The best power banks

The best power banks for phones and other devices can be life savers if you’re working away from a plug socket. In theory, they’re all fairly similar: you charge them, and then use them to power your devices via USB-C. But with so many brands, features, capacities and price points, it can be hard to choose. 

in the guide below, we’ve clearly detailed the differences between the best power banks we’ve tested. We’ve included the best power bank for laptop as well as cheaper and more compact options, and we’ve compared battery capacity, the number and power of ports and physical size to help you pick. If you’re still unsure about the details of power banks and what exactly they do, scroll down to the questions section at the bottom.

If you’re looking for more peripherals to help you work on the move, make sure you check out our guide to the best external hard drives. For now, let’s look at the best power banks for your tech.

The quick list

The best power banks in full

Best power bank overall

Having used the Anker PowerCore 26,800mAh power bank extensively at Creative Bloq, we still think it’s the best power bank overall, providing a good balance of capacity, charging speed and price. The 26,800mAh capacity should be enough to charge a phone or tablet a couple of times. It can charge two devices simultaneously. If those devices use PowerIQ or VoltageBoost.

We liked the sleek, slimline design, which makes it relatively compact and easy to carry in a bag or pocket, although it’s not the smallest or lightest we’ve tested. We would have liked a better quality USB cable.

Best slim power bank

We received reader feedback by a user that couldn’t say enough positive things about this power bank. The INIU 10000mAh Portable Charger has two USB-A output ports and a USB-C input and output port. The capacity is fairly low for today’s standards. It’s less than half of that provided by our first choice, and it’s not going to do for mulitple charges or as a power bank for laptops, but it’s compact and does the job nicely for relatively small devices like phones and e-readers. Best of all, it’s very reasonably priced. That makes it a great value option for those who want a slim and light charger to top up their phone when out on the go.

Best value power bank

If the main thing that you’re after is great value in your power bank, we can heartily recommend this iMuto high-capacity portable charger. Don’t care too much about getting flexibility and features? This may be the power bank that suites your needs the best.

It’s heavier and chunkier than our top picks, and charging is a little slower. But if you look at the price, and the money that you’ll be saving, those aren’t bad trade offs. Of course, and the USB-C port delivers 65W, making it an option as a cheap power bank for laptops.

Best powerful power bank

If you have a more power-hungry device like a laptop, or just need to charge a normal smartphone or tablet multiple times on a long journey, you might need something more powerful and heavy-duty than our previous choices. The Anker Prime 27,650mAh is our pick as the best power bank for laptops or for anyone who needs to regularly charge multiple devices. 

Anker says it can charge an M2 MacBook Pro to 50% in under half an hour, and our tests backed that up. Each USB-C ports can deliver up to 140W of power and the whole device can deliver 250W, charging up to three devices at once with the two USB-C and one USB-A port. It’s very fast to recharge too because you can use both USB-C ports at once to recharge, resulting in a combined recharge rate of up to 170W. We found it took around 40 minutes to fully charge, and the quality OLED digital display keeps you up to date on battery status. 

There’s even an app that allows you to find the charger if you misplace it, although the size of this thing might make that a little unlikely. It’s easily the biggest and heaviest power bank on this list and not one that you can slip into a pocket. That said the extra weight could be worth carrying if you’re going to be without a mains connection for some time. It can charge an iPhone 15 at least five times over. Unsurprisingly, this power bank is also the most expensive on our list, and if you don’t need to charge a phone many times, or charge a laptop, a charger of this size and price is overkill.

Best phone power bank

If you’re looking for a power bank for phone charging, a magnetic wireless charging solution can make the job quick and easy, avoiding the need for a cable. We found this magnets on this Baseus power bank to be stronger than those on Apple‘s own MagSafe battery pack, holding an iPhone 15 Pro Max securely both in portrait and landscape position, and you can also use it as a handy portable stand in StandBy mode.

It’s not the fastest charger we’ve used, delivering only half the speed iPhones can take. That means I wouldn’t recommend the wireless option if you often have to charge in a hurry, but there is also the option of a USB-C port, which charges faster at up to 20W. All in all, we think it offers great value for the price, delivering an excellent power-to-weight ratio. The 10,000mAh capacity should be enough to charge an iPhone 15 almost twice and a Galaxy S23 Ultra once and then some.

Best solar power bank

If you’re going to be outdoors a lot, but don’t want to go completely off grid, a solar power bank is a great way recharge your phone when you’re away from civilisation. The Riapow Solar Power Bank 26800mAh offers an impressive capacity, will fit in a pocket easily, and the LED indicator system shows how much power you have left. It’s a great option, both for practical and environmental reasons, but you have to be realistic. The solar panel recharges the battery very slowly, so you’ll still need to make sure you charge it via the mains before you head off into the wilderness.

How to choose the best power bank

There are four main variables to take into consideration when choosing the best power bank for you. Firstly, there’s the output of a power bank, which can determine whether it’s compatible with the device you want to use it with. Check the output of the power bank and the requirements of your devices. If you’re looking for a power bank for a laptop rather than a phone make sure the device specifies that it can power laptops.

Portability is another factor and will depend on the size and weight of the power bank. Most people will want a power bank that’s easy to carry around in a bag or even a pocket. Related to this is the issue of durability. We’ve checked the devices above are built to last, but some go further by using a water-resistant build. Finally, price is obviously an issue, and you’ll need to decide how much your prepared to spend.

How we chose the best power banks

We chose the best power banks in our guide based on a combination of our own tests, reviews from our sister sites and verified customer reviews. We compared the stated specs of each power bank and where possible tested them by charging a variety of devices from different brands, including iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, iPads and, when the power bank is powerful enough, laptops.

FAQs