Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
The best power banks we have tried have all come from Anker, but that doesn't mean Anker is the only brand you should consider. All of the power banks on this list passed our testing, traveling with us on the road and powering our devices at home. Anker is the best, but these batteries from Baseus and Otterbox performed well. The bottle is actually a nice, insulated affair, and it kept ice in cold water for 12 hours, which is all that we need. It has a good, strong strap to carry the bottle, though we would have liked a lid that was easier for sipping.
The three basic rules that have kept me safe (thus far) through testing dozens and dozens of batteries are: Apple doesn't publish its battery capacity, but teardowns have shown that the iPhone 15 has a battery with around 3,350mAh of battery life. That means a 10KmAh battery can charge that phone twice ... almost. You may not get to 100% the second charge, but you'll be in the 90% range. There are also cool additional features to consider. Our favorite power bank has a built in charging plug so it can go right into a wall outlet. Some power banks have data about your charging devices. Some are just super small and cute. Which power bank is the best quality?You're trying to keep it simple: The Baseus Airpow doesn't have any built in wires or wireless charging, so you'll need to carry extras when it's time to power up. Capacity: The capacity of a power bank is measured in milliampere-hours (mAh), but this can be a little misleading because the amount of power you get out depends on the cable you use, the device you are charging, and the charging method (Qi wireless charging is less efficient). You will never get the maximum capacity. We try to provide an estimate of what you’ll get in terms of charges for devices. Don’t know your USB-A from your USB-C or Micro USB? It doesn’t have to be too confusing. The older USB-A is the connector you’ll have seen often over the past 10 years or so (think little portable USB drives) while the newer USB-C connector is the one that has come with the newest Androids and iPhones (on one end at least, these still charge via Apple’s Lightning port). We like wireless charging as a fuss-free way to refuel smartphones and earbuds, although it’s worth noting that it’s slower than the traditional wired approach.
You have a watch that isn't from Apple: The Otterbox 2-in-1 Power Bank only attaches magnetically to the Apple Watch. Other smartwatches, like the Pixel Watch, won't work with this one, not at all.
Portable devices have a Murphy’s law–like ability to run out of power at the least convenient moment: as you step on the bus, right in the middle of an important meeting, or just as you get comfortable on the couch and press Play. But if you keep a battery-powered portable charger handy, all those situations are in the past. The Anker Nano is only 5,000mAh, but that doesn't mean it can fully charge a 5,000mAh phone battery like you'll find in the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Power banks are about 60-70% efficient, depending on the phone's technology, so this power bank is good for charging an iPhone 15 to nearly full, but that big Ultra will only get about 65% charge. You can buy the Tylt Bottle with just a power bank attached, but our review sample from AT&T had the full wireless charging treatment. It's easy to set up a phone to charge while studying, working out, or working away from home: all places we take a water bottle and need a full phone battery. But, you only need to worry about the basics to make sure you’re getting the right one for your needs. Most importantly, is it the right size and weight for your needs? Does it have enough ports? And is there enough juice to charge up all your devices? Capacity
Using the Anker Prime power bank, we were also able to test the charging speed claims of other power banks, as the Anker Prime will report charging speed in wattage. 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. Apple has added its clever “MagSafe” tech to every iPhone (other than the SE) since the iPhone 12. It uses magnets to ensure perfect alignment for a range of accessories including wallets, wireless chargers and, of course, power banks.You need a lot of power: Thankfully, the battery on the Tylt Bottle 2 isn't so big it adds too much weight, but that also means it isn't powerful enough for multiple charges.
Tylt also wisely left enough of a gap between the battery and the bottle that you can coil a small USB-C cord (included) into that space. That way, even if you're not charging wirelessly, you're not adding a lot of extra bulk to your bag. It's a smart setup. We expect this competition will heat up next year as more power bank makers catch up and make faster charging batteries. Until then, Anker is the dominant brand, and if you want the best it's an easy choice. How many times can my power bank charge my phone? The most important question to consider when buying a power bank is what will you be charging? If you are charging a small smartphone and that's all, a simple power bank will suffice. If you plan on charging a laptop occasionally as well, or many devices at once, you'll want something with more power and more features. That means I could twist my phone sideways into landscape mode and use the Baseus power bank as a portable stand for Apple's new StandBy mode, which is one of my favorite features on iOS 17, and certainly the one I use the most often.You don't need all those extras: The Anker Prime power bank is pricey, and if you don't care about monitoring charge Wattage or days of battery life, find another option. While you’ll probably have most of the cords that you’d need, we’d expect a power bank to at least come with a recharge cable and maybe some extra useful wires. It’s also a nice extra when it comes with a decent carrying pouch to keep the battery and cables together. What is the largest power bank allowed on a plane? To test charging times and claims, we charged a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and an Apple iPhone 15 to determine how many charges each battery offers these devices. We chose a common smaller battery phone as well as our best phone overall for this purpose.
Great Deal 
New Comment