Best portable chargers and power banks 2024

Nothing can turn your great Android phone from state-of-the-art to an overpriced paperweight faster than a dead battery. The best portable chargers and power banks can help recharge your tech when life plays keep-away with your power outlets. 

Portable chargers used to be big, bulky, and slow, but USB-C power banks and the latest Power Delivery charging standards have made things much faster — fast enough to charge laptops, even — and have allowed power banks to get slimmer and better than ever. 

There are plenty of options in every shape or size, but our favorite is the versatile Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless. Still, if you have specific needs or budget, there are plenty of other choices that rank among the best portable battery packs. Here are our top recommendations that you can buy today.

At a glance

Best overall

While most portable chargers only let you recharge your devices with wired charging, wireless portable chargers are steadily increasing in numbers among the best portable chargers. 

While most wireless power banks only charge at 5W, the Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless will charge Samsung smartphones at 10W, iPhones at 7.5W, and all other Qi-enabled phones at 5W, even smaller devices like Galaxy Buds Live or AirPods Pro. When you need faster speeds, you can use the USB-C port for 18W Power Delivery charging to refill your phone quicker. 

This isn't the thinnest power bank around, the usefulness of wireless charging coils and the sturdy design of the PowerCore III Wireless is worth the added thickness — and price.

Aside from making some of the best USB-C power banks, Anker loves to slip in little details to help elevate the experience with its products, including a nicely fitting travel pouch, a high-quality USB-C-to-C cable, and a curious little clip that can extend out from one side. This kickstand allows you to slot your phone into it and keep watching while charging via USB-C or USB-A. 

Best on a budget

INIU may not be a brand many are familiar with, but it makes some of the best power accessories on the market, and its power banks offer a lot of bang for the buck. The INIU portable charger offers the best blend of power and portability, with some extra features that more expensive options lack — all for about the price of pizza night with the fam.

Roughly the size of a Pixel 6 Pro, this 20,000mAh power bank can charge up to three devices simultaneously, while still being slim enough to slip into your pocket next to your phone. You can choose from either USB-C Power Delivery or Qualcomm QuickCharge 4.0, meaning whether your phone is brand new or a few generations old, the INIU power bank will charge them all with ease.

Unlike the Anker, INIU doesn't provide you with a C-to-C cable, but it still comes with an A-to-C cable for quickly recharging this portable charger. It also has a nice travel pouch to keep it protected in your bag, and a built-in LED flashlight to guide your way through the dark. 

Best for laptops

When choosing the best portable charger, it's all about balancing power with portability. These factors are why the 20,000mAh Blade power bank from Baseus is almost perfectly balanced as the best portable charger on the market. I love keeping this power bank with me since it weighs in at just over a pound and is so slim. 

This power bank can recharge a phone four to six times, but it also has the ability to recharge tablets and laptops thanks to its 65W Power Delivery output and up to 100W of the non-PD variety. Whether you're trying to power one of the best Chromebooks, a MacBook, or some Windows laptop with USB-C, you can top them off with the Blade.

There are three ports on this power bank, two 100W USB-C ports and two USB-A ports capable of 30W. It's worth mentioning that if you are charging devices using all of the ports, you'll max out at 95W total output. Baseus includes a C-to-C cable for charging your laptop or phone, as well as for recharging your portable charger.

You'll be able to recharge your portable charger at up to 100W if using one of the many excellent USB-C wall chargers that are capable of that sort of output. While it's nice that Baseus included an LED display to see how much power is left in the charger clearly, it would have been even better if a wireless charging pad had also made it in.

Best compact

Zendure's smallest portable charger, aptly named the SuperMini, is perfect if you want something discreet. This 10,000mAh bank offers the same 18W speeds — or 20W, on Supermini 20W models — and ports as the Anker PowerCore III and the Aukey Basix Slim, but it packs it into a footprint that's smaller than a credit card and light enough to not tug at your jeans when carrying it in your pocket all day.

For a small, rugged power bank, you'd expect this to come in boring colors like black and white. Instead, you have six color options with the Supermini, though you might have to search around a little more for the newer Minty Green and Misty Rose. I'm partial to the Blue Horizon, which is bold, beautiful, and easy to spot amongst the clutter that is my standing desk, but the Sunrise Red is also super-cute.

Best oversized capacity

The Anker 737 GaNPrime Power Bank gives you the ability to power a laptop and three phones at once thanks to two USB-C ports and a single USB-A port. This device was part of a new line of chargers and charging accessories launched summer of 2022.

The claim to fame for this power bank is that it supports 140W PD 3.1 charging. When using both USB-C ports, you can still get the full 140W, meaning you'll be able to charge a MacBook at its fastest speed. The helpful display will let you know how much power is leaving the power bank and how much is coming in. Plus, it can estimate how long it will take until empty or full.

Both USB-C ports are capable of 87W, but that speed is only attainable when it's the only thing plugged in. When 2-4 devices are plugged in, the maximum output is 78W. That would still give you 45W for the laptop, 18W for the USB-C-connected phone, and 12W for the two USB-A devices to share, which is pretty impressive.

This bank has a higher capacity than the Baseus Adaman, but it has almost three times the price tag, too. However, Anker offsets some of that price by throwing in a PowerPort III 65W wall charger and Powerline cable that'll recharge the Elite III in just over two hours.

Best mid-range

Otterbox is well know for making rugged phone cases, and it has paid the same attention to drop protection with its power bank. The Otterbox Fast Charge power bank comes in different capacities, but the 15,000mAh one is the most interesting one here. It's a nice compromise to have between capacity and portability. Be prepared for some heft though, as it still weighs a noticeable 330g. 

The Fast Charge sticks to the basics and doesn't offer many frills. You get two ports, a Type-C and Type-A, and each is able to output up to 18W of power. The charger can also be recharged at the same rate. You get a four-LED power level indicator with a dedicated button to check at any time. The power bank ships with a USB-A to C cable, so you'll need another cable to use the second port. 

The good thing about the Otterbox power bank is that it supports all the major OEM charging standards like USB PD 3.0, Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, Apple Fast Charge, Samsung AFC, Huawei FCP, BCS 1.2, and MediaTek's PE+ 2.0.  

Best for gaming

The UGREEN Magnetic Power Bank is a unqiue product as it offers all the best conveniences in a super-portable form factor. To start with, it looks fantanstic and you can be rest assured of very good build quality. Secondly, it supports Apple's MagSafe wireless charging, which means you can simply attach it to an iPhone and charge withouth bothering with wires. Android users can get in on this action too with some of the best MagSafe accessories. 

The power bank supports up to 15W wireless charging, 20W power output via the USB-C port, and 22.5W from the Type-A port. UGREEN has fitted it with all the safety procedures in place like over-current, short-cicuit, and high-temperature protection. You can charge three devices at once, which is pretty incredible for a charger of its size. 

The main reason why we've picked this as the best gaming accessory is that you can simply magnetically attach the power bank to the back of your phone and continue gaming. UGREEN's secret weapon though is the collapsable kick-stand. The company says it's sturdy enough to handle the largest of phones, both, horizontally or vertically. 

Best power station

Power banks come in some pretty large sizes, but at some point, it's better to transition to the boxier form factor of a power station. These ultra-high-capacity portable chargers are designed to power small appliances on camping trips or keep your gear alive during a hurricane, and they have a wide array of port types and power levels to choose from. 

The best power stations can run you hundreds or thousands depending on your capacity, but I prefer the balance of capacity and price that comes around the 200-300Whr range. I have been testing the BougeRV Flash300, and I found it hit the sweet spot between being too expensive for the masses and too small to power anything other than laptops. BougeRV went with built-in carrying handles with all the ports on the front, and the AC input port on the side, making this an easy-n-go carry from the car to the campsite. 

You can use the two AC plugs to charge non-Power Delivery electronics or run a camp fridge, but don't expect it to power beefier appliances due to a max output of 600W from the AC outlets with a rated 1200W surge.

It'll power some CPAP/BIPAP machine models but not all, so check your model's rating if this is something you rely on and need a backup should the power fail in your region again. With the large LED lamp built into the back of the unit, you'll have plenty of light for your room if the power does go out. 

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How to choose

Pick a battery pack that covers all the devices you charge frequently

You can find portable chargers in a variety of sizes, but for the majority of you reading this, you're going to want either a compact 10,000mAh or a slightly beefier 20,000mAh portable charger. I'm partial to the former, such as the strikingly colored Zendure SuperMini, which makes it easy to slip into a pocket when out and about.

The best power bank is the one you remember to bring with you, and smaller, lighter banks are easier to carry around. 10,000mAh also gives you enough power to recharge a phone twice before it needs a recharge, but if you need to keep a whole family's worth of phones alive during a long day or a long weekend — or if you're only going to own a single power bank rather than a couple in different sizes — get the Anker 737 GaNPrime.

Anker's high-capacity bank is just over a pound in weight so that it won't weigh down a backpack or purse too much during long grueling days of travel or adventure. The 140W Power Delivery output means you can recharge laptops, and the bank can fully recharge in three hours, so you aren't tethered to a wall long when you're topping it back up.