Intelli ScoutPro Review 240 Watt MagSafe Fast Wireless Powerbank Charger
The new ScoutPro powerbank and USB 4.0 cable make a good match against Apple's new 140-watt charger and MagSafe cable! The ScoutPro powerbank can deliver 100 watts from a single port and, it's more versatile than a regular charger because it can charge 5 devices at the same time - wirelesly and wired.
ScoutPro is made with aircraft-grade aluminum and vegan leather covering the MagSafe and Apple Watch wireless charging areas. On the front, there is a single plastic clicky power button, as well as various connectivity ports: USB-A port, two USB-C ports and a small numerical LCD display that indicates (from 0% to 99%) the percentage of power left inside the ScoutPro. The power button and LCD display are flat (do not protrude). The sides and bottom have a smooth (non-fingerprint magnet) anodized coating with Intelli branding subtly carved into the bottom side.
The ScoutPro USB-C ports are dual function and are capable of 100 watts both directions in/out; hence they can be used to send power externally to re-charge devices, as well as to send power internally to recharge the ScoutPro itself. That said, you can only use one USB-C port for charging the ScoutPro because input charge has been limited to 100 watts. Each USB-C port has variable voltage and amperage: 5V/3A (15W), 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A and 24V/5A (100W-maximum).
The USB-A port is output only with variable voltage and amperage and maximum 40 watts: 5V/4.5A (22.5W), 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A, 10V/4A (40W). The USB-A port supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 (QC 3.0), as well as Huawei's FCP (Fast Charge Protocol) and SCP (Super Charge Protocol) and Oppo's Super Vooc (SVooc) charging.
To achieve these fast charging performances though, a capable cable is required. Intelli does include a 1.5 meter long USB4.0 cable capable of up to 100W power delivery and up to 40 Gbps data transfer speeds, which is amazingly fast. You can copy 7 hours of HD video or 12,500 HD photos within 30 seconds. You will need a separate cable (not included) for QC, Svooc and FCP fast charge via the USB-A port.
A standard USB-C cable is no match against a USB4 cable. The ScoutPro can charge a 2020 Intel-based 14-inch MacBook to 50% in 30 minutes. If you own the new 2021 M1-based MacBook Pro (14-inch or 16-inch), no such luck though. You won't be able to fast charge the new MacBooks using the ScoutPro because the new M1 MacBooks have been made to only fast charge with the MagSafe 3 charger.
The ScoutPro MagSafe pad supports 5/1.5A (7.5W) for non-MagSafe devices and 9V/1.66A (14.90W) for MagSafe devices. The charging area of the MagSafe pad is wide, thanks to the dual wireless charging coils. The MagSafe area is also magnetized, keeping a MagSafe device securely in place. Next to the MagSafe pad, there is the Apple Watch wireless pad, which outputs a maximum of 5V/0.5A (2.5W).
The Intelli ScoutPro is rated as having a 24,000mAh battery capacity, using five single 21700 Lishen batteries, which are good quality batteries that are used in many power tools because of the 1000 cycle lifespan. This means, the batteries will hold voltage charge when drained 1000 times. If you keep batteries topped up without letting them go flat, it increases their lifespan too. If you do this with the ScoutPro, you will be able to maintain its performance and get many years of good service out of it.
The true-rated capacity of the ScoutPro battery is lower though, close to 17,760mAh. This is because of the power lost during the voltage boost conversion from 3.7V to 5V. All powerbanks go through this same voltage conversion so, the true battery capacity of power banks is always lower than stated. Some companies do state the true battery rating, while others don't.
While the battery capacity isn't the largest amongst powerbanks, ScoutPro has a rating of 88.8 watt-hours (Wh), which is below the 100 watt-hours threashold set by IATA and FDA. This means, you can carry the Intelli ScoutPro inside a carry-on luggage and bring it on-board a plane without issues.
As far as functionality, the ScoutPro is extremely practical and can be fully recharged in 30 minutes when using a 100W GaN charger (not included). You can use any charger of any rating to recharge the ScoutPro. The ScoutPro MagSafe pad is able to charge a MagSafe iPhone in about 3 hours, which is as quick as using Apple's own MagSafe wireless charger. Not surpringly, the ScoutPro's fastest performance is achieved via cable. A MagSafe iPhone takes just 1 hour 40 minutes to recharge.
As far as Android, charging a fast wireless charging Android (4500mAh) phone such as the TCL 20 Pro 5G takes around 4.5 hours via MagSafe, which is twice longer than using a 15W Qi charger. Best charging performance is achieved when charging the TCL Pro 5G via cable (2 hours). The USB-C port delivers the biggest power output, making it ideal for the current fastest charging phones in the world - the new Vivo iQOO 7 (4,000mAh) phone and Xiaomi 11T Pro (5000mAh) phone - which support up to 120-watts, charging to 100% in just 20 and 25 minutes respectively.
When charging 5 devices at the same time, ScoutPro will equally distribute 240 watts of power, according to the watt capabilities of each device. The dimensions of ScoutPro are 15.5cm long, 8cm wide, 3cm thick and 578 grams weight. The leather pad on top measures 14.5cm long and 6cm wide.
Alongside the ScoutPro powerbank and cable accessory, you get a snazzy zipper case for storing them. The zipper case is included but also sold separately under the name Synch Tech Organizer. The zip case doesn't have a hard shell but it's thickly padded so, it will protect the power bank from bumps and accidental drops. It has a water resistant outer shell and waterproof zip with reverse coil teeth to prevent water getting in.
The Intelli zipper case opens all the way around like suitcase via a single metal slider with rubberized pulltab. On the front, there is an external quick access sleeve pocket. On the backside, there is a long strap across it for carrying the case. Internally, there is one large zip pocket on one side that integrates five separate elastic bands for holding cables, flashdrives and memory cards. The zip pocket is lined with soft microfiber material.
The Intelli ScoutPro is a versatile powerbank with multiple wired and Qi wireless compatible charging options available for Android and Apple devices. The only non-versatile feature of ScoutPro is the Apple Watch charging pad, which can charge the Apple Watch in about 1 hour but, it only works with the Apple Watch; hence you cannot use it to charge other smartwatches (e.g. Samsung Watch, Fossil Watch). Intelli does sell a "Samsung Watch version" of the ScoutPro, which is the same basic unit but with a Samsung Watch pad that only works with the Samsung Watch (it will not fit the Fossil Watch).
Another note on MagSafe, it is Apple's own fast wireless charging technology based on the long-standing Qi standard already being used by Wi-enabled Android devices. MagSafe wireless charging is exclusively designed for Apple's new lineup of iPhones, namely iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Being an Apple technology, most people expect MagSafe not to compatible with third-party products but that is not the case.
MagSafe is actually compatible with the Qi standard, which you means you can use a standard Qi wireless charger to charge a MagSafe iPhone and, you can use a MagSafe charger to charge an Android phone, as well as older Qi-enabled iPhones (iPhone 7, iPhone8). The only caveat to MagSafe, it's that it caps the maximum wireless charging output of 15 watts to 7.5W. While not ideal, it is neat that non-Apple users can still use MagSafe with their Android devices. This makes the Intelli ScoutPro a more interesting proposition for Android users, as well as mixed environments of Apple/Android users.You can buy the Intelli ScoutPro from Kickstarter where it was fully funded in 2 hours.
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