If you have a smartphone, you need a portable charger… and we can guarantee that every single person reading this right now has a smartphone. As impressive as battery life has gotten in recent years, you’ll always run out of juice at the most inopportune times. That’s where portable chargers come in, and the expert product reviewers at BGR tested 67 different models to find the best of the best.
Our top picks
- Best overall: Anker Zolo Power Bank
- Runner-up: INIU BI-B41 Portable Charger
- Best for Apple users: Satechi Quatro Wireless Power Bank
- Best MagSafe option: Anker 633 MagGo Magnetic Battery Pack
- Best option with a built-in plug: Lezchi PB147AC Ultra Slim Portable Power Bank
You absolutely cannot go wrong with any of the options above. If you want to learn more about what makes each one so impressive, you’ll find our mini-reviews below.
1. Best overall: Anker Zolo Power Bank
Pros: Big capacity, compact design, 30W fast charging, built-in USB-C cable, LCD screen, Anker quality
Cons: None
If you want the best of the best, you can stop right here and just order yourself an Anker Zolo Power Bank.
This portable charger is quite compact for a model with 20,000 mAh of capacity. That’s enough to charge any smartphone many times over before the Zolo needs to be recharged itself. Also, this model supports fast charging speeds of up to 30W. That means it’ll charge just as fast as if you plugged your smartphone or other device directly into the wall.
We definitely appreciate the LCD screen on this model, which shows the remaining charge in the power bank. There’s also a built-in USB-C cable to connect to most devices, as well as two other ports. That means you can charge your iPhone, your friend’s Android phone, and your Bluetooth earbuds all at the same time.
Last but not least, this is an Anker portable charger. That means you can rest assured that it’s the best possible quality.
There were no downsides that we found when testing this portable charger. It’s as close to perfect as you can get.
2. Runner-up: INIU BI-B41 Portable Charger
Pros: Slim, lightweight, reliable, fast charging, multiple ports, large capacity
Cons: No built-in cable
The INIU BI-B41 Portable Charger might’ve been our top pick over the Anker Zolo Power Bank, but the Anker model edged it out in a few key areas.
First and foremost, we love how slim and lightweight this portable charger is. It can easily fit in any bag or jacket pocket without taking up much space. You might even be able to fit it in your pants pocket.
Despite how thin it is, this INIU charger has 10,000 mAh of capacity as well as three connector ports, so you can charge up all your gadgets at once. That being said, it would’ve been nice to have at least one built-in USB-C cable. Instead, you’ll have to always carry at least one cable with you.
This model also has indicator lights to show you how much remaining charge there is, but we prefer the percentage readout on the Anker charger’s LCD screen. Also, the Anker model has twice the capacity, though it’s also much thicker than this one.
3. Best for Apple users: Satechi Quatro Wireless Power Bank
Pros: Sleek design, charges four devices at once, large capacity, built-in Apple Watch charger
Cons: Expensive, no built-in cable
The Satechi Quatro Wireless Power Bank is the portable charger that I use personally, so I’m very familiar with this model. It’s not perfect, but our testing found that it’s definitely the best option for Apple users.
The main benefit of this charger over rival devices is the fact that it has a built-in wireless charging disc for the Apple Watch. That means you can charge up your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch all at the same time, no matter where you are. Plus, there’s a built-in Qi wireless charger for your AirPods or another compatible device.
Satechi’s Quatro model is nice and slim, and it has a very sleek design. The 10,000 mAh capacity can charge up your gadgets multiple times, and there are LED indicator lights to show you how much charge is remaining in the battery.
The only real downsides are the price ($100) and the fact that it doesn’t have a built-in cable.
4. Best MagSafe option: Anker 633 MagGo Magnetic Battery Pack
Pros: Large capacity, charges quickly, kickstand, extra port for multi-device charging, reasonable price
Cons: She thicc
Of all the MagSafe battery packs we tested, the Anker 633 MagGo Magnetic Battery Pack was our favorite.
This model features 10,000 mAh capacity, which is double most other models in this price range. It has strong magnets for a secure connection to your iPhone, which is great. There’s also a built-in kickstand, so you can prop up your phone and stream some videos while you charge.
There’s an extra port for wired charging, and it supports wired speeds up to 20W via USB-C.
The only real downside is that this model is quite thick. For us, however, that’s a very fair tradeoff for the 10,000 mAh capacity. If you want a thinner option that holds less juice, get the Anker 622 model instead.
5. Best option with a built-in plug: Lezchi PB147AC Ultra Slim Portable Power Bank
Pros: Built-in wall plug, built-in cables, ultra-slim, large capacity
Cons: Some people say the built-in cables can break over time
If you want a portable charger with a built-in wall plug, the Lezchi PB147AC Ultra Slim Portable Power Bank is our top pick.
This ultra-slim power bank is well-designed and very portable. It can fit practically anywhere despite the large 10,000 mAh capacity. Also, in addition to the built-in AC wall plug that folds flush with the back of the unit, there are three built-in cables, so you don’t have to carry any extras. The only potential downside there is that one of the cables has a Lightning connector instead of USB-C. That’s fine if you have any old Apple devices, but it’s obviously not future-proof since Apple switched to USB-C.
As for downsides, some user reviews say that the built-in cables can break over time. We didn’t experience that when we tested three different units, but it’s something to keep in mind — especially if you’re hard on your gadgets.
