The company has a group of cooperation teams engaged in the Power Station industry for many years, with dedication, innovation spirit and service awareness, and has established a sound quality control and management system to ensure product quality.
Watching your phone or tablet steadily run out of power when you're nowhere near an outlet is stressful. Fortunately, third-party portable batteries are available in every size and capacity imaginable. Some power banks offer fast charging, wireless charging, built-in cables, AC adapters, and LED flashlights—or even the ability to jump-start your car. Regardless of your budget, you can find a portable charger that keeps your device going when your battery icon starts to dip into the red.
But with so many options to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you? Read on for our tips, followed by the most important points to consider as you shop.
Best High-Capacity Power Bank
$59.99
at Amazon
See It
(Opens in a new window)
The Mophie Powerstation XXL does it all—it has a considerable 20,000mAh capacity, 18W PD charging, and both USB-A and USB-C ports.
If you're looking to recharge a phone or tablet several times on the go (and quickly), this is a top choice. The only drawback is that it doesn't support larger devices like laptops.
Best for Charging Laptops
$149.99
at Amazon
See It
(Opens in a new window)
The Anker 737 features 140W output, which means it can charge bigger, more power-hungry devices like a laptop just as effortlessly as it can juice up a phone or tablet.
If you often need to charge a laptop when you're not near an outlet, this 24,000mAh backup battery can save you stress. It's more expensive than other options on this list, so people who tend to charge smaller devices like phones or tablets are better off with the more affordable choices.
Best for iPhone Owners
4.5
$95.00
at Amazon
See It
(Opens in a new window)
True to its name, Apple's MagSafe Battery Pack is notable for its MagSafe support. You can simply stick it to the back of your phone to charge it wirelessly.
If you need to keep your iPhone running away from home, you won't find a more convenient solution. People with older iPhones (before the iPhone 12) need to look at other options, though, as MagSafe isn't supported.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack ReviewMost Durable PD Power Bank
$54.95
at Amazon
See It
(Opens in a new window)
Many people know Otterbox for its durable phone cases, but the company is now bringing that expertise to the world of power banks. In addition to its strong build quality, the Otterbox Fast Charger Power Bank has all the key features you need, such as fast charging with PD, both types of USB ports, and several options for battery capacity.
If you are worried about damaging your backup battery when you travel or commute, this is one of the safest bets. It also comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
Best Affordable PD Power Bank
$29.99
at Amazon
See It
(Opens in a new window)
Despite its reasonable price, the Anker PowerCore Slim PD 10000 offers high-end features like USB Power Delivery for fast charging, as well as both types of USB ports.
This 10,000mAh charger doesn't have a massive capacity, but it's more than enough for people who just need a little extra power throughout the day and don't have the patience for slow charging speeds.
Best Ultra-Portable Power Bank
$24.99
at Amazon
See It
(Opens in a new window)
A huge battery capacity is convenient, but sometimes you need a small device that you can carry around without a backpack. The 5,200mAh Anker 321 Power Bank fits that need perfectly, especially because it offers both a USB-A and USB-C port.
This is ideal for people who care more about portability than capacity. It won't charge your phone multiple times, but it can still get you through a long day.
Best Solar-Powered Portable Charger
$39.99
at Amazon
See It
(Opens in a new window)
The QiSa Solar Charger can use the sun to recharge itself, supports both wired and wireless charging, and even has a built-in flashlight. Best of all, it offers a massive 38,800mAh capacity.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors, this is among your best choices for keeping your devices running while off of the grid.
Generally speaking, the bigger the battery, the higher the capacity and the more ports you get. Power banks that fit comfortably in your pocket are typically good for a full phone charge or two, while anything that can keep you going all day likely requires a bag or purse.
On the pocket-friendly front, most smaller batteries have a capacity of 5,000mAh or less, which is typically just enough to top up phones once.
The further above 5,000mAh you go, the more times you will be able to recharge your device. Some power banks have enough juice to charge the average phone 10 times or even power laptops. Of course, they're some of the biggest, heaviest, and most expensive of the bunch.
Most companies advertise how many times their products can recharge popular phones, but if you want to calculate that number for yourself, RAVPower has a useful guide(Opens in a new window) that can give you an estimate.
The type of port (or ports) a battery has determines not only whether it is compatible with the devices you want to charge, but also the charging speed. At a minimum, most battery packs have a standard USB-A port for both charging the battery (power input) and sending juice to your device (power output). But with most phones, tablets, and laptops adopting the USB-C standard, most likely want to look for a unit with one (or several) USB-C ports.
USB-C ports typically support some, but not all, fast-charging protocols for smartphones and tablets. You can often use a portable charger's USB-C port for both power input and output, but some less expensive battery packs might support USB-C only for power input.
Lightning is a proprietary Apple technology and, in the past, it was difficult to find power banks with a Lightning cable or charging port. Thankfully, those days are over, and dozens of excellent power banks exist for iPhone users. If you picked up an iPhone 12, iPhone 13, or iPhone 14 series phone and were surprised by the lack of a wall charger, see our article on charging your iPhone.
Another factor to consider is how quickly a power bank can charge your device. Battery output is measured in voltage and amperage. Amperage (or current) is the amount of electricity flowing from the battery to the connected device, while voltage is the amount of potential energy. Multiplying volts by amps gives you wattage, the measure of total power. To make a device charge faster (by increasing the total wattage), most manufacturers either vary the voltage (more common) or boost the amperage.
Essentially, for fast charging, you need three things: A phone or other device with a charging circuit capable of using one of the fast charging standards, plus a battery and cable that support the same standard. If any one of these three things is missing, you won't be able to charge your device as fast as possible. Your phone will also only take in as much power as its charging circuit supports, so even if you have it plugged into a 5V/2A battery, if it's only able to handle 5V/1A, that's the rate at which it will charge.
The two main fast charging standards you're likely to encounter are USB Power Delivery and Qualcomm's Quick Charge(Opens in a new window). Power Delivery (PD) is a newer protocol in which two compatible devices negotiate on the fastest charging option available. It also allows for power to flow both ways.
Quick Charge, on the other hand, works by increasing voltage rather than amperage. This standard allows you to charge supported phones to 50 percent capacity in 30 minutes, which is especially helpful when you need power in a pinch.
Pass-through charging is another feature to consider; with it, you can charge devices and the portable power simultaneously. That's convenient if both your phone and backup battery are running on empty. You shouldn't encounter any safety issues if the manufacturer of the portable battery you buy advertises pass-through charging as a feature, but the power output might change in this mode.
Wireless charging has also become very popular because it allows you to power up compatible devices without a cable. Qi is the dominant standard for compatible Android phones, and some battery packs support that technology. Apple introduced a similar technology, MagSafe charging, with the iPhone 12, which supports speeds of up to 15W. A range of third-party MagSafe-compatible battery packs can charge at a maximum of 7.5W. Both Qi and MagSafe wireless chargers rely on magnets to secure your phone for charging.
If you find that you often forget to carry your backup battery when you need it most, you should consider a dedicated battery case instead. It combines the portability and protection of a case with a built-in power cell to keep your phone topped off at all times. The downside is that they often have lower charging capacities than dedicated batteries and that you can't charge much else with them.
Why fumble around for a charging cable when you can rest your phone on a wireless charging pad? Whether you're an Android user or an iPhone fan, check out our roundups of the best wireless chargers and the best MagSafe chargers to help you cut the cord.
Steven Winkelman contributed to this story.
Want more information on Power Station? Click the link below to contact us.