This power bank looks good, performs well but is expensive

The Shargeek 140 is the third Sharge model I’ve tested. And once again, the design of the power bank has caught my eye. While other manufacturers rely on a monochrome block design, you get to peek inside through transparent plastic with this model. I like that I can see components such as coils, capacitors, resistors or semiconductor transistors. It also has a small screen with a retro look that shows how many watts are being supplied to a connected device.

Is the Shargeek 140 still too expensive?

When I reviewed the other two Sharge models, me and the Community criticised the price. If you just want something powerful, you’re looking in the wrong place. This manufacturer charges a significant premium for the optics.

In comparison the new model is at least cheaper, but still significantly more expensive than many other models which don’t have a fancy design. Our shop is very clear about the price per 1,000 mAh charge. At the time of testing, the Shargeek 140 with 1,000 mAh cost CHF 5.90, CHF 6.91 for the Shargeek 100 and CHF 7.21 for the Shargeek 170.

If it’s just a question of capacity, then you could get power banks with 20,000 mAh for as little as 20 to 25 francs, i.e. around 1.00 to 1.20 francs per 1000 mAh in our shop.

The best-selling competitors with similar performance data are also massively cheaper. For example, the Anker Prime is available for 88.90 francs, which calculates to be 4.44 francs per 1000 mAh.

The positives of the pretty power bank

The tested model offers a battery capacity of 20,000 mAh and a power capacity of 74 Wh. This means you can take the power bank with you on most airlines. In other words, capacities of these values means there’s enough to charge a smartphone four to five times.

The power bank has a maximum output of 140 watts, which is divided between the two ports. A maximum of 100 watts is possible via the USB-C port and 40 watts via the USB-A port. In my test, for example, I charged my MacBook via USB-C and the highest output I managed to get was 90 watts. This charges a laptop very quickly.

Incidentally, thanks to the external measuring device, I’ve also noticed that the Shargeek 140 is very precise when it measures the wattage. You can always see on the display how quickly your gadgets are charging.

The power bank itself can be charged with a maximum of 65 watts. You can also charge the power bank and connect a device to it at the same time. A through-charging function like this is practical if you only have one charger to plug into a socket when you’re out and about.

The Shargeek 140 supports a wide range of charging protocols: QC3.0, QC4.0, PD2.0, PD3.0, Apple 5V/2.4A, BC1.2, AFC and FCP. This means that almost all gadgets can be charged at the optimum speed.

The manufacturer promises premium quality with high-performance and high-quality Samsung batteries. The device is protected against overvoltage, overcurrent, overheating, overload and short circuit. Of course, I can’t test these. What I can say is, the Shargeek 100 has been in continuous use for around a year and a half and still works perfectly. And the battery’s still performing just as well now as it did at the start.

The negatives of the power bank

For me, the biggest weakness is the number of ports. Sharge has only installed two of them – one USB-C and one USB-A. Competitor models usually offer at least three ports. A second USB-C port would be particularly helpful, as most of the latest devices rely on this connection now.

Otherwise there’s little to criticise, except for the value-for-money factor. The power bank outshines most of its competitors in terms of price and design, the remaining features are good but not outstanding.