review? Well... it might be a Xiaomi Redmi 1S. The high end phone which has specs found in Rs. 12000 phones (like Moto G), but it itself costs Rs. 5999 only.
I'm not given these units by the company as complementary. I participated in the flash sale and purchased it for myself.

Check Redmi 1S specs, and let me know... Would you be interested in its review? I'll surely post if its needed to anyone. 

Also, any feedback or constructive comments on my reviews are most welcome....


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## baiju (Sep 25, 2014)

Excellent review. Thanks. Also waiting for Redmi review. 

One question - Can we connect a phone to it while charging the power bank? If so it can be used as a ups for my Raspberry Pi.


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## amjath (Sep 25, 2014)

Yes you can charge the power bank as well as phone simultanously


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## baiju (Sep 25, 2014)

Thanks. I read that most power banks allow only charging or discharging at a time.


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## amjath (Sep 25, 2014)

baiju said:


> Thanks. I read that most power banks allow only charging or discharging at a time.


Yes example Sony power bank which supplied with a high end device.


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## Samarth 619 (Sep 25, 2014)

baiju said:


> One question - Can we connect a phone to it while charging the power bank? If so it can be used as a ups for my Raspberry Pi.


Yes, you can. I just tried it and confirm it.
The White lights continue to blink normally, informing about the Mi's internal battery's status. 



baiju said:


> Excellent review. Thanks. Also waiting for Redmi review.


Thanks buddy for appreciating...  I would request you to wait for a month for the Xiaomi Redmi 1S review, because I want my review to be a realistic non-PR one....
A truthful & useful one. I want to see whether it has problems, it heats up or not, it hangs or not, its normally durable or not...
In short, the real truth... And that will come, only with some quality time with this phone.... 


Nowadays, sites gives shining reviews to phones that turn out to be slow, fragile or overheating later on... I'm against this. Reviews should be of real aspects of ownership.


For now, I can only tell you that Flipkart broke their promise of delivering it on 26/9/14.... They instead delivered it *TODAY*, one day earlier. 
Here are some initial pics taken in slightly dark area, because the package came in evening. Man, its a beauty! :-

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7335edit_zpsb9dfdd72.jpg

*i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag255/samarth619/IMG_7343edit_zps94cee1fc.jpg

With the phone, I also got a set of 2-3 screen protectors, for later use. And I also got a total of 2 MiniSIM to SIM adaptors.
Surprisingly, the miniSIM to SIM adaptor has a MRP of Rs. 1 only.  The screen protectors are believable at MRP of Rs. 179.


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## adityak469 (Sep 25, 2014)

awesome review!! 

post a review of Redmi 1S. I was thinking to buy it, but will wait for you to review it


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## baiju (Sep 26, 2014)

I'm using Redmi 1S. It is a good phone but with problems like heating, low ram and battery backup issues etc. But IMO, it is a VFM product at this price range.


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## vidhubhushan (Sep 27, 2014)

that is a nice review. thanks


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## pulkitpopli2004 (Oct 2, 2014)

Nice product.. 
Can you also tell me the size of this power bank? L x B x H


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## TechnoBOY (Oct 2, 2014)

Good review and Nice photos


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## Samarth 619 (Oct 5, 2014)

Guys!! Heads up.... Few important updates:

1. Flipkart has disabled "Notify me by email" option for Mi Powerbanks.

2. Mi 5200 has received a huge discount. Its IN STOCK too. Its *just Rs. 600* now:
Error 500 Server Error

3. Mi 10400 is also *IN STOCK* when I typed this post:
Error 500 Server Error


I could not know about this instantly as e-mail option is disabled. But Mi 5200 for Rs. 599 is definitely a steal!! Order it now if you want. 



*@ Off topic:* Meanwhile, my MI Redmi 1S review is under progress & within 1-2 weeks, it shall be ready.
You won't believe how it is defeating cameras of even Rs. 17000 phones from Sony & Samsung, in terms of Image quality! Both the rear and selfie cameras are very good at image quality & capturing speed.
Capturing speed?? How does *88 Full Resolution (8 MP) Images shot in just 1 minute* sound to you??? Yes, this is what the Redmi managed.

In my full review, the Redmi 1S will go against Nokia N8 and Nokia 808 Pureview, two of the best cameras that phones ever saw in themselves.

Audio quality in headphones and external amplified speakers is very good too. Loudspeaker performance is ok-ok, slightly below than I expected... Calls (rings) might be missed, if vibration is kept off.
RAM issue is solved to some extent by new firmware 41.1 which gives around max. 400 MB free RAM. Heating up is slight, when using media and internet heavy apps, but otherwise not a very big problem even for a user like me.

Of course, full review will be more detailed, so stay tuned for it.


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## adityak469 (Oct 5, 2014)

Samarth 619 said:


> Guys!! Heads up.... Few important updates:
> 
> 1. Flipkart has disabled "Notify me by email" option for Mi Powerbanks.
> 
> ...


Buying it tomorrow


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## ajayritik (Oct 9, 2014)

Guys which of these is more suitable for Galaxy Note 2?
5200 or 10400?


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## amjath (Oct 9, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> Guys which of these is more suitable for Galaxy Note 2?
> 5200 or 10400?


10400. Reason note 2 has big battery so ~2  charges will drain 5200 battery to 0


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## ajayritik (Oct 10, 2014)

Since I would be at office most of the time. Will this charge over PC USB Port? How good are the results?


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## amjath (Oct 10, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> Since I would be at office most of the time. Will this charge over PC USB Port? How good are the results?


Yes it will charge from USB port as well. For a 10400mah power bank it will around 9 hrs to charge from 0 to 100 due to low ampere from USB port. If u charge using 2A charger it will take ~4 hrs


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## ajayritik (Oct 11, 2014)

Amjath pardon my ignorance but by 2A Charger you mean the regular charger that we get with mobile.


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## amjath (Oct 11, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> Amjath pardon my ignorance but by 2A Charger you mean the regular charger that we get with mobile.


The ampere rating will be mentioned on the charger. NP bro everyone cannot know everything, happy to help.

BTW for your other thread I will reply by tonight. Steps for rooting etc


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## ajayritik (Oct 11, 2014)

amjath said:


> The ampere rating will be mentioned on the charger. NP bro everyone cannot know everything, happy to help.
> 
> BTW for your other thread I will reply by tonight. Steps for rooting etc



Thanks bro. Currently this portable charger is not available at flipkart. so I guess have to wait.


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## Samarth 619 (Oct 11, 2014)

Guys, I got the Mi 10400 too... It lasts longer, but I see approx the same charge timings. *EDIT:* Will post correct timings later on, this fact might be wrong.

And for PC charging, it may take around 20 hours if it is USB 2 port.


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## amjath (Oct 12, 2014)

Samarth 619 said:


> Guys, I got the Mi 10400 too... It lasts longer, but I see approx the same charge timings.
> 
> And for PC charging, it may take around 20 hours if it is USB 2 port.



USB 2.0 allows 0.5 amps, then what do you expect. 2A takes 5 hours fully charge then 2A/0.5A = 4*5hrs = 20 hours.

BTW you should try USB 3.0 which allows up to 5A


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## Samarth 619 (Oct 12, 2014)

amjath said:


> USB 2.0 allows 0.5 amps, then what do you expect. 2A takes 5 hours fully charge then 2A/0.5A = 4*5hrs = 20 hours.
> BTW you should try USB 3.0 which allows up to 5A


Yes, I understand that. I was pointing out to someone, who posted that using USB it can be charged in 10 hours.


Guys, a small correction. I think in my earlier post, I mentioned that the charging times are mostly the same. This is inaccurate statement, as the charger was already half charged from the factory itself, which I disregarded.

Will tell more about the Mi 10400 as I use it more and more.


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## ajayritik (Oct 13, 2014)

Have ordered this just now at flipkart *Mi 10400 *.


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## baiju (Oct 13, 2014)

I too bought a 10400 mAh one from flipkart. It was already charged to half and it took around 4-5 hours to charge completely using the 2A xiaomi charger of Redmi phone. I could charge Redmi 1S from 5% to 100% two times and about 50% in third attempt before the powerbank exhausted. This is a very good charger. Go for it if you are looking for a new powerbank.


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## ajayritik (Oct 13, 2014)

baiju said:


> I too bought a 10400 mAh one from flipkart. It was already charged to half and it took around 4-5 hours to charge completely using the 2A xiaomi charger of Redmi phone. I could charge Redmi 1S from 5% to 100% two times and about 50% in third attempt before the powerbank exhausted. This is a very good charger. Go for it if you are looking for a new powerbank.


offtopic, baiju do you have same handle at hifivisionforum?


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## baiju (Oct 13, 2014)

ajayritik said:


> offtopic, baiju do you have same handle at hifivisionforum?



baijuxavior at hfv, erodov.


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## insaneYLN (Oct 15, 2014)

@Samarth 619, this is a fantastic review.
 

Necessarily, I need to purchase a power bank as well, and I have been considering on getting the *Xiaomi Mi 10400mAh Power Bank*, Mi India. However, the manufacturer's warranty period of six months is seemingly quite less, Mi India. Furthermore, while doing a search on Google, I found this, How to identify fake Xiaomi Power Banks (English Subtitles) - YouTube.


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## sksundram (Oct 21, 2014)

*It took almost 16-18 hours to fully charge my xiaomi 10400 mAh power bank on first time using a 1A charger which got delivered yesterday. Is it normal? *


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## amjath (Oct 21, 2014)

[Strike]Yes for 1A[/strike]

- - - Updated - - -

check with few cycles and your power bank battery will come back to normal. Or else return it. BTW total time to charge with 1A charger is ~10 hrs


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## Samarth 619 (Sep 11, 2016)

Guys, I wish to add that I now use a Mi 20,000 Mah charger... The benefits apart from more charge cycles are:-

1. It has 2 USB ports for charging 2 devices at once.
2. Its taller, and made of plastic, but its still durable, and secondly, it weighs lesser than two 10400 mah chargers, so its a good deal.
3. Its pure white in color,

It has all the circuitry protection of the previous editions. I tried shortcircuiting it, but it didn't respond, which is good. It does a good job. It charges my phone approx 5 times once charged, in phone off condition. The same 4 LED lights show the 25% increments in charge left in the powerbank. Overall, a good purchase, not necessarily the most economic one at Rs. 2,199, but the product does work good.
It charges the phones very fast usually, with a 2.1A output.

It has a plastic body, but due to dotted sides, its does not easily slip out of hand, i.e. it maintains enough grip. A short USB cable was provided it, around 15 cms in length.

Anything else you want to ask, you can ask...


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