In the year 2024, staying connected is more important than ever. So, when you find your phone running out of charge before the end of the day, you may want to consider investing in a power bank or portable charger to keep your devices juiced up.
Power banks are also ideal for travelling, because it lets you charge your device on the go, rather than having to sit next to a wall for an hour because that’s the only place with a socket to plug your charger into.
There are also plenty of different options when it comes to different kinds of portable chargers. From wired ones to chunky ones and MagSafe brick chargers that stick to the back of your phone, you’ll be able to keep your devices charged in the way that works best for you.
Here is our list of the best power banks and portable chargers.
The best power banks and portable chargers
Anker 20,000mAh 22.5W Portable Charger
Anker makes loads of different power banks, but this small, cute one has a special place in my heart. I own this power bank and I adore it. Not only does it come in baby pink, but the USB-C cable loops through the actual charger itself, so you can carry it easily and with less risk of dropping it.
It also charges devices really quickly, which is a big bonus, especially if you need a lot of charge in a short amount of time. The only downside is that the power bank itself takes a full day to charge from zero to 100 per cent, —but as long as you keep this in mind, you’ll be okay.
VEEKTOMX 20,000mAh Power Bank
Similar to the Anker charger, this one by VEEKTOMX has a hole in the actual brick that allows the USB C-cable to loop through for easy carrying. It also comes with four built-in charging wires, so you don’t need to bring any extra cables around with you, unlike some of the others on the list.
INIU Power Bank 22.5W 20,000mAh
This sleek power bank from INIU features two USB-A ports and one USB-C port so you can charge three devices simultaneously. It also comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable, so you can start using it as soon as it’s charged, and a travel pouch for safe storage.
Belkin 5,000mAh Magnetic Wireless Power Bank
While offering a much smaller battery capacity compared to most of the other portable chargers on this list, rest assured this magnetic one still packs a punch. It’ll slide perfectly into your pocket or your backpack alongside your phone, and you can even flick out its little kickstand to keep it upright while watching a video or reading.
Charmast 5,000mAh Mini Power Bank
Next up is this mini portable charger by Charmast. Another low capacity power bank, you’re looking at getting about one full charge out of this iPhone-compatible charger per use.
But what we find convenient about this nifty gadget is that it’s cordless, so you don’t have to worry about any stray cables hanging loose. You can still use your smartphone as you would normally, just keep in mind it may not be compatible with select cases.
ROMOSS 20,000mAh Portable Charger
This ROMOSS 20,000mAh charger has QuickCharge support, three output sockets and claims compatibility to recharge the Nintendo Switch.
Anker 20,000mAh Portable Charger
What we love about this power bank is that is caters to the new USB-C and old micro USB outlets, as well as two USB-A ports. You’ll be able to charge at least two devices at the same time at fairly quick speeds.
Charmast 23,800mAh Power Delivery Power Bank
Charmast’s Power Bank has 23,800mAh to share out and plenty of ways to do so, with two standard USB-A ports, a USB-C port and a Quick Charge compatible port as well. It’s rated for power delivery at up to 20W, and Charmast claims compatibility with the Nintendo Switch and select Apple MacBook models.
What to know before buying a power bank
How many recharges will you get?
As smartphones have grown more advanced with increased battery sizes and more energy-demanding tech, so too has the market for portable chargers. It’s not hard to find a portable charger, but it’s important to make sure it can meet all of your needs.
If you’re just looking to recharge your smartphone, there’s an incredibly rough calculation that you could do in order to determine the number of times you might be able to recharge your phone from a fully charged power bank.
Take, for example, take a phone with a 5,000mAh internal battery. A 20,000mAh power bank can recharge it four times if it’s fully charged, right?
Not quite, although you should see more than three recharges if the power bank is relatively new and fully charged for sure.
The realities of power transmission are inherently lossy, and the actual transmission rate of the power will also have an effect on how much charge it’s able to put out on a given device. Just like your smartphone, over time a power bank’s internal battery will also lose capacity, so if you’re using an older model, you might not see full capacity when it comes to juicing up your devices.
How many devices do you need to keep juiced up?
Most high-capacity portable chargers and power banks feature multiple outputs, which is handy if you’re planning on powering up more than just your smartphone, or if you just want to be nice to your friends and family when they’re caught in a bind.
It’s worth matching up connector types here too. While USB-A is the most common (because most charging cables end with that rectangular type plug anyway), there are some power banks that offer up either USB-C or Apple’s Lightning connection points, although the latter is fairly rare in an output sense. When charging up the power bank, you should get a compatible cable whether your device uses micro USB, USB-C or Lightning, but usually not an actual plug charger.
What kind of power output do you need?
There’s a certain universality when it comes to charging smartphones from a power bank, because you can pretty much plug any phone into any power bank and get the electrons flowing.
However, that’s not the full story if you want faster charging, and especially if you need a power bank to back up your laptop’s power supply. Some power banks do support standards such as Qualcomm’s Quick Charge if your phone supports that standard, meaning you can juice up your phone much faster, but there are alternative standards such as Oppo’s VOOC, which aren’t usually called out in power bank specifications. If a power bank can deliver higher wattage to your connected device you may find it charges faster, but it’s not guaranteed.
It’s a little more complex if you want a power bank to keep power flowing to a laptop or other high wattage device. What you want to look for there is a power bank that offers Power Delivery, or PD, as a standard.
With the right mix of power bank, cable and device, it is possible to deliver power to laptops, although this can be a little hit and miss, because the device and the power bank have to effectively negotiate the power delivery level that will be safely used. Many laptops may simply opt to use the power bank as an external power source – so they sap the battery but don’t actually “recharge” while in use – which is a safer option than fusing out your laptop, of course.
Editor’s note: Descriptions and features are as taken from manufacturer/seller claims and user reviews on Amazon.
Image credit: Anker/INIU/VEEKTOMX