Aukey 26800mAh 65W USB-C battery review: My new go-to travel power bank

I carry a lot of tech; pretty much anytime I leave the house I'll have a backpack with at least a laptop and two phones, and I'm constantly traveling (of course, current events notwithstanding). That means I'm always on the lookout for the best batteries to keep all of the tech charged up without having to hunt for wall outlets. Even when I'm working around the house, where I want to sit and work isn't always right next to a power outlet, so I'll grab a big battery to sit right next to me where there's no chance a cord could get tripped on or tangled.

There's been a steady improvement in really big portable batteries with high outputs for us with laptops as they shift to USB-C, and the latest one I'm using is the Aukey 26000mAh portable battery. Here's why it now has a home in my backpack as my only on-the-go power bank.

Prior to this battery I was using the Mophie Powerstation 3XL with 45W of USB-C output, which was good enough to get the job done with my laptop but couldn't hang with keeping my laptop charging while powering up any other devices. It also only had a single USB-C port for output, which was of course limiting. This new Aukey battery solves both problems, and at a much lower price: just $80.

Here are the basics on this battery. It offers a 26800mAh (99.16 Wh) capacity. It has two USB-C ports, with one outputting a maximum of 65W and the other topping out at 18W. There's also a USB-A port, which uses Quick Charge 3.0 up to 18W, and Aukey specifically calls out that it has "a special mode to charge low-current devices like wireless headphones and fitness trackers." At 6.5 x 3.4 x 1.2 inches (165.1 x 86.4 x 30.5 mm) and 1.54 lb (699 g), it's right in line with the crowd of batteries at this capacity.

This battery, for me, is all about the power output. 65W over USB-C is more than the 61W my 13-inch MacBook Pro's wall charger offers, meaning this will charge up most mainstream laptops at the same rate as their wall charger — and power up larger (or gaming-focused) models at a decent rate. The 26800mAh capacity will get my MacBook from dead to full, even while I'm using it normally, which has the effect of removing a lot of my battery life anxiety when using my laptop out of the house.

The battery has a total output of 65W, which means if you utilize the other ports you won't ge tthe full grunt from the main port. But that actually just makes that max output number even more important — when you're charging a phone or tablet on the 18W USB-C port, that still leaves behind 47W for the main USB-C port for a computer, which is enough to keep you going. It also means you could easily charge three phones, or a tablet and two phones, at their maximum rate simultaneously.

The battery recharges at 45W over that main USB-C port, and in my testing I got it from dead to full in just over two and a half hours. That's only a little longer than you'd expect to charge up a laptop nowadays, and right in line with other batteries of this size I've tested. It's easy to get this thing charged up with one of Aukey's new GaN USB-C PD wall chargers, too.

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If there's one thing you give up here it's hardware quality, which is about as basic as it gets. I appreciate my Mophie battery's little touches like a durable fabric exterior and easy-to-read status LEDs on the edge of the case. This Aukey battery is just the typical combination of hard matte plastic around the bulk of the case with shiny plastic on both ends — which isn't my favorite, because the glossy plastic area is simply going to get destroyed with scratches during use.

The power button (found on the end with the ports) is easy to press with a satisfying click, and it's easy to see the battery level with four LEDs next to it. But the markings for the two USB-C ports are just raised slightly in the same glossy black plastic plate, so it can be hard to differentiate between the two. I'm likely to never remember which is which, but you need to because it's important to know since the "primary" port is the only one with 65W output and the only one that'll recharge the battery. A big "1" and "2" or "65W" and "18W" mark would be so much better.

Despite the couple of tiny design choices that I'd personally tweak, this is incredible value for money in a big, high-output battery. Getting 26800mAh of capacity, concurrent three-device charging with both USB-C and USB-A, and the ability to charge up a laptop at 65W for only $80 is fantastic. Especially when it comes with a name like Aukey behind it, a company I've trusted for accessories for a long time.

This is my new go-to battery that will take up residence in my backpack to ensure I have my laptop, phones and accessories charged up on the go. A battery this big may be overkill for some people who just need to recharge their phone on some days when they use it heavily, but for me a battery like this is an essential part of how I get work done on the go.

Aukey USB-C 26000mAh power bank

It's tough to find a battery that can charge your laptop up as fast as a wall plug, and do so at a reasonable price. Aukey gets it done, and gives you the versatility to charge up multiple devices as well.

• $80 at Amazon