Top 10 Best Portable Power Banks To Buy In 2015 Reviews

10. EC Technology® 2nd Gen Deluxe 22400mAh Ultra High Capacity

Unlike other batteries out there that claim huge numbers and don't deliver due to dead cells, I feel fairly confident that this particular unit has the advertised mAh's. The battery arrived the day before my trip from ATL to Ft Meyers FL exactly as advertised. It arrived with 3 of 4 bars showing charged. When we hit the road that morning I decided to see how long it could last and plugged my wife's HTC One and my GS3 into the 2 ports.

I turned on the GPS in the GS3 and my wifes phone was responsible for streaming Pandora the entire trip. With stops for food and gas we traveled for about 12 hours. When we arrived at our hotel the battery reported only being half full (2 of 4 lights). The battery was cool to the touch despite being locked in my center console the entire trip. The flash light was plenty bright enough to find the dropped lip balm under the car during dusk. All in all great battery.
 

Pros:

- Really long life. its extra nice to not have to worry about power plugs on transit or when out and about around town.
- Flash light is bright. Like really bright.
- 2 power ports
- Micro USB port chargeable. I have dozens of those cables and chargers around my house so it is easy to fill it back up

- Rather compact for the charge its holding. Think 3 six inch phablets stacked together.

Cons :

- The usb ports aren't "smart". Won't charge my work Blackberry nor my usb charged ASUS T100TA while they are powered on.

- It'd be nice if there was a 9v or 12v rapid charge plug as well. Waiting upwards of 24 hours for a fully depleted pack to be recharged to full again is too long. For those wondering expect about 8 hours per 25% dot on the indicator
- Only 4 charge lights to tell how much juice is there. With it taking so long to fill back up it would be nice to know with greater granularity how full it really was. I dislike unplugging it not knowing if its 76% or 90% full.

All in all I really like the battery pack. It's ridiculous size has saved by phone more than once and it has solid build quality. Obviously there are a few things on the want list, but they can be handedly over looked for the great product that it is. Unless you really need it to smart negotiate the charging rate. It has completely replaced my solar rechargeable 8000mAh battery that used to do this work and has been a great companion battery for about 2 months now. Time to get it an Aperture science sticker.

9. Solar Charger - Creative Edge(TM) Solar-5 Solar Panel 5000mAh Portable Backup Power Bank

This little solar charger is great. I take it with me when I go on backpacking trips with no access to electricity, and it reliably charges my GPS watch. In bright light, attached to my backpack using the provided carabiner, the battery pack becomes fully charged in three or four hours. On a cloudy day, it can take all day, but I find that quite acceptable.

The built-in LED light is handy in emergencies, but don't rely on it for illumination -- it disperses light a little too much, so you're better off with a dedicated torch or headlamp.

I haven't really tested its water resistant abilities, but I wouldn't trust them. The rubber cover over the USB terminals does not stay attached reliably, and it would be easy for water to get in.

8. Acuvar Power Bank 2600mAh Portable Backup Battery Charger

Upon this being received there was a paper with a bribe in it, this wasn't a good start. After using this for a while though I can say regardless it is a decent charger itself with a good light but the wire it comes with is no longer working after regular use.

Pros:

- Charges
- Portable and lightweight
- Affordable
- Works with almost any phone

Cons:

- Default cord doesn't work too great (this might just be me though)

I would probably recommend this to to someone who needs a quick charge for emergencies.

7. PNY T2200 PowerPack - Universal Portable Rechargeable Battery Charger

When shopping for backup batteries, don't default to the highest battery capacity (measured in milliAmpere-hours, mAh) unless your device needs it. For example, here are the power requirements for some representative Apple products:

- iPhone 4: 1,400mAh, 1 Amp (A) charge rate.
- iPhone 5: 1,500mAh, 1 A charge rate.
- iPhone 6s: 3,000mAh, 1 A charge rate.
- iPad: 12,000mAh, 2.1A charge rate.
- iPad air: 9,000mAh, 2.1A charge rate.

This product has a 2,200mAh capacity and will charge at 1A. That's all you need to completely recharge an iPhone 4 or 5. You can connect it to an iPad, but it will charge much slower (at 1 vs 2.1A) and there's not enough battery capacity to fully recharge it.

Match your backup battery to the device. The big batteries cost more, take longer to charge, are bulky and heavier. Their weight makes them more vulnerable to damage when (not if!) dropped. Then you have a big, expensive and environmentally hostile paperweight. These li-po batteries are made in Asia, often using exploited labor (such as child labor), exposing workers to unsafe levels of toxic materials that are then improperly disposed of. Smaller batteries use fewer resources, are safer to manufacture and have a lower environmental impact.

It's worth noting that the high energy densities of li-po batteries can (and have) caused intense fires - Google UPS flight 6 if you need proof. A lower capacity battery will have less energy so it's inherently safer...another reason to go small when possible.

If you'll have no access to recharge the battery and need the capacity, or if you need to charge an iPad, buy the $40 batteries that have at least 12000mAh capacity and can output 2.4A. Otherwise, you can buy two of these for much less, keeping one on charge and the other available for use. It'll probably survive a countertop-height drop, but if it doesn't at least you'll have a backup.

6. Poweradd™ Pilot 2GS 10000mAh Portable Charger External Battery

Design :

- The design of this battery is incredible! I have gotten the gold battery and the color is spot on. It is pretty small for a 10000 mah battery (it is the exact same size as my galaxy s5). It is a little heavy, which is understandable because it is 10000 mah. There is no insane amount of branding all over the battery, just a small poweradd logo in the front which makes it look nice and sleek.
- I love the way it feels in the hand. It is made of aluminum which gives it a premium feel and makes it durable. The micro USB charger it comes with is great. The fact that it is charged by micro USB is amazing as most phones charge with micro USB, making it easy to replace if lost. The wire is flat and short which is great because most phones charge with micro USB and you can stack the phone on top of the battery while charging without it having excess wire hanging.
- However it does make it hard to charge the battery with an outlet as the wire is short and does not come with a wall adapter (however it can be easily replaced with a phone's wall adapter).

Functionaly:

- This external battery performs very well. I was able to charge my galaxy s5 (2800 mah) ~3.5 times which is very close to what the product promises. The main reasons I chose this battery over others is it's price and the fact that it has a USB 3.0 outlet (the 2.1 amp port). This is because my galaxy s5 has USB 3.0 and I can easily say that it charges my phone just as fast as if I used a wall outlet.
- It does take a while to charge which is again understandable having such a large mah. The rest of my family has an iPhone 5c (yea, that's right, I'm a rebel) so since it has a USB 2.0 outlet they can easily charge their phone at the same time I am charging mine with no problem (USB 2.0 phones are compatible with the USB 3.0 outlet.
- It will just charge faster which is another plus). The led indicators are really helpful too and work well.

So this is what I think of the external battery:

Pros:

- Beautiful design.
- Durable.
- Has as much battery as it promises.
- Has USB 2.0 and 3.0 comparability.
- Aluminum build.
- Led indicators work well.
- Wire is short.

Cons:

- A little heavy which is understandable. Just don't put this in your pocket with loose pants on.
- Takes a little long to charge which is again understandable.
- Wire is short.
- Does not come with a wall adapter but can easily be replaced with a phone's wall adapter.
- It doesn't make me breakfast.

Overall this external battery is the greatest I have gotten. Hardly anything bad about it. It's a no-brainer. Don't hesitate and buy it!

5.  ZILU Smart Power Basic 4400mAh Portable Charger External Battery

This ZILU Smart Power Basic 4400mAh is a very impressive little portable external battery charger. For starters, it is probably the most efficient battery charger that I've come across... which is definitely a good thing when it comes to smaller capacity chargers. According to their specifications, the internal battery is over 90 percent efficient. In my usage experience with it, this seems to be an accurate number. 

I use it with my Galaxy S4 and it works great. This combination of size, portability, and battery efficiency is awesome. The fact that a small charger like this can actually charge my phone more than once is the real world benefit... cheers. I love that it has a led flashlight built into it too. This is an awesome because this charger is perfect for leaving in a car or purse... why not add a flashlight to it too? Brilliant. Lastly, this charger can charge your phone fast because it has 2amp output charging port (USB). 

Most external chargers this size that I've seen can only charge at 1amp (which takes twice as long to charge your device). So, all these things add up to make a very high quality and portable 4400mAh external battery charger. I'd recommend it to anyone who would want a small, yet powerfully efficient charger that doubles as a flashlight. Here are the quick Pros and Cons for those who just want the to cut to the chase :

Pros:

-Super efficient internal battery. This means most of the 4400mAh is actually going towards charging your phone and less energy being loss as other stuff... like heat.
-Built in LED flashlight is neat and is bright enough to be useful.
-4400mAh is enough to charge most phones more than 100% before having to recharge battery charger.
-2amp output means fast charging. Much faster than similar 1amp chargers out there.
-Comes in many color choices
-Great design makes it easy to use and easy to carry around.

Cons:

none

 

4.  EasyAcc EasyAcc 10000mAh Brilliant Ultra Slim Dual USB

I usually shop by the reviews and thus especially caught my eye as I was in the market for my own external battery. For a price that beats others of the same Mah amount, I thought why not?
This damn thing holds so much battery that I haven't even been able to use up the 3/4 charge mine came with. It definitely charges my iPhone 5s well and it'll charge yours too!

Pros:

- charges the amount advertised
- pocket portable
- can charge two devices at the same time

- useful bright blue led indicator showing the general battery amount left

Cons:

- case is slippery smooth (pro too I guess)
- With great charging abilities (output) comes even greater charging time (input)

3. Jackery® Mini Premium iPhone Charger 3200mAh Power Pack

This product is a must if you have a new smartphone or tablet and you have a requirement to keep Bluetooth and data connections active all day. Despite the new battery sizes, these devices run out of juice quickly.

Operation: 

Pretty easy to understand. It has a microUSB in and comes with a microUSB to USB cable. The cable is quite short. It does not come with its own power adaptor but you can plug the USB side into any adaptor that has a USB connector. The lights indicate the level of battery power on the item. The charge slowly dissipates in in my use it lost about 25% of battery power every 1 week (when not used to charge a device). To charge a device, you plug a USB cable from the Jackery to your device and press the button. For an LG G3, the device charged from 0% to 100% in about 3.5 hours with the device off.

Comparison: 

Don't have experience with any other device to compare to

Pros:

-3200 mAh capacity power bank
-1 multicolored LED to indicate the status of the battery
-1 USB port for charging your smartphone 1x 1.0 amp 5V
-Includes Micro USB cable and user guide
-Gorgeous aluminum design
-Extremely durable
-Super Compact and SlimCons: Short cable

Cons: 

- Short cable

2. RAVPower FileHub Built-in 6000mAh External Battery Pack

The RAVPower WD02 is very similar in functionality to the WD01 that I reviewed earlier. It adds the functionality of a wireless router and cuts the size of the device into half, I'll talk about this in detail. First off what you get when you buy the WD02. The device comes in a really small box considering the fact as to how many things it does. It is accompanied with a manual and a tangle free USB charging cable. 

No wall chargers. It can be used as a wireless router, USB media sharing device (like a NAS), Wifi hotspot and as a battery backup for your other electronic devices. There are the green flaps on the sides of the device which hide the ports not in use and provides protection against dust. On one side it has a WAN port, the second has a USB port to plug your external drives into and the third has a reset button, microSD card slot and a micro USB charger port. It also has three LEDs on the top indicating battery life, internet connectivity and wifi status.

Let me tell you the thing that blew me away about the device is it's size. I still cannot believe that they were able to fit so much in so little. You ask me how little ? It would easily fit into the palm of your hands. I'm not sure if you can judge it by the pictures here on Amazon but that's how small it is. This makes it very idle for travel. It is half the size of the WD01 but is a tad bit thicker. I believe that is because the power bank is now 6000 mAh as compared to 3000 mAh.

The device could act as a wireless router. This is very handy if you travel a lot and need something small to carry with you. In case you are on a family trip and the hotel room has one wired outlet, just plug this in and BOOM! you have your own wifi in an instant. The device has a 802.11 b/g/n router which is more than enough for any task you would like it to do i.e stream videos, music, accessing the internet and file sharing. The method to setup the wireless router is very easy and is detailed nicely in the manual. 

You basically log into the FileHub-XXXX network and the default password is 11111111 which allows you to use the FileHub software to access files off usb using their software on Mac, PC or iOS/Android devices. The battery bank is larger compared to the WD01 (twice the charging now) so it could easily charge your smartphones at least a couple of times and you could also utilize it to charge your iPad/Nexus tablets. It's always handy to have something similar around. It lags is the signal strength similar to WD01. If you are too far from the device you might feel the speed is a little slow and might not work smoothly from a distance. You have to understand that the device is very small (fits in the palm) so the wifi chip for reception or transmission might not be that powerful and it doesn't have nay external antenna. In order to sum it up:

Pros:

- A very very small device that does a lot, cannot emphasize this enough.
- Great to use as travel router, allows instant wifi for the whole family.
- Much larger battery bank than the WD01. Easily allows charging smartphone up to 2 times or tablets.
- Really inexpensive in price if you compare the combined cost of a travel router, battery pack and network storage.

Cons:

- Signal strength weakens on long distance
- Does not have dual band or ac wireless (I wouldn't expect it at this price tag)
- No wall charger
- Flaps on the side even though provide protection to the ports, could be little frustrating to work with sometimes

Overall, this is a much needed improvement over WD01. Better battery, wireless router and half the size, all under 50 dollars.

1. Anker® 2nd Gen Astro Mini 3200mAh Lipstick-Sized Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank

Just got this Anker 2nd Gen Astro Mini 3200mAh charger.
Pros: Small and powerful

- Most other chargers of this size are <3000mAh some as low as 2000mAh.
- Charges relatively fast. I thought since it only charges at max of 1A instead of 2.1A that it would be very slow. I charged my iPhone 6 from 50% to 100% in about an hour and a half.
- Includes a handy bag to keep it and a cord together.

Cons:

- No lightning cord included (doesn't sound like a big deal right?) If you want a decent small lightning cord <10", it will cost you approx. $8-$10. Yes, you can use the one that comes with your phone, but I imagine if you are buying this size charger you want something small and pocketable. The cord that comes with the iPhone was a little bit of a pain to bundle up in my jeans pocket. Just something to think about.

I did notice after I received this item that there is a model that comes with a lightning cord. Other manufacurers include both a micro USB and Lightning cord at a more reasonable price. I have been very happy with Anker's quality and customer service. So you will have to be the judge as to whether its with the extra money.

Posted by seopanda

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