Novoo 296Wh test. What can a portable energy station do?

The Novoo company offers several power banks, among them the 296Wh model is proud to be called the “portable power station”. Over the last few days, we had the pleasure to test it for you in practice, so now we have nothing else to do but invite you to the Novoo 296Wh test, which offers access to 80,000 mAh at hand, and it is good for you to know that it is all 20 times more than the battery that usually powers smartphones.

The size of the Novoo 296Wh resembles a decent charger, and the appearance …

Going into the details of the Novoo 296Wh, it is impossible not to start with a solid cardboard box in which it reaches us. In terms of design, it is not the top of perfection, but at least we get clear information about what to expect from this equipment. On the other hand, inside, the manufacturer took care to properly secure the product with solid foam panels, on which we can find a nylon zip case with a user manual and the necessary cables.

We are talking about two cables for charging Novoo 296Wh using a wall socket and a cable with a cigarette lighter plug on one end, and a 3.5 mm plug on the other. There is definitely a lack of USB cables here, which we have to provide for ourselves.

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The Novoo 296Wh definitely attracts the eye with its appearance and it is hardly surprising, because just as its dimensions are similar to the rectifier (230 x 203 x 140 mm), its overall appearance is reminiscent of the front of the unit. Most of its elements are just on the front, except for the bright LED flashlight on the side accompanied by a button that activates it.

In addition, the Novoo 296Wh case includes four large non-slip pads on the base, a handle on the top and air vents on the sides, with a fan underneath one set. There, the manufacturer has provided appropriate indentations, which additionally facilitate the transport of this 3.4-kilogram equipment. The only problem? The ubiquitous plastic and a nasty incompatibility of both parts of the housing, which in itself, however, by combining the dominant black with bright orange, looks pleasing to the eye.

The Novoo 296Wh Powerbank has been rightly reduced to a minimum when it comes to equipment and design, but it also offers a lot. How many? Just take a look:

Starting from the top section, there is an on / off button with an optionally illuminated simple LCD screen and a 3.5 mm charging port, to which we plug the included wall or car charger. The middle section, in turn, includes a traditional AC outlet with 230 V AC and a set of four USB ports (3xUSB-A and a single USB-C Power Delivery). Between them there is a pair of 2.5 x 5.5 DC outputs and a car socket covered with a rubber gasket. Each of the three sections has a dedicated button for its activation and deactivation, which is indicated by an icon on the LCD screen.

Novoo 296Wh Capabilities

You must know that there are many ways to charge the 80000mAh (3.7V / 296Wh) Novoo 296Wh lithium-ion cells. The easiest one is, of course, to use the charger (7.5 hours), but you can also charge it in the car (9.5 hours) using the attached cable, with the help of solar panels (if you have them – 6.5 hours), or via a USB-C charger with a maximum power of 45 watts. Nothing prevents you from charging the Novoo 296Wh simultaneously via the USB-C port and the standard charging input, reducing the time to up to 4 hours.

As for the power of individual outputs, it seems decent. This is the most important, that is, a standard “electrical outlet” provides power up to 300 watts, which makes it impossible to power equipment such as a powerful computer under load or a hair dryer. The cigarette lighter socket, as well as a pair of 5.5 mm outputs, also supports a voltage from 11 to 17 V and an amperage of up to 10 A.

The richest USB set among the other outputs is divided into three types. The weakest are the two USB-A at the bottom, delivering up to 12 watts (5V / 2.4A), above which there is USB-A Quick Charge 3.0 with a maximum power of 18 watts and finally the bi-directional 45-watt USB-C Power Delivery port. In total, this equipment can provide access to a power of 450 watts at any one time.

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How, in turn, can be assessed the energy level of the Novoo 296Wh? This, of course, depends primarily on what you need it for. Personally, I used it as part of a test to power an energy-saving computer / monitor with a total power consumption of 45/50 watts. A single charge of the Novoo 296Wh was enough to keep it working for about six hours. So it works great as an emergency UPS, but when it is heavily loaded, the fan starts to work very, very loudly. A plus is the fact that it activates regularly (about 1-2 minutes) for a few seconds when we work, for example, on an energy-saving computer. In turn, it works almost always when we activate and use two connector blocks or one with simultaneous charging.

Novoo 296Wh test – summary

Novoo is a Chinese company that still has a lot to learn. At least when it comes to the European market, on which it operates from warehouses in France and Germany, providing 12 months of warranty. After checking the company’s HUB earlier, I am definitely sure of it, because the Novoo 296Wh only confirmed my earlier concerns about the product presentation itself. The problem even occurs on the website.

This Novoo power station does not even have an official name on the manufacturer’s website, which officially called it Omni 296Wh. In addition, the lack of detailed specifications and an eye-pleasing description of all functions can be a problem for buyers who will learn more about the Novoo Omni 296Wh from tests of this type than from the official website of the manufacturer, where a few infographics are clearly enough for us.

It is only in the operating manual that comes with the product that we can find all the most important information, but its electronic version is not available from the manufacturer. However, despite all this, it is difficult to complain about the Novoo Omni 296Wh. It may not be a work of art in terms of workmanship, but in our tests it did not burn, its protection after switching on equipment requiring more than 300 watts of power worked and did not burn both devices, and in addition it worked as promised by the manufacturer.

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However, it is still a niche product, which will probably go to only a few, and it is without reservations compared to the competition, even at a price of PLN 1740. We lack the cables in the set, the fan should be quieter, and the USB-C power would be nice to raise to 60 watts, but for such a versatile powerbank, which can also act as a real UPS, it’s good. That’s why we recommend Novoo Omni 296Wh. Especially since you will buy it for $ 268.99 after entering the AETOP20 code in the Aliexpress store from January 15 to 21.