The P300 Gold and P500 power banks by Rapoo are both great power banks for your mobile devices, with good functionality and aesthetics.

They both have a 10 400 mah capacity, which is enough to fully recharge an iPhone approximately three times. Both models also claim to be fast-charging, with the ability to charge 90% of an iPhone in an hour. They are reasonably compact, so this is very useful if you're taking your phone with you on a short holiday where there is a lack of power points/wall sockets, or if you just need to keep your phone charged throughout the day. They both have a 7-hour recharge time, which means you can charge them overnight and they should last you a couple of days depending on how often you use your phone. Both models also have over charge and overheat protection.

Both the P300 and P500 have a bright LEDF torch on them. The P500 claims it can last up to 90 hours. I'm not sure about the life of the one on the P300 as I couldn't find any information on it and it might even be a different type of LED (LED torch-4 mode) to the P500.

Onto the differences between the two models. The first, rather obvious difference is that the P300 Gold has an aluminium-metal finish, whereas the P500 has a plastic finish with a rubber grip.

Next is the way each model displays the remaining charge/capacity. The P300 is slightly more basic than the P500 and simply has 4 blue LED lights on the side, which I'm assuming indicate something like 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The P500 on the other hand, has a flashy LED indicator with numbers, so you can get a much more accurate idea of how much charge it has left. The LED display will automatically turn off after a while, but you can give the power bank a quick shake and it will turn on again.

The other advantage the P500 has over the P300 is that it has two USB outputs instead of one, so you can charge two devices simultaneously from it. This would be quite useful if you were going out with friends and two phones were running low on battery at the same time.

The price difference between the two models, from what I can find, is very small, with the P300 at $42 and the P500 at $50. This means that the model you go for is really based on your needs and which one you prefer the look and feel of, since they both have almost identical capabilities, with the exception of the two USB ports on the P500. I personally like the look and feel of the P500, as it simply looks more flashy and modern, and has better visualisation of the remaining charge. The P300, however, has the more usual metallic look to it.

• P500
  • Charge 90% of iPhone in an hour
  • 7 hour recharge
  • Total capacity equivalent to three full charges of iPhone
  • Led that can last for up to 100 hours
  • LED display to display remaining capacity, shake to view
  • 2x USB output
  • $50
• P300
  • 4 LED lights on side to indicate capacity
  • Aluminium-metal finish
  • Super bright LED torch-4 mode
  • Charge 90% of iPhone in an hour
  • 7 hour recharge
  • Over charge protection
  • Overheat temperature protection
  • $42