Power Banks
Power banks tested for real-world capacity, charging speed, port versatility, and airline compliance.
Power bank marketing is notoriously optimistic — the rated mAh capacity on the box is almost never what reaches your phone, because of voltage conversion losses. Our reviews measure real, usable output rather than repeating the printed capacity, so you know roughly how many phone charges to actually expect.
We also look at charging speed both into the power bank and out to your devices, how many devices can charge simultaneously without a meaningful speed penalty, and practical details like whether the capacity falls under the 100Wh airline carry-on limit that trips up travelers with high-capacity banks.
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Best Power Banks
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How to choose power banks
How to actually judge a power bank
Real vs. rated capacity
Expect roughly 60 to 70 percent of the printed mAh rating to actually reach your device, due to voltage step-down losses. A power bank rated at 20,000mAh will typically deliver output closer to 13,000–14,000mAh in practice — useful for estimating actual phone charges rather than being surprised later.
Charging speed (in and out)
Check both directions: how fast the power bank itself recharges (a bank that takes 6+ hours to refill is annoying to keep topped up) and its maximum output wattage to your devices. USB-C Power Delivery (PD) support matters most for fast-charging phones and laptops.
Port count and simultaneous charging
Multiple ports are only genuinely useful if output doesn't collapse when several devices draw power at once. Look for banks that specify per-port and total wattage, not just a single headline number.
Airline carry-on rules
Most airlines cap carry-on power banks at 100Wh (roughly a 27,000mAh bank at standard voltage), and require them in carry-on rather than checked luggage. If you travel frequently, checking the Wh rating (usually printed alongside mAh) avoids a confiscation at security.
Pass-through charging
If you want to charge the power bank and a connected device simultaneously overnight, confirm the model explicitly supports pass-through charging — not all do, and using unsupported models this way can degrade the battery faster.