We’ve all suffered the sudden, all-encompassing horror of a dead phone. The accusing looks and hushed criticism of family and friends. That blank screen on the commute home that leaves you at the mercy of your chatty fellow traveler. The sudden loss of Google Maps as you turn into an unfamiliar neighborhood. The sinking feeling as you realize your phone alarm didn’t go off because you forgot to plug it in last night. Why, oh, why must our smartphones die?
We feel your pain and that is why we’ve been checking out some of the best portable chargers on the market. Until there is a real breakthrough in battery technology, a portable charger might be the best solution. We have something here for you, whatever your needs may be, from a bucketload of power for a camping trip to a pocket-friendly solution for your daily commute. These are 21 of the best portable chargers that money can buy. If you’re looking for charging cables, be sure to check out our picks for the best lightning cables and USB Type-C cables.
Anker PowerCore II 20,000
- Capacity: 20,000mAh
- Outputs: 2 ports (18W and 12W)
- Weight: 369g (13oz)
- Price: $50
- Time to fully charge: Around 5 hours
We’re big fans of Anker’s understated and practical designs. The PowerCore II packs in a huge 20,000mAh capacity without being ridiculously big, though it is something you’ll want to sling in a bag rather than your pocket. It features two USB outputs. PowerIQ 2.0 can put out up to 18W, which breaks down to 3A at 5V, 2A at 9V, and 1.5A at 12V. PowerIQ 1.0 can put out 12W up to 2.4A at 5V. Regardless of your device, you should be able to get decent charging speeds from this portable battery. The only thing it lacks is a USB-C port.
Compared to previous Anker offerings, there are a couple of new features here. The power button is now round and it houses a ring of white LEDs, which are designed show you how much power remains. There’s also a textured surface on the outside, so it’s less likely to slip out of your hand or slide away from the back of your phone while you’re charging your device.
This battery’s robust capacity should also provide you with more than enough power to fully charge a Galaxy S9 four times, and it will charge an iPhone 8 more than six times. It’s also quick to charge, at just five hours, provided you have a decent wall charger (not included). All in all, this portable battery charger represents great value for the money.
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Flux Portable Charger
- Capacity: 4,000mAh
- Output: 2 built-in cables (1A and 2.1A)
- Weight: 92g (3.2oz)
- Price: $26
- Time to fully charge: 3 to 4 hours
This is one of the slimmest portable chargers we’ve ever come across. If you’re really looking for something pocket-sized, the Flux Charger is worth more than just a glance. It’s a mere 7.8-millimeters thick and measures 108 x 62.8 millimeters. It’s also incredibly light, but holds enough power to fully recharge your phone at least once, possibly twice. It’s finished with a durable black or white aluminum, and features two built-in cables, a Micro USB cable, and a MFi-certified Lightning cable. There’s also a Micro-USB port for charging, which comes with a short Micro USB to USB cable.
Tap the small button on the side, and the four tiny LEDs light up to show remaining power. It doesn’t support fast charging, though, and we found that it took a couple of hours to charge the large battery in the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Fortunately, it should fully charge an iPhone in around an hour. The input for charging it is 1.5A, so it takes a while to fully charge, but it does support pass-through charging, so you can plug it into the wall and your phone at the same time. If you like the design, but you need more power then check out the 10,000mAh Flux Charger Plus for $52.
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EasyAcc MegaCharge D20
- Capacity: 20,000mAh
- Outputs: 4 ports (3A each)
- Weight: 370g (13oz)
- Price: $50
- Time to fully charge: Around 4 hours
This chunky battery pack in black plastic has a distinctive orange stripe around it. We’re not in love with the look, but it contains a whopping 20,000mAh of power and an unusual array of input and output ports. The green USB port supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 or 3.0, and also Huawei’s fast charging standard, FCP. There are two black USB ports capable of up to 3A and there’s also a USB-C port that can deliver the same. Move round to the side and you’ll find a Micro USB port and another USB-C port for charging the battery up. Interestingly these inputs can be plugged in simultaneously to enable you to charge the battery up faster — bringing charging time down to around four hours, which is pretty impressive for this capacity.
You’ll find the standard four LED array on the top to show you remaining power in 25 percent chunks. There’s a power button on the side and you can double press it to fire up the LED flashlight, which is a handy extra that makes this a good choice for camping. EasyAcc includes a short, 24-inch USB to USB-C cable and a USB-to-Micro USB cable that’s the same length in the box. It does support pass-through charging, so you can plug it in to charge and plug your phone into it to charge at the same time.
We think you can expect at least four full charges for the majority of smartphones out there and probably more than that for phones with smaller batteries, like the iPhone 8. Weighing up the complete package we think this is good value for money and worth considering if you need a lot of power and want to be able recharge it in a hurry.
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Tronsmart Presto Power Bank
- Capacity: 10,000mAh
- Outputs: 2 ports (3A/18W and 2.4A/15W)
- Weight: 210g (7.4oz)
- Price: $23
- Time to fully charge: Around 4 hours
This compact portable charger is slim and light, but packs a big capacity of 10,000mAh. It has two USB ports for charging up your devices. The green one can put out 18W and supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 standard, as well as Huawei’s FCP, so it can juice up certain phones very quickly. You can expect two or three charges from this battery for most smartphones.
The design is an unobtrusive black and the outer shell is finished in soft-touch plastic, so it’s comfortable to handle. There’s a button on the side to turn it on, and you’ll find a typical four LED battery level indicator on the top. It can be charged up via the MicroUSB port and should juice up quickly, provided you use a decent cable and wall charger with it.
It comes with a USB-A to MicroUSB cable in the box and a travel pouch. Tronsmart also offers an 18-month warranty.
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Belkin Pocket Power Charger
- Capacity: 5,000mAh
- Outputs: 1 port (2.4A)
- Weight: 131g (4.6oz)
- Price: $25-plus
- Time to fully charge: Around 5 hours
Here’s a fairly small, lightweight option from Belkin that will charge up an iPhone around one-and-a-half times, and should provide at least one full charge for most other smartphones. There’s a single USB port that puts out up to 2.4A, and a MicroUSB port for charging it up that’s rated at 2A.
It’s durable, with a plastic casing that comes in your choice of pink, black, or silver. It’s small enough to slip into a pocket or handbag. There’s a power button on the side with four LEDs that light up green to show remaining power in 25 percent chunks. You get a 6-inch MicroUSB to USB cable in the box with it.
If you need more capacity, then Belkin does offer 10,000mAh ($40) and 15,000mAh ($50) models that sport two USB ports for charging. Belkin offers a special $2,500 Connected Equipment Warranty that guarantees a repair or replacement if your device is damaged by an electrical charge while properly connected to the charger.
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iQunix MiniPower Portable Charger
- Capacity: 3,350mAh
- Outputs: 1 port (1.5A)
- Weight: 79g (2.8oz)
- Price: $9-plus
- Time to fully charge: 3 to 4 hours
Possibly the most portable pick of the bunch, the MiniPower from iQuinix is ideal for slipping into your handbag and forgetting about until you need it. Finished in brushed aluminum that comes in your choice of black, gray, red, pink, or white, this diminutive charger packs a decent 3,350mAh capacity. There’s only one port, which can put out up to 1.5A, so there’s no fast charging here.
It comes with a felt pouch and a short, nylon-braided, USB-to-Micro USB cable. It is quite slow to charge phones and to charge up itself with that 1.5A limit, but it is also reasonably priced, durable, and very small. When you plug it in to charge a single LED will show red if it needs to be charged further or go green when fully charged, but that’s your only indication of remaining power. It will fully charge an iPhone, but for a lot of phones with bigger batteries, you’re just looking at a top-off.
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BlitzWolf Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Power Bank
- Capacity: 5,200mAh
- Outputs: 1 port (18W QC 3.0)
- Weight: 156.3g (5.51oz)
- Price: $16
- Time to fully charge: 3 to 4 hours
This power bank offers quality and a range of features at an attractive price point. It’s a chunky device that measures just under an inch thick, 4 inches long, and just under 2 inches across, so it will fit neatly in your pocket or bag.
It’s extremely simple to use, too. There’s a power button that brings the four LEDs to life, giving you a rough indication of the remaining power. There’s a single USB output and a Micro USB input for charging. The output supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology, which is fast and rare in a charger of this size.
The output is also smart enough to determine what you’ve plugged in, so it can cover everything in a 3.6V to 12V range. You also get a Micro USB charging cable in the box. You can expect around three charges for something like the iPhone 8 or a charge and a half for the Galaxy S9. There are also 9,000mAh ($30) and 15,600mAh ($40) versions of this charger.
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