Fast charging mobile power bank is gaining momentum, and high current DC-DC solutions are on the rise

　　Mobile power system manufacturers are accelerating the introduction of high-current DC-DC converters. Aiming at the huge mobile power market opportunities, power IC suppliers such as ZonPower, Yuanxiang, O2Micro, MPS, Richtek and Zhixin have all started to develop or launch high-current DC-DC converters to help system manufacturers develop mobile power products with faster charging speeds.

　　Liao Sihan, deputy general manager of Guanneng Technology, said that the current input current of mobile power DC-DC converters is only 1 to 2 amperes (A) or 2 to 3 amperes, which is difficult to meet consumers' urgent needs to quickly charge mobile power banks. By switching to a DC-DC converter that can support a large current of 4 to 5 amperes, the charging time can be saved by half compared to the 1 to 2 ampere solution.

　　However, it is worth noting that when the current input to the mobile power bank increases, it will cause serious heat dissipation problems for the printed circuit board (PCB). In this regard, Liao Sihan pointed out that most power IC suppliers now solve the problem of overheating of the printed circuit board by increasing the size of the DC-DC converter or using surface mount heat dissipation packaging methods, thereby reducing the charging time of the mobile power bank.

　　In addition to the heat dissipation challenge, the high price of DC-DC high current input converters is also a key factor affecting the popularity of this solution. Liao Sihan mentioned that the price difference between DC-DC converters with input currents of 1 to 2 amps, 2 to 3 amps, and 4 to 5 amps is at least 1.5 times each, and mobile power system manufacturers must make a trade-off between bill of materials (BOM) costs and consumer demand. However, as competition in the mobile power market intensifies, the development of DC-DC converters that can support high current input will be an inevitable trend.

　　Due to the vast territory of mainland China, consumers' demand for mobile power supplies that can charge mobile devices is higher than in other regions, which in turn drives up the prices of high-current DC-DC converters that can charge quickly. Therefore, power IC suppliers such as ZonPower have focused their market development on mainland China. Liao Sihan revealed that ZonPower's high-current DC-DC converters, which were mass-produced at the beginning of last year, were mainly foundries of Epistar and World Advanced; the product price is very competitive, so it has been favored by mobile power system manufacturers in mainland China.

　　It is understood that many power IC suppliers in mainland China, as well as Gate Energy and MPS, have targeted the mobile power market since 2011 and started research and development of high-current DC-DC converters, and have started mass production of related products in 2012. Currently, mobile power solutions that use DC-DC converters that can support 4-5 ampere current input have been mass-produced in small quantities at the end of 2012, and are expected to be launched in large quantities in 2013-2014 and become the mainstream solution in the market.

　　The emergence of mobile power banks just solves the battery life needs of portable products such as smartphones and tablets, and has therefore been recognized by consumers. From the current situation, mobile power consumer users are still a huge cake that has not yet been cultivated, which is the driving force behind why so many brands are rushing to enter the market.

　　At present, the mobile power market is mainly manifested in two aspects:

　　1. Mobile power has not yet formed a real brand.

　　The reason why we say this is mainly from the perspective of consumer awareness. The author has consulted in several cities and received two answers. One is that those who use mobile power banks basically do not buy mobile power banks from brands recognized in the industry, and the other is that they do not even know that there is such a thing as mobile power banks. In such an industry where products are not widely recognized by consumers, anyone can become a brand.

　　2. Mobile power supplies are not popular among consumers.

　　This question is an old one, so I won’t explain it too much here. I believe that the channel departments of major mobile power brands share the same feeling. If the concept of mobile power is popularized, this is an issue that all mobile power manufacturers need to consider. Of course, this is also the theme of this article, and we will discuss it in the following points.

　　There are three main categories of mobile power brands.

　　1. Old and well-known brands or other famous brands enter the mobile power industry.

　　Such brands mainly include PISEN, Energizer, Philips, Patriot, Scud, etc. They have a high reputation in other industries. For example, PISEN has been engaged in the development of commercial batteries, so it is natural for them to enter the mobile power supply industry, and they also have a large number of sales channels.

　　2. Emerging mobile power brands entered the market early and have established a certain brand influence.

　　Such brands mainly include Yubo, Dianxiaoer, SSK, and MILI (under Haritong, which also has very good marketing power in the mobile phone battery field).

　　3. Entered the mobile power market after seeing the popularity of mobile power.

　　So far, this type of mobile power brand can be said to occupy the vast majority of mobile power brands, such as Pineng, Best, APV, Avic, Avionics, Lepo, Paike, etc., which can be said to be countless.

　　From the above three stages, the second echelon is the best. Although the old brand manufacturers have relatively excellent channel resources, they are limited by the fact that the concept of mobile power has not been widely popularized by consumers, so the channel has not yet been fully utilized. According to the news released by PISEN Mobile Power in November, the channel shipments reached 300,000 units per month, which can be said to be the absolute king of this industry.

　　The second echelon has the advantage of using the fact that the consumers who use mobile power banks are mainly digital enthusiasts and those who are willing to accept new things. This group of people happens to be concentrated on the Internet. Therefore, the second echelon uses e-commerce to market their products very well. Among them, Yubo, PISEN and Dianxiaoer are worth mentioning.

　　The third echelon entered the mobile power market relatively late. The brand worth mentioning here is Pineng. People in the industry say that this brand is very similar to PISEN. In fact, they are not the same company, but completely independent. Some of Pineng's single products can achieve monthly sales of about 15,000 to 20,000 units. Pineng is good at online marketing and has brought some e-commerce methods to a certain level. In the third echelon, in addition to Pineng, there are also Lepao, Avicx, etc. These are some successful cases of successfully using the Internet to go e-commerce.

　　We classify brands into small and medium-sized brands, which mainly refer to the second-tier and third-tier mobile power brands mentioned in the above article. For small and medium-sized brands, there are two main problems they are facing:

　　1. Brand building efforts

　　There are so many small and medium-sized brand manufacturers emerging all of a sudden. Of course, the fundamental reason is that this is a huge piece of cake that has not been truly tapped. What is beyond their ability is that the first-tier mobile power brand manufacturers, considering their own comprehensive strength, will not make large-scale promotions in terms of mobile power penetration rate. Instead, as the mobile power market develops, they will use the image influence of big brands to gain an advantage.

　　The second-tier mobile power brands, who have a first-hand understanding and have a large number of shipments from e-commerce and some shipments from channels, will not do this. Instead of sharing the cake, it is better to kill those opportunistic brands.

　　The biggest feature of the third-tier mobile power brands is that they are a mixed bag. There are those who want to make a quick buck and run, and there are also those who want to work hard on making products. Those who really want to build a brand will work hard to make good products. To be fair from an industry perspective, the products of the third-tier are not worse than those of big brands. Some people in the industry have complained: with the same shell and the same board, the brand name is just sold at a higher price, which is indeed true.

　　The entire mobile power industry is currently being harmed by some brand owners in the third echelon who just want to make a quick buck and run away. We can see that on Taobao or Tmall, 20,000mAh is only sold for 45 yuan, which is simply against the will of heaven. However, you cannot deny that their shipments are still very high. Many people in the industry have complained to us that these mobile power supplies are really not worth the loss!

　　2. Funding issues.

　　The mobile power industry is all about "holding up". Making mobile power is not about being on the road, but about who can make it to the end. Any industry needs a process from its initial budding to wild growth, reshuffle, and maturity. Reshuffle is the turning point of a phoenix rebirth. The question is how long can you hold up? This is the issue of funds.

　　The market does not proceed as planned as expected, but is weighed by the market itself. We have said that the reshuffle of mobile power supplies will be explosive. We can wait and see.