[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”] 3.5 stars
POWERADD Pilot 4GS 12,000mAh – Quick Summary
PowerAdd Pilot 4GS is a 12,000mAh power bank which features a Lightning port for charging the power bank and two regular 3-amp USB ports for charging phones. The power bank can charge iPhones at twice the speed of Apple’s stock iPhone charger and charges iPhone 8/7/6s/5s from zero to 50% in about 30 minutes. It charges almost all Android phones including Samsung S10+, S10, etc. from zero to 50% in 50-60 minutes. The Lightning input is convenient for iPhone users as they can charge the power bank with their iPhone charger.
However, feature-wise, the PowerAdd Pilot 4GS is obsolete and gets charged very slowly (8 hours). It also does not offer PD charging and its build quality is less than satisfactory.
We instead recommend Aukey 10000 PD as a better-built and faster charging Lightning-input USB-C PD power bank. If you do not require PD charging, then Anker PowerCore 13000 is a much better-built alternative at comparable price.
PowerAdd Pilot 4GS Pros
- Lightning input port.
- Charges all iPhones at twice the speed of Apple’s 1 amp iPhone charger.
- Charges Apple iPhone 8/7/6s/5 from zero to 50% in about 30 minutes.
- Charges Android phones from zero to 50% in 50-60 minutes.
- Provides nearly 3 full charges to the iPhone XR/XS/X/8+/7+/6s+.
- Provides five full charges to the iPhone 8/7/6s/6/SE/5s.
- Provides about 2.5 charges to Samsung Galaxy S10/S9.
- Provides 2 full charges to Samsung Note 9, Note 8, S10+, and S9+
- Comes with an Mfi Lightning cable
Cons
- No PD output.
- Takes too long (8 hrs) to charge the power bank.
- Poor build quality.
- Bulky in size than other similar capacity power banks.
POWERADD Pilot 4GS 12,000mAh – Charging Features
PowerAdd Pilot 4GS is one the rare portable chargers that can feature Apple Lightning input and has a battery capacity of 12,000mAh. It is a comes with two USB-A output ports that can deliver a maximum of 3 amps per port at 5 volts (15 watt maximum from a port). This portable charger features a lithium polymer battery with about 500 charge-recharge cycle life-span.
PowerAdd Pilot 4GS is capable of charging Apple iPhone 8/7/6s/5 from zero to 50% in about 30 minutes, which is twice as fast as Apple’s stock iPhone charger. It can provide more than 3 full charges to the iPhone XR/XS/X/8+/7+/6s+ etc and about five full charges to the iPhone 8/7/6s/6/SE/5s etc.
Pilot 4GS charges iPhones at almost twice the speed of original Apple 1-amp iPhone charger. It can also be used to simultaneously charge two devices with the two USB ports.
PowerAdd Pilot 4GS will provide about 2.5 charges to Samsung Galaxy S10/S9. This power bank can fully charge Samsung Note 9, Note 8, S10+, and S9+ about 2 times.
PowerAdd Pilot 4GS is charged via Apple Lightning cable itself and it takes about 8 hours to fully charge the 12,000mAh battery using a 2 amp charger such as Anker Elite 24-watt dual port charger and about 14 hours when using Apple’s iPhone adapter (or any 1 amp adapter). This power bank does not support QuickCharge output or input.
Even though the PowerAdd Pilot 4GS is more suited for iPhones due to its Lightning input, it is also compatible with almost all Android phones including Samsung S10+, S10, S9+, S9, S8, Note 9/8, LG V40, V50, G7, G8. The power bank is capable of charging these phones at a maximum of 3 amps current and at a charging speed of zero to 50% in about 50-60 minutes.
POWERADD Pilot 4GS 12,000mAh – Design
PowerAdd Pilot 4GS has a premium finish aluminium alloy body that resists bumps and fingerprints. The body of this power bank is rectangular with curved edges. It features 3 ports in all (two USB-A ports for output and one Lightning port for input/charging). Pilot 4GS has 4 LED lights on the side that indicate the amount of charge remaining in the battery.
The dimensions of the power bank are 5.43 x 2.91 x 0.58 inches (13.79 x 7.39 x 1.45 cm) and its weight is 9.1 oz (258 gm). The PowerAdd Pilot 4GS is available in five elegant colors.
Considering the capacity of the power bank, we can say that the size and weight of the power bank is quite decent. However, we found the build quality of PowerAdd Pilot 4GS to be unsatisfactory and not quite up to the mark.
POWERADD Pilot 4GS 12,000mAh vs AUKEY 10000mAh PD
Aukey 10000 PD power bank offers stiff competition to PowerAdd Pilot 4GS 12,000mAh. Both the power banks feature Lightning port for input. Even though, the Aukey 10000 PD power bank provides less battery backup than Pilot 4GS, Aukey 10000 PD offers many remarkable features such as PD charging that make it the superior portable charger option.
Aukey 10000 PD power bank features two charging ports – one USB-A port which also supports QuickCharge 3.0, and a USB-C PD port which is used to charge PD enabled devices and can also be used to charge the power bank as well.
Besides the USB-C PD port, the Aukey 10000mAh PD also features two other input ports – a Lightning port and a micro-USB port. Any of the three input ports can be used to charge the power bank, thus offering you unmatched charging flexibility.
Comparing the power output, the Aukey 10000 PD can deliver a maximum of 18 watt output via both the USB-C port or the USB port, while the Pilot 4GS can only output 15 watts. 18-watt PD output allows the Aukey power bank to fast charge latest iPhones XR/XS/X/8/8+ at a speed of zero to 50% in 30 minutes. QuickCharge port in the Aukey power bank charges all QuickCharge enabled phones including latest Samsung phones twice as fast as PowerAdd Pilot 4GS.
The PD port in Aukey 10000 PD also enables it to charge the latest PD enabled Android phones as well as the iPads (Pro 2018, Air 3, mini 5) at their fastest possible charging speed.
Aukey 10000 PD can be charged in just 3.5 hours using a PD charger, while the PowerAdd Pilot 4GS takes a minimum of 8 hours to be charged. PowerAdd Pilot 4GS does not support PD input/output or Quickcharge input/output.
Aukey 10000mAh PD power bank can even detect and charge low current devices (less than 60mA) such as wireless headphones, fitness bands, etc. Pilot 4GS cannot do this.
Considering all the criteria, we recommend Aukey 10000 PD over PowerAdd Pilot 4GS as the Aukey power bank offer fast charging features as well as unmatched flexibility at a comparable price.
POWERADD Pilot 4GS 12,000mAh vs Anker PowerCore 13,000mAh
Anker PowerCore 13000 is a close competitor to PowerAdd Pilot 4GS 12000 with the PowerCore 13000 offering 1000 mAh more battery at lower weight (8.5 oz) than PowerAdd Pilot 4GS (9.1 oz). Both have a maximum current output of 3 amps and have two USB ports for output.
PowerCore 13000 is much more compact (3.8 x 3.1 x 0.9 inches) than the PowerAdd Pilot 4GS (5.43 x 2.91 x 0.58 inches). The Anker power bank features the PowerIQ technology which delivers the ideal amount of power to the device connected.
One key difference between the two is that PowerAdd Pilot 4GS features a Lightning port for charging the power bank and comes with a Lightning cable as well. PowerCore 13000 is charged via a micro-USB port and comes with a micro-USB cable.
PowerAdd Pilot 4GS has a battery backup of 12,000mAh, which is very close to the 13,000mAh power backup of PowerCore. The Anker PowerCore 13000 power bank has markedly more premium build quality than the PowerAdd power bank, and as both of these fall in the same price bracket, we will recommend Anker PowerCore 13000 over the PowerAdd Pilot 4GS.
However, PowerAdd Pilot 4GS supports Lightning input which is quite convenient for iPhone users as it allows them to use the iPhone charger directly to charge the power bank.