Best Power Banks 2018: The 6 BEST portable chargers

Power Banks have become the most practical smartphone accessory to own. They’re a lifeline to a range of mobile devices when a regular power supply isn’t easily accessible. Here we’ve ranked and reviewed the six best power banks for 2018, to help you buy the right portable charger for your specific needs. If you want to learn a little bit about what makes the best portable charger, jump to best Power Banks buying guide and glossary (below).

Do I need a power bank? Yes. Until the smartphone battery is radically improved, it’ll be impossible to get a full day’s work out of your mobile. This is annoying, but help is at hand in the shape of the humble power bank. A power bank is a portable battery. A gadget roughly the size of a phone that you charge from the plug, and then acts as a second battery for which you can charge your devices wherever you are.

Portable, stylish and oh so useful. Power banks are great. But not all are made equal. So here is our list of the best power banks you can buy.

See also: The 8 BEST Capsule Coffee Machines Of 2018.

Best power banks 2018

1. RAVPower 22000mAh Power Bank

RRP: £24.99

Amazon price: [amazon_textlink asin=’B01GJFNQYG’ text=’ RAVPower 22000mAh’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’2956ed08-e462-11e7-8468-23570a85b931′] 

• Power: 22,000mAh
• Output: 5.8A
• Ports: 3x USB; microUSB charge
• Display: LED
• Size and weight: 7 x 16.5 x 2.4 cm; 408g

This power bank is the best for two reasons. Power and portability. That’s what people want from a power bank, and that’s what this delivers. It lacks the LCD screen, and at this price that is a shame. But it’s the one we’d happily pick time and time again.

The RAVPower 22000mAh Power Bank lets you charge your iPhone 8 about 7 times; iPhone 7 about 8 times; iPhone 7 plus over 5 times; iPhone 6s up to 9 times; a Galaxy S8 up to 4.4 times; or an iPad Mini 4 more than twice with a massive 22000mAh capacity.

[amazon_link asins=’B01GJFNQYG,B01GJA38M6,B077GTN345′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’45ac7f69-e462-11e7-8979-f9a029463aae’]

2. Zendure A2

RRP: £39.99

Amazon price: [amazon_link asins=’B00YL6DXJY’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’8187bff0-e460-11e7-ab02-075b653c6923′]

• Power: 6,700mAh
• Output: 2.4A
• Ports: 1x USB; microUSB charge
• Display: LED
• Size and weight: 54.83 x 9.14 x 2.39 cm; 136g

Less than a tenner more than the Anker is the Zendure A2. Another cheap but very cheerful portable charger. The Zendure is compact, good-looking, and fast. It’s extremely durable and has a hefty capacity that allows you to charge a phone multiple times on one charge.

[amazon_link asins=’B00YL6DXJY,B01AXZUMOK,B003CEN1Q6′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’9be2ba1b-e460-11e7-9616-e545ce30b306′]

3. Anker PowerCore 20100

RRP: £29.99

Amazon price: [amazon_link asins=’B01JIYWUBA’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’7b0521d7-e45b-11e7-98d4-c3cf92dea97d’]

• Power: 20,100mAh
• Output: 4.8A
• Ports: 2x US; microUSB charge
• Display: LED
• Size and weight: 5.8 x 16.6 x 2.2 cm; 354g

The Anker’s chief calling card is its low, low price. It is not the fastest charger or the biggest capacity, and it has no LCD screen, but at £20 it is staggeringly good value. Portable and stylish, it will charge your phone quickly without ruining the lining of your suit.

[amazon_link asins=’B00VJSGT2A,B00VJSMKVY,B00M0EWED0′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’84c5908c-e461-11e7-8023-c7679992e57f’]

4. CHJGD Magnum Opus Mini

RRP: £39.99

Amazon price: [amazon_link asins=’B06XWFCHLS’ template=’PriceLink’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’3ad54fd7-e464-11e7-9d40-4958a40ee550′]

• Power: 10,050mAh
• Output: Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
• Ports: 2x USB; microUSB charge
• Display: LCD screen
• Size and weight: 2.1 x 6.5 x 9.7 cm; 180g

The Magnum Opus Mini is the portable power bank for those who want lots of power for not lots of money. It’s not the most stylish or portable charger, but it gets the job done and has additional features such as an LCD screen. It comes with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, which delivers (up to) an incredible 4x faster charge than standard chargers. With this, it’s able to charge compatible devices to 80% in just 35 minutes. It’s backwards compatible with all versions of Qualcomm Quick Charge.

[amazon_link asins=’B06XWCST5S,B06XWFCHLS’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’642183cd-e464-11e7-ab5b-95bda7d75de2′]

5. Xiaomi 10,000mAh Power Bank

RRP: £19.98

Amazon price: [amazon_link asins=’B01MSULAM5′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’bbe9d078-e462-11e7-8549-ef08dfc7b583′]

• Power: 10,000mAh
• Output: 2.4A
• Ports: 3x USB; microUSB charge
• Display: LED
• Size and weight: 9.8 x 13.59 x 0.79 cm; 200g

This brilliantly priced device is an absolute bargain. The £20 Xiaomi 10,000mAh Power Bank has similar power and portability to the top two power banks in this chart. Indeed, it ranks this lowly only because it is tricky to get hold of in the UK.

[amazon_link asins=’B01MSULAM5,B01MRSX203,B01J6G4S7Y’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’ddb7fd4c-e462-11e7-9d88-895303ee13d8′]

6. RavPower PowerStation Series 20100mAh Portable Power Outlet

RRP: £84.99

Amazon price: [amazon_link asins=’B01M9IZHA3′ template=’PriceLink’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’d612de6e-e465-11e7-a312-cb9eee218b25′]

• Power: 20,100mAh
• Output: USD 2.4A; USB-C3A; AC 65W
• Ports: AC power; 1x USB; 1x USB-C; 19V/1.6A DC input
• Display: LED
• Size and weight: 6.5 x 6.5 x 14.5cm; 590g

This is one of the few power banks that comes with a 3-pin AC Power socket. It powerful enough to charge a MacBook and a iPhone 7 simultaneously. Or you can even use it to power a lamp or small food mixer. At 6.5 x 6.5 x 14.5cm it’s not the most portable, but it’s still small enough to fit in a bag. If you’re serious about portable power and want a device that will bring all of your mobile devices back from the brink, this is the power bank for you.

[amazon_link asins=’B01M9IZHA3,B00YAF14QK’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’techt06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’f9c18b31-e465-11e7-827d-05eeb7ed2208′]

So there you have it. Seven great power banks you can buy today. Portable charges for smartphones, tablets and more. Each of these power banks offers something a little different from the others. All come highly recommended.

Best Power Banks 2018: Buying guide

Below you’ll find a glossary of terms used by Power Bank manufactures. Spend a few minutes familiarising yourself with the jargon. Once you’ve done this you’ll be in a much better position to make an informed decision about what the right portable charge is for you.

Power guide: One of the Power Bank’s most important factors is how fast it charges. Manufacturers are often guilty of muddying the water here, throwing around different terms to try and sell their power bank as the best. We suggest you look past terms that describe fast charging. Your time is better spent looking at the charging power.

Usually, the wattage (the number you get when you multiply Amps by Voltage) is the metric used to measure input rating. However, as USBs operate at 5V, Power Banks tend to just advertise their Amps (current).

As a rough guide, the more Amps, the better. Less than 2Amp is slow; more than 2Amps is better. Anything that adheres to a Quick Charge standard is what you’re looking for. These will let you charge at 18W, on compatible devices. The most popular standard is Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. Qualcomm has published a list of all devices that meet its standards here.

What is PowerIQ? PowerIQ is the name of the technology where power banks recognise how much power a connected device needs and then delivers it automatically.

Multiple ports: It’s logical to want a power bank with more than one USB port, as this will let you charge more than one devices at once. However, power banks with several outputs will be limited by the total output capacity. Some newer high-end power banks with are capable of 5.5Amps, these are great.

Charging currents

• Smartphones: 1A
• Tablets: 2.1A
• Laptops: 2-3A

USB Type-C or Lightning charging: Most power banks use an industry standard microUSB for charging. Some newer models come with USB-C or lighting ports. These are likely to be a lot more expensive though. If you’re looking to get the best value power bank, we suggest putting the port used for charging as far down your list of priorities as possible.

Safe for flying? Thanks to several high-profile cases where power banks have exploded, there is now a limit on the size power bank you can take with your hand luggage on a flight. This is set at a generous 27,000mAh. If you’re a frequent traveller, make sure you get one that is below this.

Display: Power banks tend to display their charge with a series of LED lights or with an LCD display. Cheaper power banks will save money and use LED lights. The problem with this is that it only gives you a rough idea of how much charge you have left (usually to the nearest quarter). LCD screens are better options as they display a percentage readout of exactly how much charge you have remaining.

Auto on/off: This is a basic feature that all modern Power Banks will have. As its name suggests its an auto on/off feature that starts and ends charging only when the device needs it. This means no wasted charge.

Waterproof: Some devices are designed to be rugged. This will be clearly advertised. These power banks are great for users who want to keep their devices charges when they’re camping or anywhere that’s away from a reliable power supply.

Solar power: Some power banks come with built-in solar panels. This is another great way of keeping devices charged when you’re in remote locations away from a constant power source. However, it’s a feature that’s not needed by the typical user in the western world.

LED flashlight: This is an oddly common feature for power banks. Most mid-range and high-end power banks will have an LED flashlight. LED lights are a common fixture of power banks to help with lighting in a power cut or while camping. Note that this light will only help illuminate objects that are nearby, they cannot replace a standard torch.

That’s it. Familiarise yourself with those 11 features and you’ll be armed with all the information you need to make the correct decision when buying a power bank in 2018.

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