CUKTECH 20 Power Bank Review: Stylish and Powerful, It Features the Latest Charging Protocol

The Lowdown

The CUKTECH 20 power bank is a beast. With 25000mAh and a maximum output of 210W, it can charge all of your mobile devices at one time (assuming that you only have three).

Overall
5

Pros

  • Huge Capacity
  • Fast Charging
  • Elegant Design
  • Useful Display Screen

Cons

  • Some users might consider the lack of an AC outlet on such a large battery pack to be a drawback

CUKTECH, pronounced [chooktek], manufactures chargers and power banks and is based in Nanjing, China. The name is in recognition of the Cuk circuit, a special type of DC-DC circuit topology proposed by Slobodan Cuk in 1976. CUKTECH’s power banks currently have capacities of 10,000 to 40,000mAh. In this review, we’ll look at the CUKTECH 20 Power Bank.

CUKTECH 20 Power Bank

At 25000mAh and 210W, the CUKTECH 20 Power Bank sits third in the range of four power banks made by the company. All four models are elegantly designed in a matte metallic silver color and textured black plastic surfaces, and all have some sort of display screen.

The CUKTECH 20’s screen is a 1.54″ TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCD that presents real-time information like battery level, power, voltage, and current.

A thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT LCD) is a type of liquid-crystal display that uses thin-film-transistor technology to improve image qualities such as addressability and contrast.[1] A TFT LCD is an active-matrix LCD, in contrast to passive matrix LCDs or simple, direct-driven (i.e. with segments directly connected to electronics outside the LCD) LCDs with a few segments.

               -Wikipedia

At the heart of the CUKTECH 20 Power Bank is an auto-grade battery pumping out 140W of power. Compatible with the latest PD3.1 charging protocol, it quickly charges all types of devices, from smartphones and peripherals to tablets and even laptops like the MacBook Pro.

The battery is built to last with over 1000 charge cycles. According to the manufacturer, the power bank is comprised of five 21,70mAh battery cells of the same series as Tesla and other new energy vehicles, providing better quality and safety.

There has been a significant improvement in capacity, energy density, charge-discharge performance, and cycle life compared with traditional cells. After 500 cycles, the battery capacity is still at least 80%.

What’s in the Box

  • CUKTECH 20 Power Bank
  • 3′ long 6A 240W C to C Charging Cable
  • Storage Bag
  • User Manual

Design

The CUKTECH 20 is 2.17″ wide by 2.17″ deep by 6.3″ tall and weighs 1.39 pounds. The power bank can be used lying on its side, but standing it vertically saves valuable desk space, which can be very handy in situations where space is at a premium.

The weight may make it a bit less desirable as a travel item, but the battery is “Airline Safe” as, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization, lithium batteries with a rated energy of less than 100Wh do not need to be declared and can be carried on the plane after passing the security check.

CUKTECH 20 Power Bank and storage pounch

The CUKTECH 20 Power Bank ships with a soft fabric storage bag with a drawstring top, so you can throw it in your luggage or backpack without worrying about marring its surfaces.

The top of the CUKTECH 20 Power Bank showing the two USB Type-C ports and a USB Type-A port.

The top of the CUKTECH 20 has three USB ports. Two of these are type C and can be used to charge a wide variety of items or recharge the power bank. The third port is a USB-A intended only to charge other items.

The display on the CUKTECH 20 Power Bank

The front of the power bank features a smoked plastic panel that reveals the integrated heatsink. The center of the lower part of the front of the unit features a light blue linear charging indicator that flows up when the power bank is being charged and down when connected items are being charged. CUKTECH refers to this element as built-in pulse light strips.

Above this indicator is the only button that toggles between turning the TFT screen on, changing the way the information is presented, and selecting whether to leave the screen on (holding the button for 2 seconds in response to this dialog box turns on this feature). One more push turns the screen off. The light blue charging indicator remains on and moving while items are charging or the unit is being recharged.

The CUKTECH 20 Power Bank’s TFT screen provides information about each port’s activity in terms of Wattage, Amperage, and Voltage, the overall power left in the batter, and the total input and output. Toggling the TFT charging screen shows the total input and output over time as a moving chart in blue and yellow.

CUKTECH 20 Power Bank powering multiple devices at once.

Charging

The three ports can be used simultaneously and have ratings of 140W (Type-C1), 60W (Type-C2), and 30W (USB-A), respectively. With 25,000mAh, the power bank can be charged once and used many times. For instance, it can charge an iPhone 14 four times on a single charge.

According to the manufacturer, the CUKTECH 20 Power Bank can charge a MacBook Pro more quickly than using the original charger. It uses 27W charging to charge an iPhone 14 Pro to 55% or an iPhone 15 Pro max to 56% in 30 minutes. Using 45W charging, a Samsung S24 Ultra can be refilled to 62% in those same 30 minutes.

The power bank also supports low-current changing for Bluetooth headphones, smart bracelets, and smartwatches.

The power bank itself, supporting a 110W input, can be charged to 40% in just 19 minutes and takes about 2 hours to fully charge.

Using my own devices, including an iPhone 14 Pro, Airpods Pro, and iPad Pro (4th generation), I can confirm that charging occurs very quickly compared to any other power bank that I have used. A

It is also impressive that the CUKTECH 20 Power Bank does not generate any noticeable heat, even when charging three devices simultaneously.

Capacity

I do not have all of the following devices with which to verify CUKTECH’s claims, but they say that the power bank can charge a MacBook Air 2022 1.2 times, an iPhone 14 4 times, a Xiaomi 13 3.9 times, an iPad 2.2 times, a SteamDeck 1.5 times and a Switch 3.3 times (all statistics are approximated).

I found that the 25,000mAh battery is huge and can easily charge all of my mobile devices fully at the same time. Its battery capacity, output wattage, and charging protocol are much more capable than any power bank I have used thus far.

The only possible shortcoming of the unit is the lack of an AC outlet. I do not need one, but some users might prefer that the power bank include one as an option.

Protection

Lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous and have been known to catch on fire in the past. CUKTECH has taken many steps to ensure that its power banks are safe. This includes using V-O-certified flame-retardant materials in the outer shell and employing high-quality chips that discharge voltage in a more stable manner.

Built-in protections include those for overtemperature, short circuits, resets, input overcurrent, output overvoltage, hardware-level battery overcurrent, short circuits, output overcurrent, and overcharge and over-discharge.

The CUKTECH 20 Power Bank ships with a 7-day hassle-free return, 15-day free replacement, and an 18-month replacement warranty.

Specifications

Battery capacity 25,000mAh
Ports
  • One USB-C (PD 3.1 PPS): 120W max with Xiaomi phone, 140W otherwise
  • One USB-C (PD 3.0 PPS): 60W max with Xiaomi phone, 45W otherwise
  • One USB-A: 30W
Max output 210W
Max input 110W
Battery lifetime More than 1,000 cycles
Dimensions 2.17″ x 2.17″ x 6.3″
Weight 1.39 pounds

The CUKTECH 20 Power Bank is a beast. With 25000mAh and a maximum output of 210W, it can charge all of your mobile devices at one time (assuming that you only have three).

It is powerful enough to charge MacBooks even faster than their original chargers. All that power means that the unit is fairly large and a bit heavy, but if you are willing to give up some capacity, CUKTECH has smaller, lighter models in their line.

CUKTECH 20 power bank on the author's desk

The CUKTECH 20 Power Bank is a really nicely designed bit of gear. It feels solid in your hands, and the materials fit in with everything on a modern desk. The screen and charging pulse lights are very useful and a welcome bit of fun.

The CUKTECH 20 Power Bank retails for $99.99; it is available from Amazon.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Huge Capacity; Fast Charging; Elegant Design; Useful Display Screen

What Needs Improvement: Some users might consider the lack of an AC outlet on such a large battery pack to be a drawback

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About the Author

Charles Kliment
A lifelong gearhead, as a teenager Charles was obsessed with high-end audio and musical instruments and through the years has focused on computers, mobile devices, 3d printing and drones. Both in his career and hobby, he employs a wide range of video, still and VR cameras. An avid gamer, dog lover and father of three adult sons, Charles is married to Jane Randel and lives in New Jersey.

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