If you care more about convenience than speed, wireless charging is very much the way to go – and a growing number of power banks support it. Just place your smartphone on the integrated wireless pad, and you can recharge without connecting any cables. There will be a hit on charging speeds, so you’ll be limited to 7.5W or 10W, but that’s not a big issue if you don’t need to recharge in a flash. As a bonus, we’re now seeing Magsafe-friendly chargers that will clamp onto an iPhone or a ring inside an iPhone case, meaning you can recharge your iPhone even while you’re using it. How we test power banks How fast is it going to charge the phone?: You can get a portable charger with a battery capacity of 50,000mAh or more. However, it’s not great if it takes all day to charge your phone. Ideally, the best portable charger should take advantage of the device’s fast charging capabilities. How long does it take to charge the power bank?: This is an important consideration that is often overlooked. A high-capacity charger can take long to charge fully. Plenty of options now come with fast charging capabilities for the portable charger itself. The use of USB-C for the single input/output port is a little weird given the target market, and you’ll need a fast USB-C charger and a USB-C to Lightning cable to make the most of the device. What’s more, the wired charging isn’t super-speedy; our Android test smartphone only recovered by 11% from a 15-minute charge. But if you’re an iPhone user looking for a light and convenient portable charger, the Anker 622 is almost perfect for the role.

power banks in 2023 - Android The best portable chargers and power banks in 2023 - Android

Basically, you’re trying to balance four factors: size, speed, capacity and price. The rules are simple enough: the less you spend, the lower the capacity and the slower the power bank will charge. Is the brand trustworthy? A reputable brand is more likely to last through countless charging cycles. We highly recommend Anker and Ravpower, but many other great brands exist. The PowerAdd Slim 2 is as basic as power banks get, with just a micro-USB input, a USB-A output and no support for any fast-charging standards. What’s more, it’s slow. The USB-A output is specified as 10W, but in our tests we measured the output at between 7W and 9W depending on the phone. A 15-minute charge only raised the level on our test smartphone by 7%. Charge it Fully: Plug in your power bank and let it charge fully before using it. This ensures that it's ready to provide a reliable power source when you need it.One advantage of this shift to USB-C is that power banks now support USB PD for faster charging. This means your power bank will often recharge faster when connected to a suitable fast charger, at anywhere from 20W to 60W. At those speeds, even a high-capacity charger can recharge fully in three to four hours. Capacity:Think of capacity as the energy reservoir of your power bank. The higher the mAh (milliampere-hour), the more power it can store. So, choose a power bank with a capacity that suits your charging needs and can juice up multiple devices. Congratulations on your new power bank! To ensure you get the most out of it, here's what you should do when you first buy one: Ports: Different devices have different charging ports, and your power bank should be compatible with them. Look for power banks with the right ports, such as Lightning or USB-C, to ensure seamless charging for all your devices. Having multiple ports is a bonus, allowing you to charge multiple gadgets simultaneously. When it comes to purchasing a power bank, there are a few important factors to consider. Let's dive into them:

Portable power banks | Argos Belkin Portable power banks | Argos

Read the Instructions: Take a few minutes to read the user manual that comes with your power bank. Familiarize yourself with its features, usage instructions, and safety precautions. This will help you make the most of your new gadget while keeping yourself and your devices safe.Keep an eye on battery capacity: More might be better, but higher battery capacity also makes portable chargers bigger. You’ll have to figure out the right balance between battery capacity and size. That said, we don’t recommend going under 5,000mAh in most cases and think 10,000mAh is the sweet spot for portability. Brand Reliability: When it comes to portable power banks, it's essential to choose a trustworthy brand. Brands like Anker have a solid reputation for producing safe and high-quality products, ensuring your devices are charged efficiently and without any risks.

Portable Power Banks | Portable Chargers | Argos Portable Power Banks | Portable Chargers | Argos

With a power bank, though, you can always get a recharge – even when you’re far from home. In fact, with bigger power banks, you can get away for a weekend or go camping and still keep your phone juiced up. And it’s not only smartphones that can benefit. Tablets, digital cameras and Bluetooth speakers can often do with a top-up, and a decent power bank is a must-have accessory if you love playing on a Nintendo Switch. Most power banks now use a USB-C port to recharge, although some models will have a micro-USB port as well to ensure compatibility with older chargers. Don’t worry if you don’t have the required cable, as one will usually be provided in the box.

The best portable batteries with wireless charging

Does it have the correct ports for your needs? Budget chargers often have less than great port options. There might be USB type-A instead of USB-C, or there might not be fast charging, as mentioned above. Figure out which ports you have on your devices and whether or not the charger that catches your eye fully supports your device. Some even have wireless charging pads built-in. And some have actual AC outlets, which is pretty convenient. Step up from the budget power banks to the mighty Juice Powerbank Max and you get a much more capable mobile charger, with a 20,000mAh capacity and a 20W USB PD output over USB-C. We measured the USB-A output at nearly 15W in our tests, which recharged our smartphone by 18% in 15 minutes. With USB-C, that output rose to just over 19W, which was good for a 22% recharge in 15 minutes. That’s not bad at all for an affordable power bank, and we also found it usable for charging tablets and even a Chromebook laptop, albeit at a slower-than-usual speed.