TechRadar Verdict
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is a small and stylish power bank with enough power and capacity for charging phones and other small devices. The build quality is sufficient, although there are sturdier offerings out there. The main issues, though, are the slow charging and lack of charging ports (there’s only one, and it’s USB-A). For the price, you would expect more in both departments, so if you’re not sold on the Cath Kidston design, there are better value power banks out there.
Pros
- +
Stylish design
- +
Small and light
- +
Easy to use
Cons
- -
Slow charging performance
- -
Disappointing port selection
- -
Expensive
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VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank review
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is a small power bank with a design that makes it a fashion accessory as well as a portable battery. The Cath Kidston crossover means you get the brand’s illustrative designs. The bee print finish of the model I had was rather subtle, with its cream background and the small drawings lacking any vivid colors.
If you want a little more vibrancy, two more finishes are available, both floral in nature, and incorporate bright shades of red and green. All schemes have a high-gloss finish, which VQ claims is scratch-resistant. After spending a couple of days with it, I didn’t notice any blemishes.
Other nice touches include the small power button integrated on the bezel, and the equally discreet LED dots indicating the battery life of the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank. These are integrated on the front panel in the bottom right corner, and are barely noticeably, designed to intrude as little as possible on the Cath Kidston design. The problem is, however, that they’re hard to see even when they’re lit up, and are virtually invisible when looking at them from an angle, which is less than ideal.
What is more practical, though, is the pleasingly light and slim form factor, making it easy to carry in a bag or pocket. However, while the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is built quite well, it isn’t up there with the very best power banks. The plastic panels do flex somewhat, and while the joins to the bezel are strong enough, I did notice a few wide gaps in places. Also, the power button doesn’t quite sit flush with the bezel as perhaps it should, although it’s at least easy to use.
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank features one USB-C, one USB-A, and one Lightning port – disappointingly, though, only the USB-A can be used for charging devices, as the other two are for input only. This is especially baffling in the case of the Lightning port, as this is a now-defunct standard for older Apple devices, so quite what it’s doing here as an input is a mystery.
What’s also unusual is that VQ doesn’t provide a power output figure, although it does list the voltage and amperage for both the input and the output, so with some basic math, its total wattage should be 20.5W.
Charging my Google Pixel 7a from 50% to full took about two and a half hours, which is an adequate performance. The bank depleted by one dot, meaning it should be able to handle two roughly full charges. Charging the VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank itself from about half full took just over two hours, which again isn’t an overly impressive effort.
The VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank is more expensive than other popular power banks with similar specs, so it seems you’re paying for its looks more than anything else. Unless you really must have the Cath Kidston design, there are better value picks out there.
VQ Cath Kidston 5,000mAh Power Bank review: price & specs
Price | £29 (about $38 / AU$60) |
Capacity | 5,000mAh |
Total wattage | 20.5W |
Number of ports | 3 |
USB-A | 1 |
USB-C | 1 (input only) |
Lightning | 1 (input only) |
Wireless charging | No |
Weight | 6.1oz / 174g |
Power-to-weight | 29mAh/g |
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