If you often run out of battery, then an external battery is generally the purchase to make to never have to relive the nightmare of the 1% again. In this guide, Numerama lists the best references to recharge your devices, whether it’s an iPhone, smartphone of all kinds or even your laptop and MacBook.
Despite significant progress in the field, the battery life of our smartphones and laptops still often leaves something to be desired. Fortunately, there are a whole bunch of external batteries that can help alleviate the anxiety of low battery. However, not all models are equal.
Indeed, the market for external batteries is very heterogeneous. Capacities vary enormously, as does the output power, and they do not all have the same number of USB ports or the same connectivity. You also have to pay attention to the build quality to avoid having a mobile fire engine at home.
What is the best external battery? Our selection in 2024
Here is our selection of the most interesting external batteries in 2024. While some are particularly suitable for recharging your laptop, other models focus on portability to accommodate multiple recharges of more compact devices.
- Anker Prime: the largest capacity and the most powerful
- Anker Power Bank 537: the external battery for laptops
- Anker A1383: the best for smartphones and tablets
- Anker Magnetic Battery: The Battery for iPhone
- Xiaomi PowerBank 1000: a good cheap option
Anker PowerCore, the most efficient Power Banks of 2024 for recharging laptops, tablets, smartphones, switches, etc.
If you only want to carry one battery pack that can charge all your devices multiple times, then the Anker Prime is probably for you.
The battery is announced with a capacity of 27,650 mAh. Enough to fully charge an iPhone 14 about 4 times, or to fully charge a MacBook Pro in 1 hour.
Because yes, the other advantage of this battery is that it is capable of providing up to 250 watts of power. To be reserved for those who want to invest seriously, therefore, to recharge several devices.
A little less mAh displayed, the Anker 537 displays a flat shape different from the rectangular shape of its big sister. With a huge capacity of 24,000 mAh, the battery is capable of recharging all your multimedia devices: e-reader, smartphone, console and even your laptop! The battery is compatible with many devices. For example, you can recharge a Samsung Galaxy S24 3 times but especially your MacBook Pro entirely.
Equipped with two 20 W and 45 W ports, the 537 model will help you out in many situations and its multiple inputs even allow you to charge 2 devices simultaneously.
Its price, approaching €85, may be a deterrent, but it is a real investment in a power bank quality made to recharge more energy-hungry devices like laptops.
Anchor A1383
: the best for smartphones and tablets
Practical, small and efficient, the Anker 525 USB-C Power Bank is the one you need to have on you to recharge Switch, tablets and phones. It has its own integrated USB-C dock to recharge devices quickly up to 65 W. A little limited to recharge the battery of a laptop, it is more effective for smartphones and slightly smaller devices.
Its 20,000 mAh capacity promises to make it an ideal additional charging companion. Its price is reasonable considering its features that will allow you to recharge your iPhone several times, or to charge your Bluetooth speaker, then your e-reader and why not your wireless headphones.
If you have an iPhone with MagSafe technology (i.e. iPhone 12 and later), you may want to take advantage of Apple’s wireless charging capabilities with your external battery. The PowerCore Magnetic 5K is probably made for you in this case.
With a capacity of 5,000 mAh, the battery will be able to recharge all MagSafe iPhones at least once to full capacity, while leaving some leftover. A version with 10,000 mAh is also availablebut it is immediately much more imposing and heavy.
The accessory clips onto your phone magnetically and starts charging as soon as it is installed. Practical if you don’t want to bother with wires. Be careful though, wireless charging is slower than a good old cable charge. So you will have to be patient if you opt for this model sold for around 30 euros.
If you’re looking for a wireless power bank without spending a fortune, the Xiaomi 10W Wireless PowerBank 10,000 is the one for you. Charge your phone or smartwatch, compatible with induction charging, by simply placing your device on the power bank. Xiaomi’s small portable battery also offers the possibility of recharging its devices wired thanks to its USB-A port and its USB-C port of 18 W each. With its small weight of 200 g, it slips easily everywhere to be sure of never running out of battery.
Questions to ask yourself before choosing your external battery
How many mAh should I choose to charge an Apple or Android smartphone?
The first criterion to take into account when choosing your external battery is the capacity. The latter is expressed in milliampere-hours (mAh) and indicates how many times you can recharge a smartphone. For example, a 10,000 mAh battery can recharge a smartphone with a 2000 mh battery 5 times (10,000/2000 = 5). Concretely, with its 4441 mAh lithium-ion battery, the iPhone 15 can be recharged a little more than twice.
What power should I choose for an external charger?
The other important data to look at before buying is the battery power. The higher the wattage an accessory offers, the faster your smartphones and tablets will charge. The charging power is expressed in Watts (W). If you cannot find this information on your battery, it may indicate measurements in volts and amps. The watt is only the product of these two values. A 5 volt 2 amp battery is capable of delivering a power of 10 watts.
Can a power bank charge more than a phone?
More and more power banks are showing capacities that can fully charge laptops. Generally, you have to make a concession on size since storing mAh inevitably results in a gain in weight and volume. For laptops, go for a battery of 20,000 mAh or more.
How to choose the right connector for your external battery?
Finally, the last aspect to check on a battery is its connectivity. Its connectivity for charging accessories first (usually USB or USB-C) and its connectivity for its own charging (most often micro-USB or USB-C). Batteries with a USB-C port can generally charge and recharge devices via the same port, which makes things simpler. Entry-level battery models will often have a micro-USB socket which will not allow for very fast charging. In any case, find a battery that is compatible with the cables and phones you have at home.
Source: www.numerama.com
