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, and you can recharge without connecting any cables. There will be a hit on charging speeds, so you’ll be 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. How we test power banks

You don't need all those extras: The Anker Prime power bank is pricey, and if you don't care about monitoring charge Wattage or days of battery life, find another option. We wish there wasn't such an easy answer to this question, because competition is better for everybody, but Anker is making the best power banks right now by far. It offers the best power-to-weight ratio, the fastest charging, and the most useful features.You want a more portable option: Because of its combo nature, the Anker 733 is a bit bulky and cumbersome, but if you use it both ways, it's worth the trade-off in size to have such a useful device. Congratulations on your new power bank! To ensure you get the most out of it, here's what you should do when you first buy one: With a power bank, though, you can always get a recharge – even when you’re far from home. In fact, with bigger power banks, you can get away for a weekend or go camping and still keep your phone juiced up. And it’s not only smartphones that can benefit. Tablets, digital cameras and Bluetooth speakers can often do with a top-up, and a decent power bank is a must-have accessory if you love playing on a Nintendo Switch. Think about how you’ll be carrying it around and what you need it for – a power bank for your bag can be quite different than one for travelling or camping.

PowerCore is equipped with a 10,000mAh cell capacity to keep your devices charged for at least a full day. Charge an iPhone 11 or Pixel 4 more than twice, or charge a Galaxy S20 over 1.5 times. Multi-Device Fast Charging: Powered by the latest PD 3.1 technology, the power bank comes with 2 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A port to deliver up to 250W of power. Boost your MacBook Pro 16" (M2 Pro) to 50% in just 28 minutes.

What’s not so good?

There are plenty of other power bank makers around, and most of them have not caught up to the faster charging speeds available on the iPhone 15 family, let along even faster Android phones. Except for unique form factors or serious bargains, we stayed away from recommending power banks from reputable makers if they couldn't charge at 2023 speeds.

Tylt also wisely left enough of a gap between the battery and the bottle that you can coil a small USB-C cord (included) into that space. That way, even if you're not charging wirelessly, you're not adding a lot of extra bulk to your bag. It's a smart setup. You have a watch that isn't from Apple: The Otterbox 2-in-1 Power Bank only attaches magnetically to the Apple Watch. Other smartwatches, like the Pixel Watch, won't work with this one, not at all. To test charging times and claims, we charged a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and an Apple iPhone 15 to determine how many charges each battery offers these devices. We chose a common smaller battery phone as well as our best phone overall for this purpose. You need a lot of power: Thankfully, the battery on the Tylt Bottle 2 isn't so big it adds too much weight, but that also means it isn't powerful enough for multiple charges.Connect an 18W charger (not included) to the USB-C port to fully recharge the internal battery in just 4.5 hours. Ports: Different devices have different charging ports, and your power bank should be compatible with them. Look for power banks with the right ports, such as Lightning or USB-C, to ensure seamless charging for all your devices. Having multiple ports is a bonus, allowing you to charge multiple gadgets simultaneously. Many of the best power banks come with a mid-range capacity, as it's a great balance between portability and convenience.

Over the years, the market has somewhat matured, and a bevy of different options have sprouted up. They're each designed for different use cases and tastes, so it's important to keep in mind exactly what you're looking for. While you’ll probably have most of the cords that you’d need, we’d expect a power bank to at least come with a recharge cable and maybe some extra useful wires. It’s also a nice extra when it comes with a decent carrying pouch to keep the battery and cables together. What is the largest power bank allowed on a plane?

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You don't have a magnetic phone: You don't need an iPhone to enjoy the magnetic charging, but you'll need a case that lines up your phone with Apple's MagSafe wireless configuration, or else your phone won't charge properly.