A portable charging bank can certainly come in handy when there are emergencies or they are outside. But what are the best qualities to look for?
Many might think portable charging banks aren't really needed anymore since the latest smartphones have improved battery life (like the new iPhone 12 that can last for up to 17 hours of video playback). But the truth of the matter is that, with extensive daily use of activities, streaming videos and music, social media posts, navigation, apps, and gaming are all battery hogs. So, chances are that a phone is going to need a quick battery boost from time to time while on the go. What's more, as devices age over again, their battery power tends to deplete over time.
With that said, it's always a good idea to have a portable charging bank in a backpack, bag, purse, or briefcase, charged up and ready to go if and when it's needed. But there are specific features worth looking at before choosing one.
Built-in cables are a great feature to have in a portable charging bank for a few reasons. For one, it means not having to bring along a spare cable and keep it plugged in at all times, or worse, wanting to use the charger and not having a cable to use with it.
Second, they allow for a neat and tidy design since the cables are typically small (only three-four-inches long at most) and tuck neatly into the charger itself when not in use. Pop it out, plug in the phone, and it's done. Just make sure to get one with the right cable – USB-C for most new phones and Lightning for iPhones. The Q-Madix 5,000 mAh portable power bank, for example, has a built-in USB-C cable and a neat clip for securing it to your keychain, bag, or backpack.
The mAh number on a portable charger refers to the milliampere/hour, which effectively means it measures the energy capacity of a battery. The higher the number, the more battery power the unit has (and the more times it can charge a phone or other mobile device).
For example, a 4,000mAh portable charging bank might be able to charge a premium smartphone 1.5 - 2 times over but a 10,000mAh charging bank might be able to charge a phone four times over before it needs recharging, or can charge a larger more powerful device like a tablet. These days, it makes sense to get something with at least 10,000mAh. But you can even get ones like the Anker PowerCore II 20000, which offers 20,100 mAh and can intelligently identify what device is plugged in to charge it as fast as possible, up to 18W.
Passthrough charging refers to the ability for the portable charging bank, like the Crave Plus, to continue recharging itself while also charging a person's phone. So, if the charging bank is plugged into a wall outlet or USB port of a computer, and a smartphone is connected to the other end, both will charge simultaneously.
Portable charging banks that don't offer passthrough charging won't charge a connected phone until the bank itself is disconnected from the wall or USB charging port. It will charge itself first, then charge the phone once it's full.
Along with portable charging banks that have built-in charging cables, some also have built-in AC prongs on the back. This allows for a person to charge the unit directly into a wall outlet instead of having to have a charging cable as well.
Again, it's a neat and tidy setup that's super convenient. Most of these can also recharge via USB cable as well. But when a cable isn’t handy, the ability to pop it right into a wall outlet is a huge plus. The MyCharge 18W Turbo, for example, has both built-in cables as well as wall prongs.
Some portable charging banks come with an extra USB port (or more, up to potentially four), which allows users to charge more than one device, like a smartphone and a pair of wireless earbuds. The higher the mAh number, the better it will do at offering power to multiple devices.
Confirm that the charger can indeed charge multiple devices simultaneously, however, and doesn't just have extra ports but will still only charge items one at a time. The Mophie Powerstation 6,000 mAh isn't the most powerful portable charger a person can find, but it has two USB-A ports so users can recharge two devices at once.
Some portable charging banks nowadays offer USB-C charging, which is significantly faster than traditional USB-A (not to mention users don't need to worry about plugging the cable in the wrong way).
If the portable charging bank charges itself via USB-C, it's very likely that it will charge super quickly, making it perfect for those who are always on the go and often in a rush. The Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux not only includes a USB-C port but also supports Power Delivery (PD) 18W fast charging for compatible devices to get them back up and running at full charge in no time.
Portable charging banks have become thinner and lighter, as well as sleeker in design, over the years. Most are rectangular or square in size but some are heftier than others.
Find one that is slim, attractive in design, and easy to toss into a backpack or bag to take virtually anywhere. The iWalk portable charger with built-in plug employs a neat design in that the charging port protrudes directly from the small charger instead of at the tip of a cord and plugs right into the users' phone so there are no hanging wires.
Wireless chargers are all the rage these days, and a portable charging bank with a wireless charge pad on its surface is a neat addition to the equation for a smartphone that supports wireless charging.
Typically using the Qi standard (pronounced "Chee"), these chargers offer wireless charging on one side of the surface along with a variety of charging ports. The Otterbox Fast Charge Qi wireless power bank not only has a USB-A and USB-C port, but it also supports Qi wireless charging so users can place their phone directly atop its surface to recharge quickly and easily without wires at all.
From a built-in flashlight on a portable charger like the one from TOOSPON to a car jump starter, some portable charging banks do double duty as something else, making them jacks of many trades and utility-type devices that do more than just charge a phone.
See what other handy features the charger offers, whether it's bright LEDs for seeing in the dark in emergencies or even a built-in bottle opener.
Some portable charging banks, like the GoalZero Sherpa 100PD power bank, will offer fast charging technology, which could be named something like quick charge, fast charging, power delivery, charge boost, and so on. Fast charging is great for those who are in a hurry and need to get a phone and a charging bank off the charger and ready to go in a rush, whether it's to make a meeting or get on a plane.
Fast charging works in various ways depending on the technology, but it will effectively charge the connected device at its optimal speed so it becomes fully charged as quickly as possible.
