With many of us heading on a staycation, this year one issue will still remain and that is the battery life of your mobile phone or laptop or even camera if you like to take a great shot when exploring the great outdoors.

Now you could use a powerbank but it’s very limited to the number of devices it can charge and ultimately the amount of power it can pass to your devices. So when I was sent the Omnicharge Omni 20+ USB-C I was interested to see if this device could solve my charging woes. 

So who is Omnicharge?

Omnicharge has been around since 2016 after a crowdfunding campaign to launch the Omni 20. The company was formed as they saw a gap in the market from better-charging solutions to an everyday problem of running out of power on multiple devices. 

They have released multiple products each time improving aspects that their client base required and how charging demands have increased.

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Design

The Omnicharge Omni 20+ costs £192 via Amazon which is significantly more expensive compared to a standard powerbank.  So the Omnicharge uses a battery similar to that you might find in a Tesla. These batteries are designed to be safer and they are cheaper to produce.  Omnicharge claims you have a battery capacity of 38,400 mAh which is very impressive. 

In terms of build quality, you won’t be disappointed it’s built to last and really does focus on long term durability. It only comes in black and the top and bottom have no markings at all which is a tad annoying for the wireless charging but more on that later.  The Power Inputs are located on 3 sides of the device which does reduce the cord clutter. 

Now in this review, we are covering the EU version which comes with the following accessories: 

  • EU to UK adaptor (230V Ac)
  • USB-C to USB-C Cable
  • USB-A to USB-C cable

The actual device it’s surprisingly lightweight considering what its purpose is it only weighs 600g. The casing is plastic with a durable rubber outing to add to its durability but it is a fingerprint catcher. On the left side of the Omni 20+, you have that AC outlet. 

AC Port with EU to UK adaptor plugged in

Moving to the front of the Omni 20+ you have the power and menu button, backlit digital display, AC outlet button, USB Button, 1x QC 3.0 quick charge USB-A port & 1x USB-A port. 

The backlit digital display is quite bright and easy to read but with some with the lack of instructions, I found changing the input and output settings more of a guessing game. You can download a manual that will provide full details of how to use the device.

Moving to the right side of the device you have the USB-C port and DC input/output. The DC output is ideal for charging a laptop and can be scalable from 5V to 24V depending on what you need. To select the voltage all you need to do is hold the power button when selecting the output. Finally, the top of this device also allows for wireless charging. 

The only concern I have is the fact that the AC terminals do not have a cover to offer safety protection as you run the risk of a shock if something metal got into the ports while travelling with this product. I would suggest you get a cover while not in use.

Now the Omnicharge Omni 20+ has two purchase options one with a mains power outlet and the other with an additional USB-C port instead. The EU version I have is the 230V option but if you are based in the US. Then you can also get a 120V option. 

The Omni charge also has internal cell temperature monitoring ideal when you’re charging multiple devices. As mentioned this device comes with 1x quick charge 3.0 ports and one standard USB port.  For those readers who are unaware of what, the quick charge is, well it does exactly what is said on the tin. It offers a quicker charging time but only if you have a quick charge equipped device it can offer up to 18W of charge otherwise the ports will work just like a normal USB port.  

QC 3.0 allows even higher voltage to be used which some devices can benefit from. It can adapt the output voltage to suit the needs of what is being charged and there is a claim it’s more efficient but I won’t pass judgement on that yet. 

Now when you first get the device out of the box in the user manual you are advised to give it a full this will take about 2hrs and a half to fully charge the device using the 100W output. In principle, you could also charge a device at the same time but it will limit the power and the time it takes to charge. 

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Performance Testing

Now the Omni 20+ can deliver 14,200 mAh at 5V. Remember the cool thing about this device is you can charge multiple devices at the same time. So I charged my iPhone 12, Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and my Asus Zenbook via the DC port so having this port was really handy to have and all the devices were fully charged after about 2 hours of charge leaving the Omni 20+ with about 70% capacity which was very impressive.  

Remember the DC output socket only comes alive when you have gone into the menu and selected one of the four voltage outputs. Make sure you charge your device at the correct voltage if you could seriously damage your device. 

The Omni 20+ is also more efficient; you can save about 25/30% power instead of plugging in the Omni 20 + directly at the mains. Charging my iPhone 12 I was unable to take advantage of the fast charge capability but it still gave me a full charge in just over in about 1hr 50min this was reduced in charge speed when we tested my girlfriend’s S20 and this was fully charged in just over an hour. 

The Omni 20 + also allows for wireless charging, something I could benefit from being an iPhone 12 user and the Omni 20+ provided 10W of charge and does take longer which is expected but you can get a full battery in under 2hrs of use. Just make sure your phone sits across the back of the top of the unit. I found getting the right spot a little fiddly. In the end, I marked the spot with a little sticker. 

You can also use this device to charge GoPros and Omnicharge state you can get 10 charges from the Omni 20+ but this was something I was unable to check on the review as GoPro is not available as family members have it but I will update this review when I get it back.  

That family member is currently on holiday and that brings me to my next point: Can you travel with the Omni 20+ and the answer is yes as long as it’s part of your carry-on baggage and not in your suitcase. This is because the largest rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can be carried on a plane is 100Wh and the Omni 20+ comes in at 71Wh and is classed as a spare battery Just make sure you know the stats as you are more than likely to get stopped by someone who does not know the charging figures.  Also just check with your airline to be sure. I did some research along with the main airlines and most will allow you to travel with the Omni 20+ 

Verdict 

I found the Omni 20+ really useful especially for work as I have multiple devices and having something like this it became a very useful portable battery charger. It’s very well made and can be really helpful for those who use a phone, laptop, GoPro or Camera and need to be able to charge their device on the move. I spoke to a wedding photographer recently who swears by his Omni Ultimate for keeping him on the go and is very interested in trying out the Omni 20+. 

One small negative: the Omni 20+ comes with an EU to UK adapter meaning I still need a UK to EU adapter to plug this into the wall to charge the device. Maybe Omnicharge could have the adapter with different ends to cover wherever you go in the world when travel is a little less restrictive.

If you want to add to this product you can also get additional accessories for an extra cost of £60 for the Pro bundle which comes with a charger and protective case. However what you get when you see the case does appear a little expensive.

However the Omnicharge Omni 20+, on the whole, solves an issue many professionals will have who need to charge multiple devices at once and with the introduction of QC 3.0 it’s going to be a sure-fire hit for that target market. For those who want to use this on holiday, it’s very handy for allowing you to charge multiple devices if plug points are an issue while away. Cost-wise at £192, it may scare some people off but if you know what you’re going to use this device for it’s an excellent bit of kit.

Product Rating: 

  • Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
  • Charging Performance: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
  • Value for Money : 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0           

Overall Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0 – 5 Stars 

Amazon are offering the Omni 20+ bundle package for the great price below ideal if you want the additional accessories:

 

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