REVIEW – I’ve used and owned a lot of different portable chargers and they have certainly improved and changed over the past few years. A new (to me) modular option came up recently with the XTAR New PB2SL V2 2-in-1 Charger & Power Bank and I had to check it out and see how well it held up in real world use. Basically, it’s a platform for different rechargeable batteries that you can quickly swap out and use both as a power bank and a battery charger. Read on to see how it stood up to testing!
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $23.99
Where to buy: Amazon
What is it?
The XTAR New PB2SL V2 2-in-1 Charger & Power Bank performs as both a power bank and a charger for certain types of rechargeable batteries that are becoming more common in flashlights and other tools.
What’s included?
- PB2SL V2 2-in-1 Charger and Power Bank
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- Internal Locking Spacer
- User Manual
- (Base package does not include batteries)
Tech specs
- Input: Rated – PD3.0 & QC3.0 (5V 3A/9V 2A
- USB Output: USB-A Rated – QC3.0 (5V 3A/9V 2A/12V 1.5A) – USB-C Rated – PD3.0 & QC3.0 (5V 3A/9V 2A/12V 1.5A); SCP (5V 4.5A)
- Cut-Off Charging Voltage: 4.2+-0.05V
- Cut-Off Charging Current: ≤270mA
- Operating Temp: 0-40C
- Dimensions: 125x58x28mm
- Net Weight: 85g
Design and features
The initial view of the XTAR New PB2SL V2 2-in-1 Charger & Power Bank looks like a regular power bank similar to a lot of other power banks out on the market right now. The difference lies in the removable battery aspect of this system.
In the base package out of the box, this device is incomplete. You need one or two rechargeable batteries to actually do anything. The accepted battery sizes are: 18650, 18700, 20700, and 21700. There is an included spacer to handle different sizes of battery and hold them snugly inside.
The front panel of the PB2SL easily pops off and is held on by magnets. This makes the batteries easy to access, but if you drop the charger you may see it pop off.
Setup
To test and review this device, I had to buy some compatible batteries as none of my other devices use those sizes of battery. I just went on Amazon and found a couple of 21700 batteries that seemed to have decent reviews and wouldn’t break the bank. Once those arrived, I just popped them into the PB2SL and used the included spacer to hold them in place. Charging then was just like charging any other power bank.
I got the highest capacity set of batteries I could find for this device because I want it to last the longest.
Performance
I’ve used this device as a power bank for a few different devices over the past couple of weeks. It’s difficult to review the charging capacity of the device itself because it’s entirely dependent on the batteries that you use. If you get a smaller type of battery, that’s going to limit the amount of charge you have available. I went with two 21700s, each with a 5000mA capacity. I found in testing that I was able to get a single full charge on my Pixel 9 from the power bank. You can note that it charges at a higher fast charge rate.
The charger is intelligent enough to adapt to the needs of smaller devices like my earbuds. Lower voltage and lower amperage.
Different device and different charging rate:
Final thoughts
I have mixed feelings overall about this charger. It would have been nice to have a set of batteries included in the charger out of the box. You can purchase different sets with batteries included, but it’s not the default. These types of batteries are fairly easy to find online, but it looks like you may need to exercise some caution to ensure that you get them from a reputable source as some vendors fudge their numbers a bit. The fast charging of the power bank is pretty handy, but I only got a single full charge on my cellphone with a set of the larger capacity batteries. That could be due to the batteries, so it’s hard to blame that on the PB2SL. The capability for fast charging and smart adapting is very nice and if you have a bunch of compatible batteries this could be a fantastic tool. As it stands right now for me it’s nice to have as a spare power bank, but I don’t know if I would get another one.
What I like about the XTARÂ PB2SL V2 2-in-1 Charger & Power Bank
- Smart power bank adjusts quickly to the devices being charged
- A modular battery approach means that you can have multiple sets of batteries to keep the power bank going without having to keep multiple power banks
- Having a charger for these types of battery may come in handy if I get any additional devices that require them
What needs to be improved?
- Include batteries in the base set
- Provide a way to latch the panel that covers the batteries. Magnets are nice, but they still pop off with a sudden jolt
Price: $23.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by XTAR. XTAR did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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$28.99 (as of October 6, 2025 18:41 GMT -04:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
