2024-08-06 03:39:39
Your smartphone battery is running low while you’re out and about and there’s no power outlet nearby? The solution is mobile chargers: with a power bank, you can easily recharge your cell phone, tablet, etc.
The most important things at a glance
When looking for the right power bank (also called battery or power pack), the capacity plays an important role. It is the main criterion for the power bank to actually fulfill its purpose and fully charge your device.
The battery capacity of the power bank is given in milliampere hours (mAh). A recommended size is 20,000 mAh. This means you can fully charge a current smartphone almost five times and you don’t have to plug the power bank back into the socket after each use.
Here we present five of the best mobile chargers on the market, including a winner from the last power bank test by Stiftung Warentest in February 2022. With them you can quickly recharge smartphones, tablets or even notebooks on the go.
With an overall rating of “good (2.0)”, the power bank from the manufacturer Hama was the test winner at Stiftung Warentest: In the test from February 2022, it came in joint first place among models with a capacity of 10,000 milliampere hours (mAh). According to Stiftung Warentest, its function is even “very good”, all other partial ratings are “good”.
With its comparatively lower battery capacity, the Hama power bank, which weighs just 196 grams, is particularly suitable as a mobile charger for smartphones and tablets. If you want to charge notebooks, you should choose a power bank with a higher capacity. Thanks to the Power Delivery and Qualcomm Quick Charge technologies, charging is particularly fast.
Practical: The power bank’s mobile additional battery automatically recognizes connected devices and thus optimizes their charging process. It offers two USB-C and one USB-A ports. Pairing via micro USB is also possible. The Hama model offers 18 watts of power and three amps of current. It also has a capacity display with LEDs.
With a battery capacity of 20,000 mAh, the Pilot X7 power bank is ideal for on the go, camping or on vacation. It scores particularly well with its good price-performance ratio and many connections. Most common smartphones can be charged several times with this power bank. The mobile battery is also suitable for tablets, headphones, etc.
The charger has two USB-A ports and one USB-C port to supply your devices with power. The model also supports Quick Charge technology. It also automatically detects the current strength of the connected device and adjusts the charging speed. This ensures efficient and fast charging. Once smartphones and the like are fully charged, the power bank’s charging process stops automatically.
You can recharge the 325 gram power bank via the micro USB port. The ports deliver up to 18 watts and can quickly recharge your cell phone or tablet. Integrated LEDs show the current charge level at all times.
The PowerCore power bank from the manufacturer Anker offers a powerful 26,800 mAh capacity. This means that powerful smartphones can be charged more than five times. A clear advantage of the charger is the special PowerIQ technology. It enables quick charging of smartphones, tablets or notebooks with up to 15 watts of power. Thanks to the three USB 3A ports, several devices can also be charged at the same time.
The power bank is charged via the USB-C port and micro USB port. To avoid overvoltage during charging, the Anker model has a protection function. After around ten hours on the socket, this powerhouse is ready for use again.
This mobile battery weighs 495 grams, which is a little more than other models. In return, you get a powerful power bank for high demands on safety and capacity. If you are looking for a particularly handy device, you can choose the compact Anker PowerCore with 5,000 milliampere hours (mAh) battery capacity. This power bank is barely bigger than a lipstick and can supply a smartphone with energy once.
The Varta power bank received an overall rating of “good (2.2)” from Stiftung Warentest 2022. This put it in one of the top places in the test among the chargers with a capacity of 10,000 mAh. The testers were particularly impressed by the charging speed and the safety of the model. But the function and handling were also convincing.
With the Qi-enabled device, you can also charge your smartphone wirelessly: Up to ten watts of charging power are available for this; you just have to place the device on the case of the power bank. Otherwise, you can use the three USB ports (one USB-C and two USB-A) with up to 18 watts of charging power. LEDs allow you to keep an eye on the battery level and charging speed at all times.
The wireless power bank from Varta is equipped with the so-called Advanced Safety Technology. This is designed to guarantee maximum safety and also ensures that you can use the charger on an airplane without any problems.
Like the Powerbank Pilot X7, the device from Iniu has a capacity of 20,000 mAh. According to the manufacturer, this makes it suitable for charging smartphones and tablets. At 365 grams, the mobile battery is light enough to be easily taken anywhere.
Up to three mobile devices can be charged at the same time. They can be connected to the power bank via USB ports, including a USB-C output. The maximum voltage at the output is five volts and the current is 2.1 amps. According to the manufacturer, a quick-charge function is available.
An LED display provides information about the current charge level of the Iniu model. For safety reasons, the charger is equipped with a system that protects against excessive charging, discharging and short circuits. The housing also protects against impacts.
The rule of thumb for power banks is that they should have at least twice the capacity of the battery in your cell phone or tablet. Android smartphones usually have a battery with 3,000 to 5,000 mAh. Apple’s iPhones even get by with smaller batteries between 2,000 and 4,000 mAh.
With the test winner of Stiftung Warentest, the Power bank PD10-HD from Hamayou can fully charge your smartphone about twice. The same applies to the Charger from Vartawhich can also charge Qi-enabled devices wirelessly.
With our price-performance tips from Enter or EnergyCQ With 20,000 mAh you get even more power and can charge several mobile phones at the same time. If you want to power tablets with large batteries or even a notebook, it is best to use power banks with even more capacity, such as the PowerCore by Anker.
When buying, the most important thing is the capacity of the power bank. This is given in milliampere hours (mAh). When choosing, remember the rule of thumb mentioned above to choose twice the capacity of the battery of your cell phone or tablet. In addition, the smartphone operating system does not play a role when buying a power bank.
In most cases, you don’t have to worry about the right connections either. With USB-A and USB-C, the power banks are compatible with all current smartphones. So you just plug your normal charging cable from your phone into the power bank via the USB plug.
What you should pay attention to in order to find the best power bank is size and weight: powerful models with 20,000 milliampere hours are, depending on the manufacturer, often 20 x 8 x 2 centimeters in size and weigh 500 grams. If you have little space on the go, a smaller power bank would make more sense, even if it can only charge the smartphone once or twice.
Another important factor is how quickly a power bank charges and can be charged itself. The charging speeds are given in amperes (A): Output is used to charge the connected device, input is used to charge the power bank itself. The higher the number, the more power it can give off or absorb. Not only the smartphone should be charged quickly, but also the power bank when plugged into a socket.
Basically, the price of a power bank is also determined by the battery cells used. With more expensive devices, buyers usually benefit from faster charging currents and a longer service life. To charge the power bank, many manufacturers offer a USB-C port, which allows you to charge the charging station even faster than with a normal USB-A port.
To protect the power bank’s battery, ideally keep the battery level between 30 and 70 percent. In this range, the cells work optimally and you extend the lifespan. This also works with your smartphone. Unless you absolutely need a full battery at 100 percent for the day, keep the battery in this range.
Whether you’re hiking or having a backup on the beach, a power bank is also practical on vacation. Power banks are lithium-ion or lithium polymer batteries. They can overheat and, in rare cases, even catch fire and explode. Therefore, they must not be carried in suitcases or luggage that is transported in the cargo hold of an airplane.
Power banks can be taken in hand luggage depending on the size of the battery. They are considered spare batteries and can be taken in hand luggage with a stored energy quantity of up to 100 watt hours (Wh). For larger power banks and other batteries, you should check with your airline beforehand.