Is your phone, tablet or laptop on the last legs before the end of the day? Here’s what to look for in portable chargers and power banks to give you the biggest boost when you run out of power.
LEVO PA71
The Levo pa71 is a power bank that has everything you need in one place. It comes with a 2000 mAh battery and a built-in flashlight, which makes it ideal for those who want to be prepared in case of an emergency.
It is a great little portable charger. It has a 5V/3A output, which means it can charge your phone at least 3 times before needing to recharge itself. The PA71 provides enough power to charge most smartphones, as well as tablets and other devices with up to 10W of charging power.
The Levo PA71 is lightweight and compact with a sleek design that makes it easy to carry around. There is also an LED light on the front of the charger which will indicate when your device is fully charged or needs more energy.
Anker PowerCore 10000
Anker PowerCore 10000 is a compact and affordable backup battery that supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 standard and can keep your phone going for a full day of non-stop use thanks to a 10,000 mAh battery. It’s not fancy, but it’s powerful and inexpensive, if you don’t mind the lack of through-charge.
Mophie Powerstation AC
As its name suggests, the Mophie Powerstation AC ($199.95) features an AC port for charging any device that needs a full-size outlet, like a laptop. It’s an expensive and beefy 22,000mAh battery, but it can be vital if a USB port doesn’t cut it.
iQunix MiniPower
The lipstick-sized $10.99 iQunix MiniPower only has enough power to fill your phone once or twice (3,350 mAh), but it’s less expensive and more portable than many other battery backups.
What Features Do You Need In A Power Bank?
It’s stressful to watch your phone or tablet run out of power when you’re not near an electrical outlet. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of third-party backup batteries, and they come in all sizes, capacities, and prices to keep your device going when the battery icon starts to dip red. And it doesn’t end there. Some power banks are equipped with features like fast charging, wireless charging, built-in cables, AC adapters, LED flashlights, and even the ability to jump start the car.
With so many options to choose from, how do you know which power bank is right for you? Read on for the most important points to consider.
Size and Capacity
Generally speaking, the bigger the battery, the more capacity and number of ports you’ll get. Power banks that fit comfortably in your pocket are typically good for a full phone charge or two, while anything designed to keep you going all day is going to require a bag or purse.
Once you get past 3,500mAh, the size of the battery increases to the point where it’s less likely to fit in your skinny jeans, but can still fit in your jacket pocket. There are even batteries that allow you to power your laptop and have enough power to charge the average phone 10 times.
Ports of Entry and Exit
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 how fast it charges. At a minimum, most battery packs will have a standard micro USB port for input and a USB-A port for output. But with more phones, tablets, and laptops adopting the USB-C standard, you’ll often find a USB-C port in addition to USB-A.
USB-C generally allows you to charge faster, consolidates input/output into one port, and can be found on many newer phones. Now, you have to be careful, because although some power banks have USB-C input, they do not have USB-C output.
Lightning is proprietary Apple technology, so businesses need to pay Apple when they use it; that makes it a little less common to find it.
Fast Charge
Another factor to consider is how quickly a power bank can charge your phone. Battery output is measured in voltage and amperage. Amperage (or current) is the amount of electricity that flows from the battery to the connected device, while voltage is the amount of potential energy. Multiplying volts by amps gives you watts, the measure of total power.
To make a device charge faster, most manufacturers vary the voltage or increase the amperage in order to increase the total wattage. For faster charging, you’re looking to dynamically increase or vary the voltage.
Pass-Through Charging And Wireless Charging
There are a couple of other things to consider before selecting a battery backup. Pass through charging allows you to charge devices connected to the battery, while the battery is also charging. If both the phone and the backup battery are running without charge, this is a very useful feature.
Wireless charging has also become very popular, as it allows compatible devices to be powered without the need for a cable, but simply by placing them on top of the battery. Qi is the dominant standard you’ll find in compatible phones from Apple and Samsung, and there are some battery packs that support it.
