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Join us while we unbox the latest Cuktech power banks - CUKTECH 10, CUKTECH 15 and CUKTECH 20. See the detailed unboxing and first impressions in the first part of the video.
After using these power banks for a few weeks and putting them through rigorous testing, I found there’s quite a lot to discuss. Let’s start with capacity. We tested these power banks just as you might with a phone; in my case, it was the Samsung S24 Ultra, which has a 5000 mAh battery.
This immediately brings up a problem with all power bank marketing. The units we tested are advertised as having capacities of ten, twenty and twenty-five thousand milli amp hours, but their actual rated capacity is significantly lower. The problem we have here is the way these companies calculate the numbers. They look at the raw battery cell capacity which are running at 3.7 Volts, but USB devices are charged at 5 or more Volts and that means the capacity at higher voltage is smaller, plus there is some loss due to energy conversion. Unfortunately, this problem is very dominant in the industry and most companies don’t disclose the actual amounts (article explaining this in detail can be found here).
In this example, if we scroll down to the bottom of the page, we can see that the Cuktech 10 is rated at 5500 mAh at 5V, the 15 at 11,500 mAh, and the 20 at 13,500 mAh. This is crucial to note because of our real-world testing. We used our phone and with the V10 we managed to get 1.2 phone charges over multiple sessions by partially charging the phone. With the V15 we managed to get almost exactly two full charges and with V20 it was 2.2 charges over multiple sessions. Considering that phone was still active and using power, this mostly aligns with the advertised capacity in terms of how many times you could recharge your phone.
I also tested the V20 on charging my ASUS laptop using power delivery. It fully recharged the laptop and still had enough power left to charge it an additional 21%. For context, when running the PC Mark Modern Office Battery Test, my laptop lasts about 5 hours and 15 minutes on its original battery, and the power bank provided an extra 6.5 hours—extremely useful when you’re on the go or working somewhere without easy access to a power outlet.
When it comes to charging up the power banks, this is actually quite interesting. The V10 and V15 models support up to 90W charging, while the V20 supports even higher at 110W. However, as with any batteries, just because they can handle high wattage doesn’t mean it’s always the best choice. We tested three different chargers: a 22W unit from Samsung, a 65W GaN charger from Ampere, and a 130W laptop charger from Dell. While the upgrade from 22W to 65W made a significant difference, the jump to 130W was almost negligible in comparison.
When charging the V10 and V20, both provided an estimated time to fully charge, which was quite accurate—within about 10 minutes of the actual time.
One cool thing I saw is the ability to use the power bank to charge other devices while it's being charged itself. This is especially useful with the V20; for example, you can set it to charge your laptop and phone while it gradually recharges from the wall. Although it will eventually run out of power, if you’re only using the devices intermittently or leave them charging, you can effectively use a single wall plug and some cables to charge the power bank and two devices simultaneously, which is pretty convenient.
Now let’s talk about outputs of these devices. They support a wide range of charging standards, including power delivery, QC, FCP, and other fast charge technologies. Although the actual figures are slightly lower than the advertised ones, I didn’t find this to be an issue. With the V10 you can charge up to 120W through the Type-C port and up to 33W through the Type-A port. The 120W is primarily for Xiaomi devices using power delivery, but it can also provide around 100W for laptops. The V10 can deliver a maximum of 150W when using both ports simultaneously.
The V15 also supports 120W on the first Type-C port, up to 33W on the second Type-C port, and the same 33W on the Type-A port. And just like the V10, it has a maximum output of 150W across all 3 ports combined. So if heavily used, be aware that they will slow down.
The V20, on the other hand, can deliver 140W through the first Type-C port, 60W through the second, and 30W through the Type-A port. It also has the ability to be charged through either Type-C port, though not simultaneously and has a maximum output of 210W.
That’s a significant amount of power, enough to sustain most laptops while the battery lasts. However, even with this high wattage capability, these units also offer a low-current mode for lower-powered devices like headphones or other accessories. To activate this mode, simply double-click the button.
Speaking of features, the display on the V10 provides information on battery life, remaining charging and discharging time, as well as power and voltage. If you click the button, it will go to the next page with more info.
The V20 offers all the same information, but it displays everything on a single page for all three ports, and it even includes an overtime graph on the second page. While this might seem like a gimmick—especially considering that the V15 lacks these features despite similar performance—I found it quite useful. Personally, I really enjoyed playing with different cables and chargers and discovered that one of my travel adapters was actually outputting less power than expected so for me the V20 now is also going to be a benchmarking/troubleshooting kind of device.
It's also worth noting that even the largest of these power banks still falls within the airline-approved size limit of 90 watt-hours, which is quite convenient.
Which brings me to conclusion: when we started doing this review, I honestly was struggling to wrap my head around reviewing power banks. They hold power and charge devices, but these Cuktech units are actually handier than just batteries and have some sweet features. I like how they feel in the hand, and they deliver solid performance, though they aren’t the cheapest options available. They seem to be positioned as direct competitors to Anker, and I think they’re worth considering. What do you guys think – which features do you prioritize most when choosing a power bank: capacity, charging speed, or portability? Let us know in the comments.
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