The Best Portable Chargers and Power Banks of 2022

Which Features Do You Need in a Power Bank?

Watching your phone or tablet steadily run out of juice when you're nowhere nigh a power outlet is stressful. Fortunately, there's no shortage of third-political party backup batteries. And they come in every size and capacity (and toll range) to keep your device going when your bombardment icon starts to dip in the red. And it doesn't end there. Some power banks are equipped with features like fast charging, wireless charging, built-in cables, Air conditioning adapters, LED flashlights—even the ability to jump-start your automobile.

With so many options to choose from, how do y'all know which power bank is right for you? Read on for the most of import points to consider, equally well as the all-time battery packs nosotros've tested.

Size and Capacity

Generally speaking, the bigger the battery, the higher the chapters and quantity of ports y'all get. Power banks that fit comfortably in your pocket are typically skillful for a full phone charge or two, while annihilation designed to continue you going all day is going to crave a handbag or a bag.

On the pocket-friendly forepart, most smaller batteries that maximize portability have a chapters of three,500mAh and nether, which gives you just enough charge to top up most phones once.

Once you become higher up 3,500mAh, battery size increases to the bespeak where information technology's less probable to fit into your skinny jeans, but can still be stowed in a jacket pocket. The Anker PowerCore 10000, for instance, packs a generous 10,000mAh (good for nearly 3 full telephone charges) in a 7.0-ounce slab you can carry with little difficulty.

If you're planning on being off the grid for an extended menstruum, you're looking at a bombardment with a chapters of 15,000mAh or higher. Some, like the Mophie PowerStation Ac and iMuto Portable Charger X6 Pro, come with high-output AC and USB-C ports (respectively) to allow you lot power laptops, and have enough juice to charge the average phone 10 times. Of form, they're some of the biggest and heaviest of the bunch, and definitely demand to exist carried in a bag.

Input and Output Ports

The type of port (or ports) a bombardment has determines not only whether it is uniform with the devices y'all want to accuse, simply likewise charging speed. At a minimum, virtually battery packs will have a standard micro USB port for input and a USB-A port for output. But with more than phones, tablets, and laptops adopting the USB-C standard, yous'll often discover a USB-C port in addition to USB-A.

USB-C mostly allows you to charge faster, consolidates input/output to ane port, and tin be establish in many new phones. Now, you do have to be careful, because while some power banks have USB-C input, they don't have USB-C output. On the Mi Ability Bank Pro, for instance, plugging a USB-C device in results in that device trying to charge the bombardment rather than vice versa. Make certain that both the port and cable you use are up to spec.

Lightning is a proprietary Apple engineering science, then companies need to pay Apple when they use it; that makes it a bit less common to find. We've reviewed a few Lightning batteries, like the Aukey Portable Charger, simply they didn't quite make the cut for this list.

Fast Charging

Another factor to consider is how fast a power depository financial institution can charge your telephone. 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 free energy. Multiplying volts by amps gives you wattage, the measure out of full power. In order to make a device accuse faster, most manufacturers either vary the voltage or heave the amperage in order to increase the total wattage. For most fast charging, you're looking at boosting or dynamically varying the voltage.

Essentially, for whatever kind of fast charging you need three things: A telephone or other device with a charging excursion capable of using one of the fast charging standards, along with a battery and cablevision that support the same standard. If any 1 of these iii things is missing, you won't be charging equally fast as you tin.

The two master fast charging standards you're likely to run across are Samsung's Adaptive Fast Charging and Qualcomm'south Quick Charge 3.0. Both work in a like fashion, by increasing voltage rather than amperage. Equally y'all might imagine, Samsung's Fast Charging only works with certain Samsung devices, while Qualcomm Quick Accuse 3.0 requires that your device has a uniform Snapdragon chipset. These standards allow yous to accuse supported phones to 50 percentage capacity in thirty minutes, which is especially great when you need ability in a pinch.

Go on in heed, your phone volition only take in as much power as its charging excursion is designed for, so fifty-fifty if you have information technology plugged into a 5V/2A battery, if it'southward only able to handle 5V/1A, that'due south the rate it will charge at.

For more, read our in-depth guide to fast charging.

Pass-Through and Wireless Charging

There are a couple of other aspects to consider earlier selecting a backup battery. Pass-through charging lets you charge devices connected to the battery, while the battery itself is as well being charged. If both your phone and backup battery are running on empty, this is a very useful feature.

Wireless charging is finally in the spotlight, thanks to Apple's use of the applied science in its latest iPhones. Qi is the dominant standard that you'll find in compatible Apple tree and Samsung phones, and there are some battery packs out there that support it. The Mophie Accuse Force Powerstation, for instance, uses wireless charging so you tin can just place your phone on information technology. And the Belkin Valet Charger has a spot on top where yous can stick your Apple Sentinel.

Should You Buy a Battery Instance Instead?

If you find that you frequently forget to carry your fill-in battery when you demand it near, you lot might desire to call up about using a dedicated battery instance instead. It combines the portability and protection of a instance with a built-in ability cell to go on your telephone topped off at all times. The downside is that they often have lower charging capacities than dedicated batteries, and you really tin can't charge anything else with them.

Earlier ownership a ability bank, make sure to determine which features are most important to you. To aid brand things easier, we've included all of our tiptop-rated batteries in the nautical chart above, so you lot know what you're getting at a glance.

Pros: Affordable. Compact and lightweight. Large battery chapters. Supports Qualcomm Quick Accuse three.0.

Cons: No pass-through charging

Bottom Line: The Anker PowerCore 10000 is an affordable, compact fill-in battery that supports Qualcomm's Quick Accuse three.0 standard and can continue your phone running for an entire day of nonstop utilise.

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Pros: Large bombardment capacity. Supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, USB-C, and pass-through charging. Display shows ability level. Relatively affordable.

Cons: Beefy.

Bottom Line: The iMuto Portable Charger X6 Pro boasts a massive thirty,000mAh capacity for a reasonable cost, along with numerous ports and fast charging back up for charging all of your mobile devices on the go.

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Pros: Affordable. Thin and stylish blueprint. Large battery capacity. Supports two-way fast charging and laissez passer-through charging.

Cons: Older Qualcomm QuickCharge ii.0 standard. No USB-C output.

Lesser Line: The affordable Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro is a stylish, pocketabe bombardment pack that tin can add more than a total 24-hour interval'south worth of juice to your phone.

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Pros: Lots of battery power for the size. Dual USB-A ports. Supports fast charging.

Cons: No pass-through charging.

Bottom Line: The Anker PowerCore Ii 20000 is a reasonably sized battery with lots of power for charging ii mobile devices at once.

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Pros: Dual USB-A ports. USB-C to charge MacBook and other compatible devices. Fast charging for input and output.

Cons: No pass-through charging.

Bottom Line: The Anker PowerCore+ 268000 PD battery pack carries enough juice and ports to power a USB-C laptop and a couple of your mobile devices at the same time.

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Pros: Cheap. Small, sleek design.

Cons: But has enough capacity for about 1 total phone charge. No fast charging or pass-through charging.

Lesser Line: The iQunix MiniPower only holds enough power to top your phone off once, but it'southward less expensive and more portable than many other backup batteries.

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Pros: Qi wireless charging. Large capacity. Pass-through charging and fast charging.

Cons: Pricey. Beefy. No Qualcomm Quick Charge.

Bottom Line: The Qi-enabled Mophie Charge Force Powerstation bombardment pack can wirelessly accuse your supported phones and tablets.

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Pros: Large bombardment capacity. Capable of charging a laptop with Air-conditioning or USB-C ports. Supports fast charging and pass-through charging. Attractive material end.

Cons: Expensive. Large and heavy.

Bottom Line: At $200 it's not inexpensive, but the Mophie Powerstation Air conditioning packs a huge 22,000mAh prison cell and volition charge both your phone and your laptop.

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Pros: Congenital-in magnetic Apple Watch charger lets to accuse watch and iPhone simultaneously. Good build quality.

Cons: Expensive. No pass-through or fast charging.

Bottom Line: The Belkin Valet Charger lets you power up an Apple Lookout and an iPhone at the same time, but this convenience will cost you.

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Our Choice	Rating	Wireless Charging	Weight	Voltage	Pass-Through Charging	Fast Charging	Dimensions	Chapters	Added Bombardment Life
Anker PowerCore 10000 With Quick Accuse 3.0	Editors' Choice Excellent (4.v)		7	5V/2A		Qualcomm Quick Charge three.0	3.9 past 2.v past 0.9 inches	10000	23 hours, 44 (Wi-Fi video streaming) minutes
iMuto Portable Charger X6 Pro	Editors' Choice Splendid (iv.5)
Xiaomi Mi Power Bank Pro	Editors' Choice Fantabulous (four.five)		7	5V, 9V, 12V		Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0	5.1 by 2.9 by 0.5 inches	10000	33 hours, 42 (Wi-Fi video streaming) minutes
Anker PowerCore II 20000	Fantabulous (4.0) Review		xi.vii	5V, 9V, 12V		Ability IQ 2.0	6.seven by ii.five past 0.8 inches	20000	28 hours, v (Wi-Fi video streaming) minutes
Anker PowerCore+ 20220 USB-C PD	Excellent (4.0)		one.3	5V, 9V, 12V, 20V		Power Commitment ii.0	6.5 by 3.1 by 0.9 inches	26800	nine hours, 17 minutes (Wi-Fi video streaming)
Aukey Portable Charger With Quick Charge three.0 And Lightning	Splendid (4.0)		1.3	3.6-6.5V/3A; 5V/2.4A		Qualcomm Quick Accuse 3.0	5.9 by 3.2 past ane.2 inches	30000	25 hours, 50 minutes
iQunix MiniPower	Splendid (4.0)		i.8	5V/1.5A			4.0 by 0.nine by 0.9 inches	3350	5 hours, 54 (Wi-Fi video streaming) minutes
Mophie Accuse Forcefulness Powerstation	Excellent (4.0)		eight.5	5V/2.1A		Generic	five.2 past 2.vii past 0.half dozen inches	10000	sixteen hours, eight (Wi-Fi video streaming) minutes
Mophie Powerstation AC	Excellent (4.0)		i.5	5V/2.4A			7.5 past 4.5 by 1.1 inches	22000	7 hours, fifteen (Wi-Fi video streaming) minutes
Belkin Valet Charger Power Pack	Good (three.5)		5.3	5V/1A			4.six by 1.8 by 0.9 inches	6700	eighteen hours, 33 (Wi-Fi video streaming) minutes

Almost Ajay Kumar

Ajay Kumar

Ajay Kumar is PCMag'due south Analyst obsessed with all things mobile. Ajay reviews phones, tablets, accessories, and just about any other gadget that can exist carried effectually with you. In his spare time he games on the rig he built himself, collects Nintendo amiibos, and tries his hand at publishing a novel. Follow Ajay on Twitter @Ajay_H_Kumar.