Congratulations on your new power bank! To ensure you get the most out of it, here's what you should do when you first buy one: You need power for your phone: The 3,000mAh battery inside is plenty to keep your Apple Watch going, but that isn't enough power to get you even halfway charged on an iPhone 15, and even less on bigger phones. Anything with 20,000mAh or above will charge your phone multiple times, and many can charge several devices at the same time. As such, they're usually larger, weightier and can be more expensive.

To compile this list of the best power banks, we combed the market for the most popular, innovative, and well-regarded models — and then conducted extensive testing at home and in the field to determine the best model for every need and budget. We charged phones, cameras, laptops, and even other power banks. We dropped and lightly abused over a dozen models to determine durability and longevity. In the end, we were left with a clear understanding of which models are worth their weight and price tag. These are the best power banks on the market today. With a power bank, though, you can always get a recharge – even when you’re far from home. In fact, with bigger power banks, you can get away for a weekend or go camping and still keep your phone juiced up. And it’s not only smartphones that can benefit. Tablets, digital cameras and Bluetooth speakers can often do with a top-up, and a decent power bank is a must-have accessory if you love playing on a Nintendo Switch. We found that the C10002Y gets warm to the touch when plugged into the wall, but this is likely just a result of the thin plastic casing — not a major concern. Speaking of the casing, this definitely isn’t the most rugged power bank on our list. It feels like one significant chest-height drop onto a hard surface would be the end of it. We held our breath during the 2-foot drop test, and though it did survive, it sustained minor visible damage.

Power banks above 20k mAh start to get fairly heavy and less portable, but they’re great for folks looking to charge a larger device such as a laptop on the go. If you’re searching for a bank that can handle the demands of laptop charging, around 20k mAh is the bare minimum capacity you should consider. On this list, the Goal Zero Sherp a has an impressive capacity of 25,600 mAh. The Lion Trek is another excellent high-capacity power bank — and it even sports a standard three-prong AC outlet. Charge Times and ‘Fast Charging’ We like that this simple power bank is free of frivolous features. It serves its purpose perfectly and doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a reliable power bank. The easy-to-read LED display allowed us to keep accurate tabs on its battery life. Its rate of power delivery is right up there with the best banks on the market, but the bank itself is fairly low to charge. Our durability test involved prolonged regular use indoors and out, and a standardized drop test. Every bank was dropped exactly 2 feet onto a concrete surface to simulate the classic electronics fumble that we all experience from time to time. Some power banks ceased to function after a single drop. Of course, none of those models made the list. Your phone should last more than a day with a 5,000 mAh power bank. And the range of between 7,000–10,000 mAh is a great choice for phone users with specific needs or situations. 2. Is Higher mAh Better for Portable Charger? Slim Size, Big Power:One of the slimmest and lightest 10,000mAh portable chargers on the market. Provides 2.25 charges for iPhone 12, 1.6 charges for Galaxy S20 and 1.2 charges for iPad mini 5.

Everybody on our gift list who got a new iPhone is going to get an Anker Nano Power Bank (22.5W) this year. This cute little charger is perfectly sized to sit beneath your favorite smartphone, plugged into the USB-C port with a little plug that opens out or hides away for a sleek look. Speaking of that wall plug, it's the most useful feature ever on a power bank. Some power banks come with a built in USB-C cord, but this Anker comes with a two-prong power outlet plug. That makes it a wall charger as well as a power bank, and the utility can't be understated. For example, early iPhones came with a 5W power adaptor in the box. Those 5W adaptors took over two hours to charge standard smartphones. On this list, the speedy OtterBox Fast Charge delivers 18W power — it can fully charge an iPhone 13 in just over 90 minutes.Die Powerbank lädt meine Geräte schnell auf. Mein Smartphone war in kürzester Zeit wieder einsatzbereit, und die Powerbank selbst lädt auch erfreulich zügig auf.

There are plenty of combination power bank and some other device, but the Tylt Bottle 2 actually makes sense because we're usually carrying an insulated water bottle anyway, so we might as well screw a battery onto the bottom. With a 5,700mAh capacity, the Tylt Bottle 2 is just enough to get us through a very busy day, or keep the phone powered while we play games at the cafe. Most power banks now use a USB-C port to recharge, although some models will have a micro-USB port as well to ensure compatibility with older chargers. Don’t worry if you don’t have the required cable, as one will usually be provided in the box. If you've got one of Apple's iPhone 12, 13 or 14 models, there's a new breed of portable charger on the market. In 2023, nearly every gadget and gizmo that we use has a battery. Our phones are the primary example, but nearly everything — from headlamps to headphones — has built-in rechargeable batteries. In general, any charging source that can deliver around 15w or more could be considered “fast charging.”The next question is how you want to charge your device. You can find a power bank that charges your phone (or even your Apple Watch) wirelessly. These will usually charge slower, but they can be very convenient if you want to leave wires at home. That app is essential because there's a Find My feature built into the battery. It doesn't work like an AirTag over UWB, it's only Bluetooth, but it's useful if you misplace your battery in your office (or you have multiple batteries, like I do). But, whether you're in the office a few days a week, simply left your handset off the charger overnight, or you're jetting off on a weekend getaway, you'll soon find that your phone battery can drain far more than you expect when you're out and about. Unlike most power banks on this list, the Flip 24 only has USB-A input and output. It’s not surprising for such a small bank, but it might be annoying for folks without a compatible cable. Plus, USB-C charging tends to be faster than USB-A. The Flip 24 will charge your phone slower than most other options on this list. Nearly all small electronic devices including smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, earbuds, headphones, and laptops charge via one of three standard input ports: Micro USB, USB-A, and USB-C.

If you care more about convenience than speed, wireless charging is very much the way to go – and a growing number of power banks support it. Just place your smartphone on the integrated wireless pad, and you can recharge without connecting any cables. There will be a hit on charging speeds, so you’ll be limited to 7.5W or 10W, but that’s not a big issue if you don’t need to recharge in a flash. As a bonus, we’re now seeing Magsafe-friendly chargers that will clamp onto an iPhone or a ring inside an iPhone case, meaning you can recharge your iPhone even while you’re using it. How we test power banks In recent years, power banks have improved exponentially. As we all grow increasingly reliant on our electronic devices, power banks have become smaller, lighter, and more capable than ever before. Four indicator lights convert battery levels — including one light that turns green when “fast mode” is engaged. Interestingly, this light turned green while charging an iPhone via the USB-C port, but not when charging earbuds via a USB-A port. It seems there is some kind of sensor in the OKZUthat engaged fast charging mode when the receiving device has a compatible battery. Neat.

The best portable chargers for most users

In fact, our testing confirms what battery makers usually claim. A battery maker will claim between 60% and 70% efficiency, so that 10,000mAh battery will only give your phone around 6,000mAh of extra battery charge, at the least. In practice we find around 65% efficiency, though occasionally we can do even better. Slide-out the built-in phone stand to watch videos while charging. Note: Only wired charging can be accessed while using the phone stand. After reading the above content, you should already know what is mAh. You shouldn't worry about choosing a power bank because there are many options available that will meet your demands. For daily use with a phone or while on the go, consider power banks with a capacity of between 3,000-5,000 mAh.