MYTHMyth or Fact · #5EP.89 · 24 s

Myth or Fact: "A 20,000 mAh power bank charges a 5,000 mAh phone 4 times"

MYTHTHE VERDICT
// WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

MYTH: mAh is at 3.7 V and losses are ~30–40 % → about 2.5 times.

// LESSON NOTES

"A 20,000 mAh power bank charges a 5,000 mAh phone 4 times." Myth or fact? 🔋

❌ MYTH! You'll get about 2.5 full charges.

🔥 WHERE IT GOES: the power bank boosts its 3.7 V cells up to 5 V, the cable has resistance, and your phone's charging chip has losses too. Together, about a third of the energy turns into heat.

🧮 THE REAL MATH:
20,000 mAh × 3.7 V = 74 Wh
74 Wh − ⅓ heat ≈ 48 Wh
A 5,000 mAh phone ≈ 19 Wh
48 ÷ 19 ≈ 2.5 charges ✅

📌 Rule of thumb: expect about two-thirds of the number on the box — and check the Wh on the label.

Read the voiceover (transcript)
  1. Four charges from twenty thousand?
  2. Myth! For a five thousand milliamp phone, you'll get about two and a half.
  3. Boosting to five volts, the cable and your phone's charging chip waste about a third as heat.
  4. So seventy-four watt-hours become about forty-eight. That's two and a half phone charges!
  5. Expect about two-thirds!
  6. Next myth: voltage or current? Follow for more!

Related lessons