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Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh Supports Qualcomm Quick Charge Rather than USB Power Delivery Over Its USB Type-C Port

At the Mi Store in Queensbay Mall in Penang, Malaysia, we found the Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh with a USB Type-C port. Xiaomi had been well known for very inexpensive power banks and it would be interesting to see how they implemented USB Type-C since they didn't have much information on this in the display section or box.

Unfortunately, the Mi Store was more of a showroom that didn't have any stock, so they referred us to go to Urban Republic (perhaps the same owners?) nearby in the mall to actually buy the power bank.

After buying the Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh with a USB Type-C port, it came in a plain cardboard box.

On the box, we could see that the power bank was manufactured in Kunshan City, China but distributed in Malaysia by a Selangor based distributor.

Once we opened the Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh with a USB Type-C port outer box, the inner box simply contained the power bank and USB Type-A to Type-C cable.

A power bank that doesn't come with a USB Type-C to Type-C cable is a good indication that the USB Type-C port does not support USB Power Delivery since a USB Type-C connector is needed to pass on USB Power Delivery 2.0 communications.

The bottom of the Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh with a USB Type-C port shows that it supports a power input of 10 watts (5 volts @ 2 amps), 18 watts (9 volts @ 2 amps), and 18 watts (12 volts @ 1.5 amps). We find out later that the USB Type-C port serves as the input although this is not clearly marked on the power bank case.  

The bottom also shows that it supports a power output of 10 watts (5 volts @ 2 amps), 18 watts (9 volts @ 2 amps), and 18 watts (12 volts @ 1.5 amps). Again, we discover later that the USB Type-A port serves as the output.

Through further testing, we conclude that the Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh with a USB Type-C port actually does not support any USB Power Delivery communication over its USB Type-C port. Rather, the Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh with a USB Type-C port supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 over both its USB Type-C input and USB Type-A output ports, which makes sense given that a lot of Xiaomi phones also support Quick Charge.  

However, this lack of information about which charging technology is supported and which USB port is the output vs input makes it potentially confusing for the user. It's very easy for the user to just assume that they can connect a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable from the Mi Power Bank Pro 10000mAh with a USB Type-C port to a USB Type-C phone, only to find that the power bank won't charge the phone since the USB Type-C port can only take power in to charge the battery.