AOHi Starship: The Power Bank That Can Charge Your Laptop and Power Your Router

They say Zimbabwe will have solved its electricity woes in two years’ time. They even shuffled the cabinet, replacing the overwhelmed Moyo as Energy minister. However, most likely most aren’t even at the crossing fingers stage. 

That’s why we still get excited about developments in the power bank space. 

There’s a company called AOHi that ran a kickstarter campaign to deliver a next level power bank and it appears they actually have a product to ship. 

The AOHi Starship Power Bank boasts an impressive 240W output, making it capable of charging even laptops like the MacBook Pro 16 from 0% to 56% in just 30 minutes.

The power bank’s 27600mAh capacity is enough to theoretically fully charge a laptop with a 100Wh battery like the MacBook I mentioned above. In practice it can charge it up to about 85% before depleting. 

If you know anything about these MacBooks and new Windows laptops, you know you can get a day’s use from just one charge so, that’s one useful little power bank. 

The capacity is not the highlight though. There are many power banks with capacities around that mark. It’s the 240W output that’s noteworthy. 

Most power banks you see on the streets have low voltages and amperage such that they cannot charge laptops. Most average power banks top out at 5V and 3A. 

This means most cheap power banks do not exceed the 15-18W range. Yet, laptops usually require at least 30W to charge effectively. Hence why these newer power banks with Power Delivery are a big deal. 

That said, it’s not all about laptops. The router that I use requires 12V and 1.5 (18W) to operate continuously. With a power bank like the AOHi one, I can get about 5 hours of use, which is excellent. 

If you just need your phone topped up, you can charge a Galaxy S23 4.1 times or an iPhone 16 3.7 times from one charge of the AOHi bank. 

Here are some details of the power bank:

• Equipped with two USB-C ports supporting Power Delivery 3.1 and one USB-A port, the power bank can charge three devices simultaneously. 
• The Starship power bank includes 15-layer protection against temperature extremes, short-circuits, and overcharging, ensuring durability and safety during use.
• Currently available for pre-order at a starting price of $99 (originally $199), with estimated delivery set for January 2025 after surpassing its Kickstarter goal.
• The Starship 240W Power Bank outperforms competitors like the Sharge Shargeek 170 and Anker 737 in both power output and battery capacity, meaning it’s worth a look. 
• Measuring 16.8 x 5.3 x 4.8 cm and weighing 760 grams (0.76 kg), the power bank is pocketable if you try hard enough. 

I wonder what you guys think about power banks like these. At around $100 for the cheapest ones, you get all the above but if you save up a few more hundreds, you can get a more capable power station. 

I say that as if saving up a few more hundreds is as easy as snapping a finger. If that’s not feasible, are you better off getting a $30 power bank that can’t charge your laptop or power your router and depend on your phone in those loadshedding hours? Who’s to say.