battery capacity
The capacity of any battery (or battery pack) is everything, as it determines how much power your device can store. Typically measured in milliamp-hours (mAh), the greater the capacity of your battery pack, the more power it must deliver to your devices throughout the day.
However, keep in mind that larger capacity almost always means larger, heavier, and more expensive battery packs. As you can see from our picks, there are good reasons to buy different packs with different capacities depending on how much you plan to charge and how you plan to carry it.
For most people, I recommend looking for a pack around 10,000 mAh, which should be portable enough to fit in your pocket and have enough juice to charge your phone a couple of times, or a smaller device four times or more. This should be enough to get you through your essential EDC gadgets on an extremely heavy usage day (like when you’re traveling), or during a long weekend off-grid.
If you’re carrying a laptop, a digital camera, or a large number of devices that need charging from time to time, you should probably use a larger “laptop charger” battery pack that can reach capacities of 20,000 mAh or more. Here the range is usually 25,000 to 28,000, as most manufacturers want to keep the battery below this FAA’s 100 watt-hour battery capacity limit For passenger airliners. (If you’re looking for something bigger that doesn’t require flying, consider our guide portable power station).
power outputpuTea
Capacity is the obvious and highly publicized metric for a battery pack, but power output is often what separates a good charger from a bad one. The output, measured in watts (W), tells you how fast the battery pack can charge your device. The actual speed will also depend on the output supported by the device it’s charging, but a fast battery pack will set you up for success, especially with larger, more expensive gear.
For most consumers, I recommend a product that provides at least 45 watts of power from a single output. This is fast enough to charge phones and ultra-portable laptops such as macbook neo and this Macbook Air. Faster options do exist, but few and far between, and you’ll only need them for larger devices like the MacBook Pro or MacBook Pro. gaming laptop.
That said, there are plenty of battery packs that don’t run at that speed, and I wouldn’t immediately dismiss them. The smaller the capacity of your pack, the less you need a fast-charging pack. Try to look for 30 watts in a compact power bank, but less than that is fine for pocket-sized options, especially if it’s a slim, wireless charging pack that connects directly to the phone.
It’s important to note that using a battery pack to charge multiple devices often results in slower charging on each device. Depending on construction, the pack’s maximum output may be spread across one or multiple ports. Keep an eye on the output of each port when making a purchase. And when you’re charging, keep in mind that you should only charge one device at a time when time is of the essence.
connectivity
Unless the power bank you’re eyeing is very small like this Mophie option, look for a device with an integrated USB-C cable. Having the cord built-in is extremely convenient. You can use it to charge devices and refill the power bank. For larger power banks, more than one built-in cable is better.
Additional USB-C outputs are also mandatory for a battery pack, unless it’s very small like the previously mentioned Mophie PowerStation Mini. The old-fashioned USB-A port is also great, especially on larger power banks.
