Best power banks
Get the best value, fastest charging speeds and ultimate functionality with our expert buying advice. Marie Black reports
Not all power banks are the same. As in all veins of consumer tech, there are cheap ones and pricey ones, and sometimes you’re paying simply for a name. But there’s so much more to choosing a portable charger than finding the cheapest version you can.
We want the fastest charging speeds – for recharging the bank itself and for charging a connected phone – and to know at a glance that a portable charger is going to get us through the day with juice to spare, even share. But we don’t want it weighing down our pockets.
We want multiple ports for charging additional gadgets, and more efficient use of power outlets to free up sockets. We don’t want
to carry multiple charging cables – in fact we don’t want to carry any cables at all. Design and capacity are most important, sure, but what about wireless- or even solar charging? What about an LCD screen? Waterproofing? Don’t you want the coolest and most convenient power bank you can get for your money without paying over the odds?
To ensure you get the very best power bank for your needs, whatever that looks like, read on.
WHAT CAPACITY DO I NEED?
Power bank capacity is commonly misunderstood. You don’t need to understand what mAh means, only that if your phone spec says it has a 4,000mAh battery you are going to need at least a 4,000mAh bank in order to get a full charge.
Actually you need more than that. No portable charger runs at 100 per cent efficiency, with most averaging around 65 per cent, and some hitting as high as 80 or 90 per cent. The latter are the ones you want.
In order to fully charge a 4,000mAh battery phone, you’re likely going to need something more like a 6,000mAh power bank. So all those 5,000mAh banks that claim to charge your phone twice, don’t believe a word – not unless you’ve got a really old phone with a tiny battery.
Devices tend to sold in 5,000mAh, 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh capacities, with a few variations in between. As a rule of thumb, 5,000mAh is a single-use power bank that will be easily portable; 10,000mAh hits the sweet spot, both portable and offering around two charges; 20,000mAh is highcapacity, most useful for those who are going to be away from mains
power for extended periods or will be charging multiple gadgets. Don’t attempt to stuff a 20,000mAh device in your pocket.
Of course you can buy banks with significantly higher capacities, which are particularly useful if you want to charge a laptop, but they are going to be much bigger, bulkier, and more expensive. Do note that if you’re travelling on a plane your portable charger must be in your hand luggage, and anything over 27,000mAh (100Wh) needs approval from the airline (over 43,000mAh/160Wh, forget it).
With great power comes two great problems, however. First, recharging can take forever (okay, like nearly a day in some cases). Second, with most devices offering a row of four LEDs to denote how much power remains inside the bank, working out how much you’ve actually got left can be impossible.
Solutions here are simple. An LCD screen will give you an exact readout of remaining capacity, though these are rarely found on low-capacity and cheap banks. Passthrough charging lets you charge both the power bank and connected devices at once, freeing up power sockets if you are going to have to leave it plugged in for long periods. Ensuring you have the fastest possible input (typically a USB-C PD input, which can be as high as 100 watts) will also speed things up.
WHAT SPEED DO I NEED?
If I had it my way 5-watt power banks would be banned. They are very slow. Anything lower than 10 watts: no. These days even 10 watts, though marketed as ‘fast charging’, barely scratches the surface of what recent smartphones are capable of. With some able to go as high as 120 watts over a wired connection, a 10-watt power bank is not going to feel especially convenient.
That said, 10 watts is more common among the budget and mid-range, and many people will be using 10-watt chargers at home. But we’d still recommend looking for a faster power bank, especially those with Quick Charge or Power Delivery support (even if your current phone doesn’t support it, a later upgrade most likely will).
That seems pretty straightforward, although power manufacturers rarely provide the speed of their outputs measured in watts. Instead, you’ll see a rating in amps, which you multiply by five (the voltage rating) to get the
rating in watts. So 2 amps x 5 volts = 10 watts.
BEST OVERALL Charmast 10,000mAh Power Bank
Price: £18.99 from fave.co/3ney5Na We’re big fans of this dinky power bank from Charmast. It’s supercompact and will easily go unnoticed in any pocket or bag, yet it has a mighty 10,000mAh of power inside that will charge your phone two to three times.
We love the design, its grippy ribbed casing reminding us of the more pricey Zendure models, and lending it a rather premium finish that stands out from the average matte black plastic brick. There’s a single USB-C PD port on the bank, which is capable of 18 watts. This is both input and output, able to fast-charge a connected device or itself – the latter in as little as three hours. Should you want to charge the phone and bank together, there’s also an 18-watt USB-A port at the other end, although only one can offer 18-watt Quick Charge speeds at a time.
An nice touch is the soft mesh carry case and short USB-A to USB-C cable that are provided in the box.
BEST COMPACT POWER BANK Aukey 10,000mAh 18-watt Fast Charging Power Bank (PB-N83)
Price: £19.99 from fave.co/3sDMNhu One of the smallest 10,000mAh power banks in our round-up, this Aukey model combines ultimate portability with enough power for charging your smartphone multiple times. This is a tiny battery wrapped in smooth black plastic, with rounded edges that allow it to slip easily into a pocket or bag where it will sit unnoticed.
It keeps things pretty basic, with just a single USB-A output (with Quick Charge 3) at one end and a an 18-watt USB-C Power Delivery input/ output at the other. You can use both at the same time, but the max output the Aukey can
support at any one time is 18 watts. Using both ports simultaneously is more useful when the USB-C is used as an input. This power bank supports passthrough charging, which means you can recharge its battery, while it recharges your phone battery.
BEST COMPACT FUNCTIONALITY BANK Aukey 10,000mAh Universal Power Bank
Price: £29.99 from fave.co/3vdZly9 This Aukey is another take on the standard 10,000mAh power bank with 18-watt Power Delivery and Quick Charge support, but it stands out for its palm-friendly rounded design and high-gloss end caps. It’s compact, too, at 105x50x25mm and 181g.
While the fullsize USB output is marked up as QC3 and the USB-C is PD, both operate at 18-watt – plenty fast for charging a phone or tablet, but unlikely to be enough for a laptop. It has a maximum output of 18-watt, however, so expect slower charging when using both ports at once.
If one of those attached devices is a fitness tracker, wireless earbuds or another low-power gadget, the Aukey has a handy Low-Current Charging mode (USB-A only) that you can switch to by pressing and holding the power
button for a couple of seconds. The USB-C port will still fast-charge any connected devices during this time.
In common with many modern USB-C power banks, the Aukey uses this port for both charging connected devices and recharging the bank, which means you can get back up and running much faster when all your batteries run low.
BEST POWER BANK WITH LCD Charmast 10,400mAh Power Bank
Price: £17.99 from fave.co/3ehBTJn There was a time when power banks with LCDs were rather expensive, and as prices started to come down they began to flood the market. But, today, this Charmast is the only model with an LCD in our round-up. That screen is super-handy for knowing exactly how much power remains inside the bank. When you’re dealing with relatively large amounts of power, it’s significantly more useful than trying to guess whether one or two lit LEDs worth of juice is going to get you through the day.
The power bank also has three outputs, which is handy if you have multiple devices to charge. There are two full-size USBs, plus a USB-C PD port that can act as both input and output, and all three support 18watt Quick Charge – although only one at a time.
On the side is an additional Quick Charge 2.0-compatible Micro-USB, which can also be used for charging the bank. It will charge in about 3.5 hours with a Quick Charge/PD adapter, but about 5.5 hours with a standard 10-watt charger.
The down side of the design is that it’s a bit bigger than many of the super-slim, similar-capacity models on the market. This Charmast is roughly the same width as a phone, but a little shorter and a fair bit chunkier. It weighs in at 228g, which you may decide is better suited to a bag than your pocket.
Charmast supplies a soft mesh carry case and a short USB-A to USB-C cable in the box, a nice touch.
MOST VERSATILE POWER BANK JIGA 30,000mAh Power Bank
Price: £33.95 from fave.co/2QnpZWr JIGA is a new name to us in terms of power bank tech, but its 30,000mAh power bank is interesting for a number of reasons – and not least the huge capacity, which will be some comfort on trips away from mains power. While it’s something of a throwback to power banks from a couple of years back, with its built-in LED flash (useful for camping trips) and durable but plasticky design, it also takes us back to the days where you didn’t have to sacrifice ports for portability.
It’s surprisingly small for such a high-capacity bank, but it’s more bagrather than pocket-friendly. The JIGA has USB-C, Micro-USB and Lightning inputs, allowing you to fill its battery using whatever cable you have to hand. It’s a shame that the USB-C port doesn’t also work as an output, but there are three full-size USB-A outputs, each rated at 10.5 watts. This isn’t the Power Delivery speeds we’re becoming increasingly familiar with today, but it’s plenty fast for charging a phone (or multiple phones).
If all you need is a healthy stream of power to keep topped up a number
of mobile devices, this JIGA power bank will be a very handy device to have around.
BEST VALUE 20,000MAH POWER BANK Anker PowerCore Essential 20,000 PD
Price: £36.99 from fave.co/3xfnKFl Hailing from Anker, a respected brand in the power bank market, this 20,000mAh portable charger represents very good value at this capacity. The 345.5g Essential is a black plastic brick, though relatively compact for the amount of power it can hold. It has a textured top surface that improves grip in the hand, as well as the overall appearance.
We’re pleased to find support for Power Delivery, but do note that it’s only up to 18 watts, and therefore not likely to be sufficient to charge a USB-C laptop. Still, for quickcharging a phone or tablet, this is a useful device.
A full-size USB output that uses Anker’s PowerIQ smarter charging algorithm is joined by a USB-C port that is both input and output. On top is a power button with four integrated LEDs that reveal remaining capacity, and you can use this to enter a trickle-charging mode suitable for smartwatches and earbuds. A USB-C to USB-C cable and soft mesh carry case are provided in the box, which is a nice touch.
BEST WIRELESS POWER BANK Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless
Price: £39.99 from fave.co/3dyDL17 The Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless is a Qi wireless charger with a special feature: you can use it as a portable power bank, too, which can be super handy. You can use it at home or work plugged in, and carry it around with you for wired or wireless
charging when you are away from a power socket. Because it’s wireless, there’s no need to carry a cable around with you.
As the name suggests, the PowerCore III 10K has a decent sized 10,000mAh battery, which should offer at least three charges from the power bank before it needs recharging itself. The wireless charger is rated at 10 watts. Place your device on the centre of the circle. We didn’t find the placement too sensitive, as some wireless chargers can be. It’s not auto-start, though – as a power bank it requires you to push the button first. You can also charge from the two USB-A ports at one end – at a total of 18 watts), so charging two or three (one wireless, two wired) devices will split that power output.
BEST BUDGET WIRELESS POWER BANK Anker PowerCore 10K Wireless
Price: £29.99 from fave.co/2QiFjU4 The Anker PowerCore 10K Wireless is a Qi wireless charger just like the PowerCore III but at half the wattage and at a cheaper price.
It too has a 10,000mAh battery, offering three charges from the power bank before it needs recharging, but wireless charging is rated at 5 watts compared to the PowerCore III’s 10 watts. If speed of charge is not a deal-breaker for you, then you’ll save some money with this
model, although we prefer the faster charging PowerCore III.
BEST KICKSTAND WIRELESS POWER BANK Aukey Basix Pro Series 10,000mAh Wireless Charging Power Bank
Price: £39.99 from fave.co/3tyjm1P Wireless charging power banks are becoming more common, and this Aukey example can deliver up to 10 watts wirelessly. For wireless earbuds and iPhones it can deliver 5 watts or 7.5 watts as appropriate.
The Aukey differs from competing models with a fold-out kickstand on its rear, and a little flap on the front to hold in place your phone.
The kickstand comes into its own when you want to watch video while charging the phone, positioning it at a useful angle with no messy cables in sight. However, we do worry about the durability of the plastic component, and fear it could be relatively easy to snap off. Still, if you’re careful, it could be a useful extra function to have.
If you’re not concerned about charging wirelessly, the Aukey Basix Pro also has a full-size USB-A output with Quick Charge 3.0, and an 18-watt Power Delivery USB-C input/output. This translates to speedy wired
charging for your connected device, and the power bank itself can recharge in just 3.5 hours.
There’s a useful 10,000mAh capacity, which should be good for at least two full charges of your smartphone – and potentially more, depending on your device. Do note that Aukey now also sells a higher-capacity 20,000mAh model, which adds an LCD read-out of how much power is available.
BEST BUNDLE Tech Charge Wireless PowerKit 5000
Price: £39.99 from fave.co/3dEaXEk Typically sold separately, you can save some money on charging accessories when you buy them as a bundle – and this Wireless PowerKit 5000 from Tech Charge offers incredible value. In the box you get a 10-watt wireless charging pad, a 5,000mAh power bank that can charge your mobile devices over standard USB or Qi wireless, and three cables (two Micro-USB and one Lightning).
The power bank is nicely designed, with a rectangular body and rounded corners, plus a soft-touch black casing. Despite being lightweight it’s larger than many power banks of this capacity, but necessarily so to build in the wireless charging tech and serve as a stable base for your phone when charging in this manner. You’ll also find four nubbins on the bottom to keep it steady on the desk.
We’re still not entirely convinced by wireless charging on power banks, given that most people will carry the bank in a pocket or bag (and that’s simply not going to work), but for some gadgets such as wireless earbuds and smartwatches Qi is the best way to charge them. And we admit it’s a cool feature to have.
Though not advertised as such the Tech Charge power bank appears to support passthrough charging, which means you can simultaneously recharge the power bank and a
connected device, freeing up mains power outlets in your home. Not that it’s going to take an age to recharge, thanks to a 10-watt Micro-USB input, but note that the power bank itself does not charge wirelessly.
It is true that you will find faster and more fully featured power banks elsewhere – and cheaper, too, if you won’t benefit from the wireless functionality or separate wireless charging pad. It’s lacking, for example, Quick Charge support, USB-C and an LCD display (none of which is yet standard in the power bank market). But this Tech Charge kit offers excellent value, and it is eminently functional.
From its 5,000mAh internal battery you can expect between 3,000- and 3,500mAh to be available to your devices, at least when recharged over the standard USB port. These days that is a single charge for most phones, but with older iPhones you should expect to find a small amount of juice left over for emergencies. As far as we can ascertain the Wireless PowerKit is not Apple-certified, but compatible with all current iPhones that support wireless charging, as well as all Qi-compatible wireless devices.
BEST DESIGN Moshi IonGo 5K Duo
Price: £74.95 from fave.co/32CdhFP It’s expensive, but you’ll pay out for the IonGo 5K Duo from Moshi if style is as important to you as is functionality. Almost identical in design to the IonGo 5K before it, but here with both USB-C and Lightning cables built-in (hence the name Duo), the Moshi is an undeniably coollooking power bank that comes tucked away inside a vegan-friendly soft leather case with a magnetic clasp and an anodized aluminium faceplate.
The additional cable means it’s now suited to Android as well as
iPhone users, although as before this is Made For iPhone-certified.
This is a truly premium device with a colossal 10-year warranty going a long way to account for its higher asking price. It’s also possibly the dinkiest 5,000mAh power bank we’ve seen, suggesting there are some serious high-tech components inside.
At this capacity, expect a full charge. Moshi claims the bank will also retain that power for up to 27 months when left unused. Charging is up to 15 watts over USB-C and 12 watts) over Lightning. Use Lightning and USB-C together and you’ll see slightly slower charging speeds, with a maximum total output of 3.4 amps (17 watts).
You can also use the USB-C cable for recharging the bank, again up to 15 watts. Better still, the Moshi supports passthrough charging, allowing you to charge both it and a connected device at once, but given that there’s no separate input here that’s going to work only with iPhone.
BEST POWER BANK WITH BUILT-IN CABLES Tech Charge Super Slim 5000
Price: £34.95 from fave.co/3tFkII3 This ultra-slim power bank from Tech Charge is a good-looking device with built-in cables for USB-C and Lightning (Apple-certified), as well as a full-size USB output. All three can operate at up to 12 watts.
When viewed from above the aluminium fascia adds premium appeal, but the effect is spoiled somewhat by a black plastic band running around the circumference. The black model looks significantly better for this reason. Still, it’s betterlooking than many power banks, and it’s lightweight (151g) and compact (135x76x9mm), making it easy to slip into a pocket.
Four small white LEDs on the top surface reveal how much power remains, and can be activated at any time with a press of the power button,
which sits on the top edge beside a 10-watt Micro-USB input.
There are no fancy features such as passthrough charging, USB-C, Quick Charge or an LCD display, but what the Tech Charge lacks here it makes up for in functionality, negating the need for you to carry additional cables.
From the 5,000mAh internal battery you can expect between 3,000- and 3,500mAh to be available for charging your devices. How far this goes depends on the capacity of your phone’s battery, but for most phones it will be at least one full charge, and potentially a little extra for an emergency boost. It is sold pre-charged, so you can simply take it out the box and start recharging your phone. The Tech Charge offers good value, and adds convenience for users with its built-in cables. We were slightly concerned by the fact that when shaken you could hear the internals knocking inside, but a second sample showed no such issues.
For peace of mind Tech Charge builds in the usual safeguards, including overheating, over-voltage, short-circuit, over-current and overcharge protection. There’s also a one-year warranty.
BEST HIGH-CAPACITY SMARTPHONE POWER BANK Tech Charge Super Fast 20,000 Power Bank
Price: £49.95 from fave.co/3n6r5BK This Super Fast power bank from Tech Charge has a 20,000mAh capacity, but is more compact than most such models – and significantly better looking with its soft-touch rubberized outer case and grippy, ribbed design.
There’s a small Tech Charge badge on one side, directly up from which is a row of four very unobtrusive LEDs to denote remaining power capacity – and then a high gloss panel at either end, one of which houses all the ports.
Rounded corners make this bank comfortable in the hand, while its rectangular body should slip easily into a pocket, despite its 349g weight – actually, for a bank of this capacity, that’s really quite impressive. This portable charger measures just 137x67x24mm.
It supports 18 watts over a USB-C Power Delivery port, plus two fullsize USB-A outputs – one a Quick Charge 3.0 port and the other rated at 15 watts.
There is also a 10.5-watt MicroUSB input, which can be used for recharging the bank, though you’ll get quicker performance over USB-C
– thus we were slightly disappointed by the inclusion of a Micro-USB rather than USB-C cable in the box, though you likely already have your own.
Tech Charge claims its power bank will charge an iPhone nearly eight times. With a rated battery capacity of 1,821mAh, you might be wondering where the rest of the power is going. Actually this is normal for power banks, which lose energy through voltage conversion and heat generated, and typically run at an efficiency of 60- to 70 per cent. The bank feels well made, but a two-year warranty adds peace of mind.
BEST 10,000MAH POWER BANK WITH MULTIPLE PORTS Aukey 10,000mAh USB-C Power Bank
Price: £23.99 from fave.co/3v1nw2u Very similar in design to Aukey’s 20,000mAh bank, which has recently gone out of stock, this 10,000mAh power bank from Aukey is half the capacity and has fewer ports, but it’s also more easily portable and cheaper. Although you lose one of the full-size USB outputs, with this model offering two not three, one of the outputs here has been upgraded to Quick Charge 3.0 spec, which means it’s good for up to 18 watts. As on the larger model, with both ports engaged you share the 18-watt maximum output, so having one fewer USB-A is really no major loss.
You might be slightly more disappointed by the removal of the
Lightning port if you’re an Apple user, but you can charge the bank over Micro-USB or USB-C, with a USB-C cable supplied in the box. This is the faster way to recharge the device, supporting up to 18 watts in comparison to the Micro-USB port’s 10 watts.
BEST LOW-CAPACITY POWER BANK Moshi IonSlim 5K
Price: £54.95 from fave.co/3uZFKl4 The 143g IonSlim 5K is expensive, but has a good-looking design and a useful 5,150mAh battery.
A lot of what you’re paying for here is the design, and the aluminium-clad IonSlim is a crazy 8.5mm thick – that makes it just a fraction thicker than the USB output found at one end. There’s also a USB-C port, which is both input and output. It’s fast at 15 watts, which means charging the power bank itself doesn’t take significantly more time than charging your phone, but we’d have been more impressed were it to provide support for passthrough charging. Other features are reasonably basic, and this is one of few recent power banks we’ve tested not to support auto-on. You’ll need to plug in your device and then press the power button, which just seems like an unnecessary extra step in this day and age.