A power bank, also known as a portable charger, is an essential purchase for anyone on the go with a phone, tablet, or a gaming handheld such as a Nintendo Switch or a Steam Deck. It allows you to charge your precious gadgets one or more times via a USB connection, so you can keep talking, texting or gaming all day long.
Power banks vary in price depending on a number of factors: how compact it is, what kind of ports it has, how much battery capacity it contains (usually measured in mAh), and how fast it can charge your devices.
Best portable charger for your phone and tablet
Today’s phones and tablets may differ in their maximum wired charging speeds, but we’ve found some battery packs that should work fine no matter what device you have. It is true that some outliers, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 phone, can be charged at 25W or higher, depending on the model, but many other Android phones and iPhones charge at less than 20W over a wired connection – even less if you charge wirelessly.
As for tablets, choosing one of the two power bank options we recommend below should be a good fit for what you’ve got. For reference, all iPads currently ship with 20W power adapters, and so far tablets from other manufacturers like Samsung and Amazon haven’t strayed far from that charging speed.
Whichever you choose, it never hurts to buy some extra USB-C to USB-C cables. You can get this two pack at Amazon for $15.99, so you can keep one at home and put the other in a bag to take with you on everyday trips.
Photo: Russ Frushtick/Polygoon
Best power bank for your Switch
The Nintendo Switch console with detachable Joy-Cons can receive up to 18W from the USB-C charging port (the Switch Lite is slightly less demanding). So the same compact power banks we recommend for phones and tablets can be used to charge your Switch.
Same note as before: we recommend buying more charging cables than you need right away (keep one permanently in the bag you use often). You can get this pack of two 100W ready USB-C to C cables at Amazon for $15.99.
Photo: Chris Plante/Polygoon
Best power bank for your Steam Deck
Every Steam Deck console comes with a 45W USB-C wall adapter, so it’s a good idea to find a power bank that can handle that level of power when you’re out and about. Fortunately, there are some options that can do this. One thing to note in your search is that only batteries that support the PD 3.0 specification, including the two options below, can charge the Steam Deck at its highest speed.
Best portable charger for your laptop
The number of laptops that can be charged via USB-C is growing, making it possible to use the same charger to charge your laptop as your phone or Nintendo Switch. For example, Apple’s entire MacBook range allows it, as do several popular Windows laptops, such as the Dell XPS 13, Razer’s Blade gaming laptop, and more. The point is that different laptops have different power requirements, so one power bank may not work well on multiple laptops.
If you have a 13-inch MacBook Air or Pro, or a Windows laptop of a similar size, chances are a 65W power bank is fast enough to charge your laptop while you’re using it (check the wattage of your laptop). power supply to be sure). Keep in mind that if you try to play games or perform other resource-intensive tasks, your battery may charge slowly or drain further if your power bank is not powerful enough.
For more powerful laptops, there are larger, more powerful batteries that can provide up to 140W of charging power. That’s currently a top spec, costing significantly more than our other options, and you’ll even need a compatible USB-C to USB-C cable to reach the 140W top speed, as well as a laptop that supports the PD 3.1 USB -C charging specifications supported.
One of the chargers we recommend below can match the speed provided by Apple’s 140W charger included with 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. On the Windows side, most laptops don’t go above 90 or 100W at maximum USB-C charging speed, so you should be done with our pick.
It can be difficult to spend $100 to $150 on a power bank just to charge a laptop. I understand. However, it’s easier to get one if you travel frequently with multiple power-hungry devices that you want to charge at the same time, as only a few are available that can handle multitasking.