ASUS ZenPower Pro & Ultra review – even better than before
+ Bigger battery capacity
+ More safety features
+ Two USB ports with one supporting Quick Charge 2.0
+ LED flashlight for emergencies
- Not a fan of the flat USB cable bundled with the ASUS ZenPower Pro
I used to have several power bank but most of them tend to just die off after several months of usage. In fact, I have had two Mi Power Bank 10400 mAh and both are goners within a year. Later I got the ASUS ZenPower that we have reviewed before, and guess what, it has been over a year and it is still functioning even after I dropped it countless times.
The latest flavor of ASUS’ powerbanks are the ASUS ZenPower Pro and ZenPower Ultra, both of which comes with little twists that might appeal to smartphone users of all kinds. So let’s start and dig up some pros and cons of both the powerbanks.
Unboxing
The latest ASUS ZenPower Pro and ZenPower Ultra comes in three color options, which are black, pink and grey. Let’s get started with the ASUS ZenPower Pro first.
Inside the packaging, we have the power bank itself, user manual and a “fettuccine” USB cable. If you notice one of the manuals is in Chinese. Well this is because Super Daddy got his unit from his visit to ASUS’ show at Computex 2016 back then.
Moving on to the ZenPower Ultra, the considerably tall and bulky packaging gives you an inkling of how big it is. Inside the box, we have the ZenPower itself, user manual, a USB cable and a nice velvety pouch.
Appearance
At first glance there’s not much differences between the ZenPower Pro and the previous version. The size is almost similar but the ZenPower Pro is little bit taller. The main #Zenvolution on the power bank is the extra output and a LED flashlight.
If you look closely, you will also notice that the black ZenPower Pro has the Zen concentric circles pattern on its top plate, while the pink one settles for a sandblasted finish. If you are anything like us, we would be scrambling to get one of the black ones anytime over any other color.
Unlike the older version, the latest ASUS ZenPower Pro comes with two USB ports, and one of them supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. So if you have any devices that support quick charging, it would definitely benefit you with faster charging times. So yeah, that explains the “Pro” moniker on these new powerbanks.
If you want more capacity, the ASUS Zenpower Ultra is your choice. It doubles the capacity of the ZenPower Pro and offer a pretty similar list of features. The ASUS ZenPower Ultra also includes a pouch to protect the powerbank since its larger dimensions will also mean more surface area to damage compared to the smaller ZenPower Pro. All ZenPower Ultras feature the Zen pattern on its top plate, irregardless of color choice.
The ZenPower Ultra also features two USB ports, one of which supports fast charging. I do think that they should accept fast charging, as it will take a obscene amount of time to fill these powerbanks up if they get empty.
The ASUS ZenPower Pro and Ultra comes with 1 LED flashlight and is quite bright, but I doubt it is enough to fill a totally dark room with illumination.
Specifications
| ASUS ZenPower Pro | ASUS ZenPower Ultra | |
| Battery type | Cylindrical rechargeable lithium ion | Rechargeable lithium-ion cell |
| Capacity | 10050mAh | 20100mAh |
| Input power | DC 5.0V 2.0A | DC 5.0V 2.0A or 9.0V 2.0A |
| Output power | Port 1: DC 5.1V/2.4A(Max)or 9.1 V2.0A or 12.1V/1.5A Port 2 : DC 5.1V/2.4A(Max) Port1+Port2:23.5W(Max) |
Output 1&2: DC 5.1V/2.4A or 9.1V/2A or 12.1V/1.5A Output 1+2: 36W(Max) |
| Dimension | 100 x 59.6 x 22 mm | 175 x 59.6 x 22 mm |
| Weight | 230g | 420g |
| Quickcharge support | Qualcomm® Quick Charge 2.0 | |
| Safety | 1.Temperature Protection 2.Short Circuit Protection 3.Reset Protection 4.Input Over Voltage Protection 5.Output Over Voltage Protection 6. Input Reverse Direction Protection 7.Over Charge/Over Discharge Protection 8.Output Over Current Protection 9.Cell PTC Protection 10.Adapter Protection 11.JEITA Protection |
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User Experience
Well it’s a powerbank after all. During my test I swapped and used each powerbank over several weeks. One thing I love about the ASUS ZenPowers is that they don’t heat up when discharging. I have noticed this since the old ZenPower. In my hands, there’s not much to differentiate between the ZenPower Pro and the old ZenPower since its physical appearance and structure are pretty similar. It’s a quite different story with the ZenPower Ultra though, and the weight might be a bit heavy for some people, especially girls. But well girls, you can always keep the ZenPower Ultra in your “Doraemon Pocket” or what normal people may call a handbag.
The Quick Charging works like a charm and is capable of delivering up to 18W of juice to your device if it supports it. What I love with the latest batch of ZenPowers is that you can concurrently charge two devices at the same time.
I’m not a fan of flat fettuccine USB cables and luckily the ZenPower Ultra comes with a standard 30 cm USB cable. For me the flat cable is too short and feels limiting if I want to charge a phone with the powerbank in your bag. Optionally you can replace it with your own smartphone cable, or if you want extra durability and life-time warranty, you can get the Gold awarded i10 cable we have tested before.
Conclusion
I’m very satisfied with both the ASUS ZenPower Pro and ZenPower Ultra. For me, powerbanks are becoming essential accessories for any smartphone except if It comes with a big chunky battery at 4000 mAh and above. This might not be important for some people, but I really appreciate the hard work ASUS has put in on the latest ZenPower. Start with only 6 international certifications, ASUS have increase the number to 11 to make it even better.
Choosing between the ZenPowers, I will definitely go with the ASUS ZenPower Ultra for more capacity. If your device supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, you could stand to gain even more by using the ZenPower Ultra or ZenPower Pro.
The ASUS ZenPower Pro will cost you RM129 while the ZenPower Ultra will come in at around RM200 (to be honest I forgot what the actual price tag is). Currently the ZenPowers is not yet available on the market, but it will available at early of August, around the same time as the ASUS #Zenvolution event on 6th of August.
This only a short term review, but I really hope both the latest ZenPowers have the exact durability as the old ZenPower that I’m currently using. I awarded both the ZenPower Pro and ZenPower Ultra with our Silver Pokdeward and hope ASUS will throw in even more nifty features into their products in future.
You can found detail about the products here:
ASUS ZenPower Pro: https://www.asus.com/Phone-Accessory/ASUS-ZenPower-Pro/Features/
ASUS ZenPower Ultra: https://www.asus.com/Phone-Accessory/ASUS-ZenPower-Ultra/overview/
P/S: We are about to giveaway one of these, so stay tuned!
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