Portable power banks are becoming an increasingly essential product for modern travelers. Increasing reliance on smartphones and other portable electronics to entertain, communicate, do business, and generally function has placed a premium on ensuring your devices are always powered and ready to go. We all have routines in place at home and in our day to day lives to ensure our devices are always well powered or at a minimum that the ability to charge them promptly is available. Traveling with a dead or nearly dead device throws a wrench into these well trusted patterns and often pushes individuals who are already at times in stressful situations into a more irritating or even frantic scenario.
Considering that many people now have their boarding passes, trip information, primary method of payment, and even some forms of ID on their phones, it should not be surprising that the smartphone has for many become one of if not perhaps the most essential of travel items. In the following post, we will discuss some tips, specifications, and specific products to help you find the top portable power banks for the modern traveler.
Before discussing specific products, it is important to briefly discuss what properties go into determining our top portable power banks. When it comes to top portable power banks, there are five main things to consider when making your choice.
1. Capacity
- Typically expressed in milliamperes (mAh)
- Determines how many times you can charge your devices before having to recharge your power bank
2. Input/Output Ports
- Determines what type of cable you can use to recharge other devices (output ports) or your power bank (input ports)
- ALWAYS ensure compatibility of your portable power bank with the device or devices you plan to commonly use
- It’s often advantageous to have several different types of ports to best serve different devices for now and in the future as well as offering you the ability to charge multiple devices at once
3. Brand Reputation
- As portable power banks have become increasingly popular many companies have entered the space, sometimes with less rigorous standards and inferior products
- Check reviews and always try to buy from a reputable company (more on this belong when we discuss specific products)
4. Size and Weight
- There is no one size fits all model but you should look to find a balance between maximizing the capacity you need in the smallest size
- Depending on your need, finding top portable power banks that can fit in a specific purse, pocket or bag may require a little more research
4. Charge Indicator Lights
- Indicator lights help you know the charge status of your portable power bank, helping you avoid being without power when you need it most
Honorable Mention Properties for Top Portable Power Banks
- Durability– durability is often a wash unless you are requiring something on the highest ends of durability. Most of the well reputable brands of top portable power banks you would consider would have similar damage with similar drops or crush injuries.
- Speed of Charge– most top brands advertise high speed technology such as Quick Charge or Power Delivery. Anker boasts its own Power IQ technology. Overall, if you’re looking to make specific comparisons between charging different products I’m sure there is information available on-line but for the most part the benefit of the portable power bank is charging on the go so speed of charge doesn’t factor as much into the assessment for us.
- Safety Features– some brands like Anker or RAVpower will highlight specific safety features such as overcurrent protection, overvoltage protection, short circuit protection, over discharge protection, and temperature control. Other very well reviewed products on Amazon simply state that they are safe. If you can verify the above safety features, it is certainly a plus.
Before getting to our list of top portable power banks for the modern traveler, let’s quickly but IMPORTANTLY discuss lithium batteries and planes. YOU must look into the specific requirements of traveling with your portable power bank on an airplane. This post provides general information for enjoyment and you should consult your airline prior to flying with any product you are not confident about. As general information, TSA does allow portable power banks with lithium batteries ONLY IN CARRY ON LUGGAGE and typically only if equal to or under 100 watt hours of charge. Confused?? Reputable brands will often provide information on whether or not their products are flight-approved and you can call their customer support if you have questions as well. For further reference, the TSA website on “What can I bring?” can be found HERE and the Federal Aviation Administration “Batteries Carried by Airline Passenger: Frequently Asked Questions Page” can be found HERE. The later source describes how to quickly determine the watt hours rating of your battery. You must also remember to REMOVE YOUR PORTABLE POWER BANK FROM YOUR CARRY ON IF IT IS GATE CHECKED PRIOR TO BOARDING.
Why is the TSA so concerned about lithium batteries on planes?
TSA is so concerned about lithium batteries on planes because damaged or short circuited lithium batteries can overheat and cause fires. Fires are no good anywhere but are more easily detectable and easier to handle if they occur in the main cabin compared to the checked luggage area.
Last but not least let’s get into our top portable power banks for the modern traveler!
Best Overall
- Anker 325 Power Bank
- Pros
- 20,000 mAh capacity
- Twin USB ports allows charging of multiple devices at once
- State of the art charging speed, durability, and safety features
- Information on Amazon states this product is “flight approved and allowed on a plane”
- 10.5 hours to recharge the power bank
- Small. 6.22 x 2.93 x 0.76 inches and only 12.32 oz
- Lights indicating charge level
- Cons
- Despite larger size does not support laptop charging
- Pros
Best Budget
- Anker 313 Power Bank
- Pros
- 10,000 mAh capacity
- Very slim at 5.87 x 2.68 x 0.55 inches and very light weight at just 7.52oz
- State of the art charging speed, durability, and safety features
- 5.5 hours to recharge power bank
- Information on Amazon states this product is “flight approved and allowed on a plane”
- Lights indicating charge level
- Cons
- Only 1 USB port
- Pros
Best Ultra Compact
- Anker Power Core 5000
- Pros
- Very small at just 4.21 x 1.3 x 1.3 in and only 4.8oz
- State of the art charging speed, durability, and safety features
- Information on Amazon states this product is “flight approved and allowed on a plane”
- Lights indicating charge level
- Cons
- Only 5,000 mAh capacity
- Only 1 USB port
- Pros
Honorable Mention
- INUI B41 Portable Charger
- Pros
- Amazon best seller
- Has USB-C input and output port
- 2 ports. USB-C and USB-A
- Cons
- Not as reputable a brand on Anker at this point
- Pros
After extensive review of countless blogs, forums, and tech breakdowns, the clear leader in top portable power banks is Anker. Other than our general affiliate partnership with Amazon (where Anker and countless other portable power bank products are sold) we have no other financial ties to Anker. The reviews and experts resoundingly recommend this company and we do as well. I have personally bought numerous Anker 325 Power Banks and Anker Power Core 5000 Chargers for family and friends and have been content with each purchase. Follow our affiliate links above and purchase one of these top portable power banks for yourself today!
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