The Best Power Banks in 2024 As Tested By Our Experts
Don’t get stuck without a charger – we’ve tested and selected the best power banks for keeping your devices juiced up on the go
With devices constantly getting bigger and more power-hungry, the best power banks are quickly becoming a necessary accessory for leaving the house. Whether you’re commuting to work or traveling abroad, having a decent power bank tucked in your bag amounts to peace of mind that you won’t be caught short with no outlet in sight.
Our team of experts have tested countless power banks over the years and we’ve compiled some of the very best of them here. For those unsure of what to look for in a power bank, our buying guide runs through the top criteria to bear in mind.
Best power banks: At a glance
| Best power bank for most people | Anker Nano Power Bank (~$40) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best budget power bank | Ugreen Nexode PB560 (~$30) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best wireless power bank | Anker MagGo 10K (~$90) | Check price at Amazon |
How we test power banks
We connect power banks, through a USB power meter, to a range of devices – including Android and iOS smartphones, and an Acer Chromebook – to check how much power they output from each of their USB-A and USB-C ports.
We also check their wireless charging capabilities and measure the rate at which they charge from a 65W USB-C charger. Finally, we run a quick charge test to find out how much they can recharge our test smartphone in a 15-minute period.
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The best power banks you can buy in 2024
1. Anker Nano Power Bank: Best power bank for most people
Price when reviewed: $40 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… features and performance
- Not so great for… size and weight
The Anker Nano has some great features. Firstly, what looks like a carrying loop on one corner turns out to be a captive USB-C charging cable, so there’s no hunting for your cable when you need a swift top-up, it’s got you covered. Secondly, it promises a higher output than most compact power banks – 22.5W over the single USB-A port and 30W over USB-C. Next, the input works at 30W if used with a fast charger, though you can’t charge using the captive cable while the power bank itself is charging. However, it can charge two devices simultaneously, albeit at a maximum 24W total output.
In testing, the Anker Nano lived up to its billing, charging my test cellphone at 20.5W over USB Type-A, and 20.3W over USB Type-C, then charging my laptop at 28.5W – a real achievement for such a compact charger.
Finally, I also liked and appreciated the informative display that sits just under the faux-metallic top panel, showing you the current charge percentage and how much time it has left before it runs dry.
Key specs – Capacity: 10,000mAh; Input: USB-C; Outputs: USB-A (22.5W), USB-C (30W); Dimensions (WDH): 2.06 x 4.09 x 0.94in; Weight: 7.5oz
2. Ugreen Nexode PB560: Best budget power bank
Price when reviewed: $30 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… wireless charging on the cheap, overall value
- Not so great for… super-fast charging over USB-C
Ugreen’s 5,000mAh power bank packs a lot into such a compact size and modest price point. At just under five ounces, you’ll barely feel it in your bag, while its capacity should be enough to recharge all but the largest and most power-hungry devices, with a choice between an 18.5W USB-C port and a 7.5W Qi wireless pad to get it done. The Qi pad even supports magnetic charging for iPhones, and you can still use it to charge your phone while you’re charging up the power bank.
In tests, the output wasn’t quite as high as the specs promised – I couldn’t find a phone that would charge at above 14.6W, while my test laptop charged at 15W – still, it’s high enough for a recharge on the commute home, and I had no problems charging a Google Pixel 7 wirelessly. It’s not the best wireless power bank out there but, on value, the PB560 is hard to beat.
Key specs – Capacity: 5,000mAh; Input: USB-C; Outputs: USB-C (18.5W), Qi wireless (7.5W); Dimensions (WDH): 2.7 x 4.2 x 0.51in; Weight: 4.6oz
3. Anker MagGo 10K: Best wireless power bank
Price when reviewed: $90 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… high charging speeds and a handy kickstand
- Not so great for… tight budgets
The MagGo’s 10,000mAh capacity gives you enough juice to charge an iPhone 15 twice – and still have some left over. In testing though, I found its 20W USB-C port only delivered 18.9W in use. If you don’t want to bother with a cable, it also has a 15W Qi2 charging pad, and the clever little kickstand at the back means you can still charge wirelessly with your phone locked in a vertical position, or even held horizontally, if you want to watch Netflix while on the move.
I also liked the built-in screen on the right-hand side, which lets you know exactly how much charge you have left and how long it’s expected to last. If you’re looking for the best wireless power bank, this is as good as it gets.
Key specs – Capacity: 10,000mAh; Input: USB-C; Outputs: USB-C (20W), Qi2 wireless (15W); Dimensions (WDH): 2.71 x 4.22 x 0.78in; Weight: 8.8oz
4. Anker Prime 27,650mAh: Best power bank for laptops and tablets
Price when reviewed: $180 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… fast charging of demanding gadgets
- Not so great for… everyday portability and affordability
The Anker Prime is a powerhouse of a power bank, with a 27,650mAh capacity that’s big enough to cover most tablets, iPads, laptops, and gaming handhelds. And its generous array of ports can juice multiple devices at once, though output naturally dips with dual-port charging in line with the 250W total output. If you try charging three devices at once, for example, you’re looking at around 140W, 92W, and 18W maximum. I had no issues charging a 65W laptop, 25W tablet, and 65W smartphone simultaneously, but I couldn’t persuade the latter to charge at more than 20.2W, even on its own.
The 1.5in display beneath the top panel lets you see the incoming and outgoing charge and levels of output. Plus, it’s quick to recharge – even with two 65W devices plugged into it, I was able to fully recharge the Prime in just 52 minutes.
This is a relatively expensive power bank, and you’ll need to find an extra $55 to get the optional 100W wireless fast-charging base, but if you want an advanced mobile charger to cover all your devices, the Anker Prime is in a class of its own.
Key specs – Capacity: 27,650mAh; Input: USB-C; Outputs: USB-A (65W), 2 x USB-C (140W); Dimensions (WDH): 1.96 x 6.37 x 2.24in; Weight: 23.52oz
How to choose the best power bank or charger for you
What kind of power bank should I buy?
Basically, you’re trying to balance four factors: size, speed, capacity, and, of course, price. As a general rule, the less you spend on a power bank, the lower the capacity it will have and the slower it will charge.
Cheap power banks
The cheapest and smallest power banks usually have a capacity between 2,500mAh and 10,000mAh. We’d advise against anything below 5,000mAh as it won’t be enough to recharge most recent smartphones, but the upper end of this range should be sufficient for a phone, or to give a tablet or iPad a decent boost. You can often find one the same size as a smartphone or a Mars Bar for around $20.
Mid-range power banks
Spend $30 to $50 and you’re looking at power banks with a capacity in the 10,000-20,000mAh range, and better connectivity, with USB-C connections now fairly standard. It will also offer much faster charging, with Quick Charge 4 and USB PD. However, you may find the size and weight increases to match since, while 20,000mAh batteries can be roughly the size of a big-screen smartphone, they’re often also a good 50% heavier.
Expensive power banks
Splash out more than $50 and you can bag an even bigger power bank, with capacity starting at 20,000mAh and going up to 26,800mAh or more. At this price, USB-C with Quick Charge 4 and USB-PD will be a given, making up for the fact that you’re carrying a heavy brick of a charger. Another advantage is that you’ll often be able to top up multiple devices simultaneously, and still have enough charge to keep them going for a weekend or even longer.
What else should I look out for?
Most power banks now use a USB-C port to recharge, although some models will have a micro-USB port as well to ensure compatibility with older chargers. Don’t worry if you don’t have the right cable, as one will usually be provided in the box.
One advantage of this shift to USB-C is that power banks now support USB PD for faster charging. This means your power bank will often recharge faster when connected to a suitable fast charger – anywhere from 20W to 60W. At those speeds, even a high-capacity charger can be fully recharged in three or four hours.
As for charging your devices, you’ll usually have a choice of USB-A and USB-C ports, with the latter supporting the fastest USB PD charging standards. All power banks and smartphones support the USB BC 1.2 standard, which can deliver up to 7.5W over USB-A or 15W over USB-C. Most also support the USB Power Delivery (PD) 3 standard, which increases the maximum voltage and current to deliver up to 100W of power – enough to charge a lightweight laptop at a decent speed. Not all USB PD power banks can push out that much juice though, and you’ll often find them limited to 15W, 27W, or 45W instead of the maximum 100W, but even 27W will cover you for fast charging a wide range of smartphones and tablets.
We’re also now seeing the first power banks supporting the USB PD 3.1 spec, meaning they can deliver over 100W with compatible devices and cables. Right now, these don’t go over 28V at 5A for a maximum of 140W, but we may see power banks with an output of 180W or 240W in the future. That’s certainly overkill for smartphones, but a potential game-changer for power-hungry laptops and tablets.
Beyond that, there are Qualcomm’s Quick Charge standards. The most common is Quick Charge 4, which pushes out a maximum 21V and 4.6A for 100W of output. It’s also compatible with USB PD, which is lucky since Quick Charge 4 hasn’t had as much love as the old Quick Charge 3 standard, with most power bank manufacturers standardizing around USB PD. The same has happened with the new Quick Charge 5 – even though it can charge compatible phones to 50% within five minutes when using the right charger – but it’s not hard to see why, since USB PD is supported by Apple and Google’s recent devices and still delivers fast charging on Quick Charge 4 and Quick Charge 5 phones. More importantly, it’s an open standard without any licensing costs.
Is it worth paying extra for a fast-charging power bank?
Yes. There’s often very little difference in price these days, and even if your existing phone doesn’t support Quick Charge 4 or USB PD, there’s a good chance that your next one will. In fact, you could make the argument that the smartest thing to do is standardize around USB PD and ensure that your power banks, chargers, smartphones, and tablets can all run under the same charging ecosystem, giving you fast charging whenever you need it.
What about charging other accessories?
Smaller accessories, such as wireless earbuds, Bluetooth headphones, fitness trackers, and smartwatches, can cause problems for power banks because they’re designed to charge using a low-wattage trickle-charge, rather than the 10W to 25W used to fast-charge your typical smartphone. There’s a risk of damaging the accessory or its charging case, and some smarter power banks may simply shut down due to the low demand. However, some power banks now include a trickle-charge mode designed specifically to charge these devices safely. If you’re planning a long weekend (or longer) away where you’ll need a recharge, this is a feature worth looking out for.
What about wireless charging?
If you care more about convenience than speed, wireless charging is very much the way to go, and a growing number of power banks support it – just place your smartphone on the integrated wireless pad to recharge without cables. You will take a hit on the charging speed, limited to 7.5W or 10W, but that’s not a big issue if you don’t need to recharge in a flash.
As a bonus, we’re now seeing Magsafe-friendly chargers that will clamp onto an iPhone, or a ring inside an iPhone case, meaning you can recharge your iPhone even while you’re using it.
