Best Portable Chargers
1. BEST PORTABLE CHARGER FOR PHONES
Baseus Magnetic Power Bank 30W 10000mAh With Built-in USB-C Cable
PROS
- Large, tested capacity with enough power to keep devices charged
- Doesn’t require additional cables thanks to wireless charging and a built-in USB-C cable
CONS
- Some testers found it heavy
Baseus’s portable charger hits all the key points you’d want in a portable charger for your phone. The small chassis easily fits into a pocket or purse, even with a phone magnetically attached for charging. If your phone can’t do wireless charging, a built-in USB-C cable eliminates the need to carry around an extra charger, and the addition of a USB-C port gives you the flexibility to charge pretty much any device you’d need.
Where this portable charger blew our analysts away was in the efficiency test.This charger featured an efficiency of 67% (the second-highest of all of the ones we tested!), meaning you’ll be able to exploit more of the battery’s charge before you need to recharge it.
In our consumer test, testers appreciated the cute, flashy colors of this power bank, and one said, “It’s bright and easy to spot in your bag or wherever you set it down with your phone.” Some testers noted that this charger is too heavy heavy to carry around in your pocket whereas others didn’t mind the weight. This wasn’t the lightest charger we tested, though Lab analysts found that it provided the best efficiency compared to weight and price. Keep scrolling after our top picks for a closer look at some other, lighter models if you’re concerned about the heaviness of your charger.
2. BEST PORTABLE CHARGER FOR LAPTOPS AND TABLETS
Anker Prime 20,000 mAh Power Bank (200W)
PROS
- Large measured capacity
- Two USB-C ports with higher power outputs, plus a USB-A port
- In-depth battery performance statistics
CONS
- Pricey
Worried about keeping your larger devices topped up? Anker’s Prime 20,0000 mAh Power Bank boasts the battery capacity for tech with higher energy requirements while stylishly layering in a futuristic display and statistics galore that particularly tickled a nerd like me during testing.
Beyond displaying the battery’s current percentage (which is a step up from most portable chargers which feature three to four LEDs that correspond to 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%), it also details the remaining time to finish charging the battery and how much longer the battery can run given its current configuration. You can even access a screen that tells you about the battery’s health over time and how much of the original rated capacity it has left.
As we found with the other large portable chargers (rated for over 10,000 mAh) we tested, this battery’s efficiency left something to be desired at only 43%, but its overall measured capacity was still among the largest we found, making it the best suited for charging your larger devices. What’s more, Anker claims this device can supply 100W of power to two plugged-in devices, making it particularly useful for those needing to charge multiple pieces of equipment.
In my personal day-to-day testing of the charger, I found it struck a nice balance between size, weight and power. Though it’s not something you could conveniently carry around in your pocket (I still tried for half a day), it’s small enough to comfortably fit in a purse or backpack and doesn’t feel like you’re carrying around a brick. As the most expensive charger of the ones we tried, we wouldn’t recommend it if you’re just looking to keep your phone charged, especially given its bulkier and heavier chassis than our top pick.
3. BEST VALUE PORTABLE CHARGER
Anker Nano Power Bank (30W, Built in Cable)
PROS
- Display gives key battery stats that other chargers in this price range don’t
- Built-in USB-C cable reduces the number of cables you need to carry around
- Amazing efficiency to cost ratio
CONS
- May feel awkward in your pocket
- No magnetic charging
At a quarter of the price of our top pick for tablet and laptop portable chargers, Anker’s Nano Power Bank provides very few compromises from its more costly sister unit (except the power, of course). The display doesn’t feature as many statistics as the Prime power bank, but the key ones like the battery’s percentage and remaining charge time are present. What’s more, the unit conveniently features a built-in USB-C cable, a feature we prefer when selecting the best portable power banks.
In Lab efficiency tests, we found this charger to perform down the middle of the road at 57%, but given its low price it was the winner of our cost-versus-efficiency analysis. In my personal testing of this charger, I found that despite its smaller design than the Baseus we selected as our top pick for phones, it felt more awkward in my pocket as I walked around during the day. Further, since my phone doesn’t charge with a USB-C cable, I missed the magnetic charging the Baseus features at only a slightly higher price.
