Ventev Powercell 6010+ review: The best-designed battery pack I've ever used

What are the features you look for in a portable battery pack? Do you prioritize battery capacity, or is an ultra-portable design most important? For me, it's important to find a balance of portability and functionality, with a capacity that's big enough to easily charge my phone.

The Ventev Powercell 6010+ has proven itself to be reliable with features I simply haven't seen on other battery packs.

Everything you need to keep your phone charged

Ventev Powercell 6010+ What I like

Everyone should probably carry a backup battery pack these days, whether you've got a big summer trip planned or you just need a pack to carry around on a daily basis. It's great to have something available for those times when you need to eke out a bit more battery life before you make it home for a full charge. To that end, there's a ton of options to choose from and it can be a bit overwhelming to pick one when they all typically look the same — a black brick with a couple ports and an LED indicator.

I have been eager to share my thoughts on the Ventev Powercell 6010+ for months now because it really stands out from the crowd thanks to some innovative design choices. It's become my go-to accessory when I'm heading out the door with a less-than-fully-charged phone in my pocket.

With a 6000mAh capacity, the Powercell 6010+ is in the mid-range in terms of capacity but still more than enough to top up a phone battery in the red zone but the saving grace is the design built around the battery itself. Everything you need to charge your phone — and keep the Powercell itself charged, too — is built right into this battery pack. There's a USB-C cable built into the side of the pack alongside an extra USB port for output along with fold-out outlet prongs that let you plug the pack right into the wall for recharging.

It also works as a wall charger for your phone and will pass through current to your phone for those times you're waiting in an airport and want to charge your battery pack and phone at the same time. With 12W of total output, you're able to charge two devices at once. The size is basically perfect for both travel and daily carry, as it's roughly the same dimensions size of a Google Pixel with everything required to charge right there. Because of the length of the built-in cable, it keeps your phone nicely tethered so you can slip in your pocket or bag without fussing around with the unnecessary length of a standard charging cable.

Not ideal for international travellers

Ventev Powercell 6010+ What I don't like

It can be frustrating to grab your battery pack and head out the door only to realize that it needed charging itself, but I don't have that anxiety with Powercell 6010+ because it's so easy and convenient to use and recharge. As long as I'm not heading out into the wilderness for a camping trip, there will inevitably be a wall outlet that I can use to quickly charge the battery pack, or if I'm in a real bind, I can use the whole thing to charge my phone first.

Having said that, this battery pack is obviously less ideal if you live or frequently travel to countries that don't use the North American-style electrical outlets — there are no outlet adapters included in the package so you're kind of on your own in that regard. The other minor issue I have is that it can be tricky to pop the USB-C cable out of its holder. That's partially because I keep my fingernails short, but it's easy enough to pop it out with a key or something similar.

Ventev Powercell 6010+ Buy it

Even if the cable is a bit stiff to use, that's hardly a setback for my final considerations of how awesome this pack is. It's the ideal form factor for me with a battery capacity that will reliably double my phone's battery life for those times I forget to charge my phone before I head out the door.

5 out of 5

You can get this pack with a built-in USB-C cable (or Lightning cable if you're buying as a gift for an iPhone user) for just $47 on Amazon.

See at Amazon