OtterBox Power Pack 10000 Review

In our overall rankings, the OtterBox finished behind the Anker PowerCore II Slim 10000 and just ahead of the Anker PowerCore Speed 20000. The OtterBox is a little more cumbersome to carry than the PowerCore II Slim 10000 due to its ruggedized exterior, but is still a bit easier to fit in a pocket and weighs less than the Speed 20000. However, it does cost about $15 more than the PowerCore II Slim, but $10 less than the PowerCore Speed 20000.

The OtterBox Power Pack 10000.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Performance Comparison

To pick out our favorites when it comes to portable chargers and battery packs, we did extensive research to see all the different models out there, then picked out the batteries that showed the most promise, bought them, and tested them head-to-head. You can read about the OtterBox's performance when it came to capacity, portability, convenience, and recharge time in the sections below.

The battery is a little hard to fit in a pocket than some of the slimmer models.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Portability

The OtterBox delivered fairly run-of-the-mill results in our portability test, meriting a 5 out of 10. To determine this, we looked at how it felt to carry this battery pack around in your pocket compared to the rest of the group, as well as its volume and weight. In total, these tests are responsible for 40% of the total score for each battery.

The OtterBox is comparably sized to other 10,000 mAh battery modules, having a rectangular package that measures 6" long, 3" wide, and 0.63" deep.

The OtterBox can only charge a single device at a time.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

It is also about average in weight for these products, weighing in just shy of ¾ of a pound, or 11. 34 ounces.

The OtterBox Power Pack actually fits quite well in the pockets on most pairs of pants — surprising, given its ruggedized exterior. You can definitely tell that it is there, but it is far from unbearable to walk around with this or to sit down with it in a front or back pocket.

The OtterBox did above average in our capacity test.

Credit: Austin Palmer

Capacity

For our next group of tests, which account for 30% of the total score, we assessed and scored the electrical capacity of each portable battery pack. To test this, we used a simulated charging load and electrical meter to extract as much energy as we could from a fully-charged battery at different discharge rates and we did real-world charging tests to test out the veracity of any manufacturer's claims. The OtterBox Power Pack 10000 again did fairly well, earning a 6 out of 10.

We started off using our dummy load set for a 2.4 amp discharge rate, but found that we did run into some problems with the pack shutting off after about an hour and twenty minutes. We ended up dropping it down to about 2.1 amps to get the battery to stay on and had to drop it down to around 1 amp right before the battery died completely to keep it from resetting. In total, we were able to extract about 67% of its stated capacity, or 6669 mAh, at these higher discharge rates. We repeated this test at a 1 amp discharge rate the entire time and found that we were able to get a little more juice out — about 7085 mAh — or 70%.

10,000 mAh packs are usually about the size of a smartphone, just a bit taller.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

This power pack didn't have any claims regarding its performance charging devices a certain number of times, so we used the same claims as the Anker PowerCore II Slim 10000 to compare against. Using these, the OtterBox should be able to charge a Samsung Galaxy at least 2.2 times, an iPhone 8 1.8 times, or an iPhone X 2.4 times. We used a Galaxy phone to test with and found the OtterBox to well exceed these claims, able to charge this phone 2.49 times before it was completely depleted.

The ruggedized OtterBox has a much taller profile.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Added Convenience

Next, we considered what features each portable battery has that make them easier and more convenient to operate. We looked at how many devices each battery could charge simultaneously, if it has built-in cables or plugs, if there is an integrated flashlight module, and if there is an included warranty. Altogether, these account for 20% of the total score, with the OtterBox earning a 4 out of 10 for its limited convenience features.

This portable battery can only charge up to a single device at a time and lacks an integrated recharging adapter or any built-in cables.

The protective covers on the ports is a nice feature if you are taking this battery in the backcountry.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

It also lacks a flashlight. However, it does include an 18-month limited warranty and a single micro USB cable.

All four lights indicating a fully charged OtterBox.

Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Recharge Time

We used the LED indicators to determine when the battery was fully charged. The OtterBox did a little better than average, taking 340 minutes to completely charge and earning a 6 out of 10 in this evaluation — accounting for the remaining tenth of the total score.

Value

The Power Pack 10000 by OtterBox isn't a great value, being quite a bit more expensive than comparable models due to its burly and ruggedized design.

Conclusion