A lot is expected of smartphones and tablets, for the wide majority, these two types of devices have outstripped the need for all others. MP3 players, budget digital cameras and, to a certain extent, portable gaming consoles, have been rendered useless by the overwhelming powerhouse that is the smartphone. Unfortunately, fulfilling these expectations wears heavy on battery life. Consider yourself lucky, if your smartphone can make through the whole day without the battery running out of juice. For the rest of us, the Intocircuit 11200mAh Power Bank is an excellent solution to a battery that just won’t make it through the day.

Power Banks are fairly common these days. In terms of styling, Intocircuit’s Power Bank is quite the stunner. The brushed aluminium alloy coating adds a touch of class, and gives the power bank a great texture and feel. For a Power Bank with such a high capacity, it’s a pleasant surprise to see that Introcircuit have been able to keep the size and weight of the charger to a minimum. Coming in at roughly 280g and 110mm x 71mm x 22mm, the Intocircuit 11200mAh Power Bank is one of the most compact, high capacity power banks available.

The Intocircuit 11200mAh Power Bank has two USB outputs; one at 5V and 2.1A for charging tablets and the other at 5V and 1A for smartphones. The results of my own personal testing found that the power bank charged my Nexus 4 a full four times over before it needed recharging, and around one and half charges for my Nexus 7. This power bank also features a LED, which serves its purpose as a flash light adequately; it is triggered by pressing the on/off switch. In terms of adapters included in the box, I only received a micro-USB to USB cable, although packaging and other reviews state a range of adapters included such as a micro USB and a 30 pin connector for older Apple devices – a lightning adapter is not included however, it is supported. An AC adapter is not included in the box, so you will have to supply your own in order to recharge the power bank. A nice afterthought is the cloth carrying pouch which is useful for keeping the necessary wires together with the unit.

One of my favourite features of the Intocircuit 11200mAh Power Bank, that isn’t found in similar products, is the backlit LED display which shows the amount of charge still available as a percentage and will also present which of the two output are currently in use. This method is far better than the LED indicators in RavPower 14000mAh Power Bank that I also reviewed, since you can tell exactly how long before the power bank itself, requires a charge.

The charging and discharging times on this power bank are very impressive. Intocircuit have designed a fast charging power bank that outperformed the RavPower 14000mAh model. The only downside being that Intocircuit’s power bank has, as comparing the product names suggests, a lower capacity. It equates to roughly one more charge for a smartphone and less than half for an iPad or other tablet. Like other power banks this one does not support pass-through charging – charging the power bank whilst it, in turn, charges other connected devices.

To summarise, the Intocircuit 11200mAh Power Bank is possibly the best portable charging solutions on the market. It looks great and is very compact, whilst still maintain the ruggedness required for a power bank, so as to endure the rough and tumble of travelling. The only possible drawback that I can think of is that not everything you would need is included in the box; its rather tricky if you don’t have a AC adapter to spare. It more than makes up for the fact that it is doesn’t have the best capacity, with its very impressive charging and discharging times. To top it off Intocircuit’s price point is very reasonable. All in all, the Intocircuit 11200mAh Power Bank gets a big recommendation from me.