You know that sinking feeling when you land at the airport, turn off airplane mode and watch your phone battery drop to 15% just as you’re trying to connect with your Uber? Your phone is your boarding pass, map, hotel reservation and lifeline to the outside world, so running out of power isn’t just inconvenient, it can leave you panicked and scrambling for an outlet when you need your phone most.
A portable charger can be the difference between a quick top-up and a dead phone, but not all of them are equally useful. Some are small enough to disappear into a purse or pocket but offer only enough power for an emergency boost, while others can keep several devices going throughout the day. The tradeoff is that the more power they hold, the more likely you are to notice the extra weight in your bag.
I tested nine portable chargers ranging from tiny 3,300mAh models to a 20,000mAh powerhouse, looking at how much battery they deliver, how easy they are to carry and use and how quickly they can get your phone back in action.
What I found: the best power bank has less to do with raw power and more to do with matching it to how you actually use your phone.
What to look for in a portable charger
The best portable power bank isn’t necessarily the one with the biggest battery or the highest wattage. The right one depends on how much power you need, how much weight you’re willing to carry and whether you prioritize the convenience of wireless charging or the speed of a wired connection. Here’s what to consider when shopping for a portable battery charger.
Battery life
Power bank capacity is measured in milliamp-hours, or mAh. Generally, a higher number means the battery can store more charge, but it doesn’t translate directly into the number of times it will recharge your phone because some energy is lost during the conversion. The best advice is to consider how and where you’ll actually use it.
A small 5,000mAh power bank makes sense for a night out when you want something that can slip into a purse or pocket for a quick top-up. A 10,000mAh model is a good middle ground for a full day of meetings, work or sightseeing when you’ll be using your phone heavily. If you’re traveling with friends or family and expect everyone to need a recharge during the day, a larger 20,000mAh power bank can keep multiple devices going without having to hunt for an outlet. In my testing, I found that distinction matters more than I expected. The smallest chargers were the ones I was most likely to actually carry with me, while the 10,000mAh models felt like the better compromise when I knew I’d be out all day.
Portability
A power bank only does its job if it’s actually with you when your phone dies, so portability matters just as much as how much power it holds. I learned this by trial and error: when I’m just running errands, I toss a slim wireless charger in my purse and forget it’s there until I need it, but if I’m heading away for the weekend, I switch to a chunkier 10,000mAh bank and a charging cable in my backpack instead. Different trips mean different chargers, and weight is usually the deciding factor.
The little design details matter for the same reason: they decide whether reaching for your charger is effortless or one more thing to think about. A built-in cable means you’re never digging through your bag for the right cord when your phone’s already dying. A detachable one gives you that same grab-and-go convenience but won’t leave you stuck if the cable eventually wears out. Some chargers take that a step further with a lanyard-style cable that doubles as a strap, so the “cord” is also how you carry the device — whether you clip it to a bag or wear it around your wrist — and it’s ready to plug in the second you need it. A magnetic charger skips the cable question entirely, snapping right onto a compatible phone so there’s nothing extra to carry or forget. Whichever style fits your routine, the goal is the same: a charger that’s actually there when you need it, not one that’s easy to leave behind.
Charging speed
This is where the differences between these chargers became most noticeable. A charger’s wattage tells you how much power it can deliver, but your phone determines how much power it can actually accept. A 45W power bank won’t necessarily charge every phone faster than a 20W model because the phone has its own charging limit.
I saw that pretty clearly when I tested the chargers side by side: some of the higher-wattage models weren’t noticeably faster with my iPhone, while the difference became more apparent when I used the Google Pixel 11 Pro. which is designed to take advantage of a higher-wattage charger. In other words, buying a 45W or 65W power bank doesn’t automatically mean your phone will charge at 45W or 65W.
Wireless charging
Wired charging is still generally faster, but wireless charging has gotten much better — something that didn’t go unnoticed in my own testing. The wireless chargers were incredibly convenient, especially when I could just snap one onto my phone and keep using it, but the wired models were still the ones I reached for when I needed power quickly. “It used to be that the benefit of wireless charging was simply convenience for which you sacrificed speed and reliability,” says Paul Golden of the Wireless Power Consortium, the industry group behind the Qi standard. “With Qi2 (25W) wireless charging that’s no longer the case.” At this point, the real advantage of wireless charging isn’t speed, it’s convenience.
Best overall wired portable charger
Battery life: 4.5/5 | Portability: 5/5 | Charging speed: 4.5/5 | Overall average score: 4.67/5
Why it won: The INIU wins on doing the fundamentals better than everything else in this price range, and it’s the power bank I found myself reaching for most often. It’s the smallest and lightest 10,000mAh bank in the roundup, genuinely pocket-friendly rather than “pocket-friendly for its capacity,” and it backs that up with real 45W fast charging. A detachable lanyard cable means you’re never without a cord and never stuck if that cord wears out.
Between the two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, you’ve got three ways to charge. A digital display keeps you posted on remaining charge, and it stays cool even while fast charging, no uncomfortable heat in hand or in a pocket. For $29.99, it delivers wired performance and portability that chargers twice the price don’t always match.
Battery life: Most 10,000mAh power banks are about the size of a deck of cards. INIU’s version shrinks that down to roughly the size of an AirPods Pro case without cutting the capacity. It can fully charge my iPhone 15 Pro twice and takes two hours to recharge itself.
Portability: This is where the INIU really won me over. It’s small and light enough that I could toss it into my purse and barely think about it until I needed it. That’s impressive for a 10,000mAh power bank. I found myself reaching for it when I wanted the security of carrying extra battery power without adding another bulky item to my bag. The detachable lanyard cable is a small but smart touch for easy and convenient wired charging.
Charging speed: The 45W wired output delivered a serious boost without making the power bank larger or heavier. In my testing, it took my iPhone 15 Pro roughly 27 minutes to hit 50%. What also stood out was how little heat it produced. Even while fast charging, the INIU stayed cool, something I noticed because several of the other chargers became noticeably warmer. The real advantage of INIU’s extra wattage shows up on phones that can actually use more than 20W, like the Pixel 11 Pro, which can charge at 30W wired charging speed.
Best overall wireless portable charger
Battery life: 4.5/5 | Portability: 4.5/5 | Charging speed: 5/5 | Overall average score: 4.7/5
Why it won: The Baseus AM52 wins because it doesn’t force you to choose between wireless convenience and real performance. Most magnetic chargers cap out well below what the AM52 delivers — 25W Qi2.2 wireless is genuinely fast for a cable-free charge — and the built-in 45W cable means you’re never stuck if your phone’s case isn’t MagSafe-compatible or you just want a fast, wired top-up instead. Add in real heat monitoring that visibly worked in testing and a build that feels premium rather than gimmicky, and this is the rare wireless charger that doesn’t ask you to compromise.
Battery life: Most 10,000mAh power banks run close to an inch thick. The AM52 comes in at 0.63 inches, thin enough to disappear into a jacket pocket instead of leaving a brick-shaped bulge. It’s good for about two full charges on an iPhone 15 Pro, and a 30W-or-higher wall adapter gets it back to full in roughly 1.5 hours.
Portability: At 4.1 ounces, it’s light enough to forget you’re carrying it and it attaches firmly to the back of the phone via MagSafe. The built-in 45W cable doubles as a carrying strap, so it’s not just a charging cord tucked away, it’s also how you’d loop it onto a bag or keep it secured when you’re not using it.
Charging speed: Wired, the AM52 brought my iPhone 15 Pro to 50% in about 30 minutes. Going wireless slowed that down to roughly 45-50 minutes, which is still quick for a MagSafe charger. In testing, it warmed up during wireless charging but never got uncomfortably hot in hand, thanks to the smart temperature chip designed to pull heat away as it charges.
More portable chargers, tested by the author
Best slim magnetic charger:
Battery life: 3.5/5 | Portability: 5/5 | Charging speed: 4/5 | Overall average score: 4.2/5
What to know: This is one of those chargers I can see myself carrying every day. It’s slim, lightweight and snaps onto the back of my MagSafe-compatible iPhone without a cable, so I can keep using my phone while it charges. The smooth design slipped easily into my bag, and I barely noticed the extra weight.
The magnetic MagSafe connection is secure and immediate, charging starts the second you place it in the circle. A small LED indicator shows how much charge is left, and it comes with its own USB-C cable, so you’re covered whether you want to charge wirelessly or plug in. It can even handle two devices at once — one on the magnetic back and one through the USB-C port — which is a genuinely useful feature most chargers this size don’t offer.
Battery life: With its 5,000mAh capacity, the Mophie Slim provides up to a full phone charge over wired charging, but since wireless charging is less efficient, it couldn’t charge my iPhone 15 Pro all the way to 100% in my testing. For a quick recharge when you’re out for the day, I found it was enough without adding much bulk. Recharging the power bank itself takes about 90 minutes using a 20W adapter.
Portability: This is the slimmest, most pocket-friendly charger in the roundup. It has aluminum build, is smooth to the touch and genuinely disappears into a pocket or bag.
Charging speed: Using 20W wired charging, it took about 30 minutes to charge my iPhone from 0 to 50%, but at 15W wireless speed, it took about 45 minutes.
Best portable charger with a built-in cable:
Battery life: 4.5/5 | Portability: 4/5 | Charging speed: 4/5 | Overall average score: 4.2/5
What to know: This is the pick for anyone who wants to travel light and never worry about not having a charging cable. The USB-C cord is built right into the body and tucks away into the edge of the unit when you’re not using it, so there’s no separate cable to dig out or misplace. There’s also a second USB-C port if you want to charge another device with a cable of your own. Four traditional LED lights on the front let you know when it’s time to recharge the battery itself.
Battery life: The 10,000mAh battery was able to recharge my iPhone twice which is average for a portable charger this size. Even though it features a built-in cable to charge your phone, you still recharge the actual power bank by plugging a separate USB-C cable into its input port. Recharging the power bank itself took over two hours so make sure it’s full before you head out the door.
Portability: At about 7.8 ounces and 0.9 inches thick, this is the kind of power bank I could comfortably throw in a bag or larger jacket pocket. It’s compact and not too heavy, with no rough edges. The built-in 2-inch USB-C cable means I don’t need to pack a separate charging cable, although the short length limits how you can use your phone while it’s charging.
Charging speed: The Belkin delivers up to 20W of wired charging using the included cable, bringing my iPhone to 50% in about 30 minutes.
Best all-in-one travel charger:
Battery life: 4.5/5 | Portability: 4/5 | Charging speed: 4/5 | Overall average score: 4.17/5
What to know: The Anker Nano 3-in-1 is all about convenience, built for anyone who’d rather carry one item than three. Its wall plug and USB-C cable are built directly into the unit, so it replaces a power bank, an adapter and a cable all at once. A small LED display shows exactly how much charge is left, so there’s no guessing before you head out the door. That convenience comes with some bulk, so it’s not something I’d carry with me for a night out. Instead, I use this for travel when I want power, convenience and fewer things to lose track of.
Battery life: During testing, the Nano got me nearly two full charges on my iPhone 15 Pro before the bank itself ran dry. Plugging its built-in foldable AC wall prongs directly into an outlet recharges the power bank itself in just over 2 hours at 30W, one of the faster refill times in this roundup.
Portability: This charger can be both convenient and cumbersome. At 1.22 inches thick and 8.82 ounces, it’s nearly twice as thick as some other models I tested, so it’s not what I’d grab for a night out. But it’s also replacing three separate items — the power bank, wall adapter and cable — so it’s what I’m packing for my next trip. The extra bulk feels like a fair tradeoff.
Charging speed: At 20W, this charger is already delivering close to the iPhone 15 Pro’s actual charging ceiling. It took my iPhone from 0 to 50% in 25 minutes, in line with what you’d expect at that wattage.
Best new battery technology:
Battery life: 4/5 | Portability: 4/5 | Charging speed: 4/5 | Overall average score: 4/5
What to know: The SolidSafe is BMX’s answer to a real concern with lithium-ion power banks: overheating and, in rare cases, fire. Semi-solid-state batteries swap out most of the flammable liquid inside a traditional lithium-ion battery for a thicker, gel-like material, which is why they hold up so much better if the battery gets punctured, dropped or crushed instead of catching fire. While it can’t stop your iPhone from getting warm and throttling its own intake, BMX says the power bank itself remains physically safer, experiences less internal degradation and runs cooler to the touch compared to standard plastic power banks.
It’s also a genuinely versatile charger with magnetic wireless charging, LED display, two USB-C ports and a lanyard cable that doubles as your charging cord.
Battery life: In testing, the SolidSafe delivered almost two full charges to my iPhone 15 and (separately) one and a half charges to the higher battery capacity Pixel 11 Pro before running dry. Recharging the power bank itself from empty takes roughly 2.5 hours using a 30W wall adapter.
Portability: At 8.13 ounces and roughly 4-by-3 inches, this isn’t the smallest charger in the roundup, but the magnetic wireless pad means you can skip carrying a cable for everyday phone top-ups, and the lanyard cable tucks away for when you do need a wired connection.
Charging speed: Using the 15W Qi2 magnetic wireless pad, it took about 45 minutes to bring my iPhone 15 to 50%. I did notice it warmed up a bit during wireless charging, which is normal, but it never got uncomfortably hot the way some other wireless chargers I tested did. Switching to the wired 30W USB-C connection sped things up considerably, delivering 50% in under 30 minutes using the built-in lanyard cable.
Best pocket-sized charger:
Battery life: 2.5/5 | Portability: 5/5 | Charging speed: 4/5 | Overall average score: 3.8/5
What to know: The iWALK is built around one idea: skip the cable entirely. It plugs directly into your phone’s charging port, so there’s nothing to untangle or lose, and it’s genuinely small enough to toss into a clutch or a tight jacket pocket where a standard power bank wouldn’t fit. The tradeoff for that compact size is capacity. This isn’t a charger that’s going to take your phone from empty to full, but for a quick boost or a backup that’s easy to carry, it does the job.
Battery life: This will take an iPhone 15 Pro up to approximately 80% before running out. Recharging the power bank itself takes about 2.25 hours using a standard fast-charging wall block.
Portability: This is where the iWALK really stands out. At 3.56 ounces and about the size of a car key fob, it’s one of the smallest, most pocketable chargers in this roundup. Just know that a thick, rugged phone case might cause an issue since the built-in plug needs to sit deep enough into the port to make contact.
Charging speed: In my testing, the iWALK revived a dead phone from 0 to 50% in roughly 35 minutes; solid for a charger this small.
Best high-capacity charger:
Battery life: 5/5 | Portability: 2.5/5 | Charging speed: 3/5 | Overall average score: 3.5/5
What to know: The Charmast C2065 is built for people who need serious backup power and don’t mind the extra bulk that comes with it. With four built-in cables covering USB-C, lightning, micro-USB and USB-A, it’s genuinely hard to find a device it can’t charge. The tradeoff for that capacity and versatility is size. I appreciated having so much power in one charger, but this was also the one I was least likely to carry around. Weighing in at more than 11 ounces, I didn’t want it in my purse unless I knew I’d actually need the extra capacity.
Battery life: At 20,000mAh, this is the highest capacity in the roundup, enough to fully recharge an iPhone 15 up to four times. Recharging the power bank itself takes about six hours using an 18W or higher wall charger and USB-C cable.
Portability: This is the biggest tradeoff of the Charmast. At nearly 12 ounces and over half a pound with a bulky, brick-like shape, it’s not something you’ll want to toss in a jacket pocket or carry around daily. This is a charger for trips and long days away from an outlet, not everyday carry.
Charging speed: The Charmast can fuel a dead phone from 0 to 50 or 60% in roughly 30 minutes. But if you connect multiple devices at once — up to five or six using all the built-in cables and ports — fast charging shuts off entirely, and every device shares a standard 15W instead, so each one charges more slowly than it would on its own.
Best emergency backup charger:
Battery life: 2/5 | Portability: 5/5 | Charging speed: 2/5 | Overall average score: 3/5
What to know: The Rush Charge is built for one job: being the charger you forget you’re carrying until you actually need it. Its three built-in connectors mean it can plug directly into an iPhone, a USB-C device or an older micro-USB gadget without you needing to pack a separate cable, which is genuinely useful if your bag has a mix of devices. Just don’t expect it to fully recharge a modern smartphone. Its small battery and low wattage make it better suited as a backup than a primary charger.
Battery life: At 3,300mAh, this is the smallest battery in the roundup, and realistically, it’ll give a dead phone somewhere between a 60% and 70% boost rather than a full charge. Recharging the power bank itself takes up to three hours from empty.
Portability: At 3.1 ounces and 0.67 inches thick, this is one of the easiest chargers in the lineup to carry, small enough to toss in a jacket pocket, bag or glovebox as a just-in-case backup. Unlike the iWALK, which relies on a single built-in USB-C plug, the Rush Charge covers lightning, USB-C, and micro-USB, making it the more versatile pick if you’re juggling devices from different generations.
Charging speed: This charger caps its output at 12W. Without faster (18-20W) speed, charging an iPhone 15 Pro takes closer to 2 to 2.5 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How many charges you actually get depends on your phone’s battery size, the charging method and the power bank’s efficiency.
For most people, 10,000mAh is a useful middle ground – more backup power than the smallest emergency chargers – without the bulk of a 20,000mAh model.
Not necessarily. Wattage tells you how much power a charger can deliver, but your phone decides how much it can accept. That’s why a 45W power bank can’t charge an iPhone 15 Pro at that speed, but it can push more power into devices built to accept it, like the Google Pixel 11 Pro, tablets or some laptops. So before paying extra for a higher-wattage power bank, check how much charging power your phone can actually use.
Qi2 means the device has been tested for efficiency, safety and reliable magnetic alignment and certified by the Wireless Power Consortium. “Products that are Qi or Qi2 certified will usually carry the logos on the device, packaging or in marketing materials,” Golden says. “If you can’t find a logo, it may mean the device is not Qi or Qi2 certified, but the way to know for sure is to look for it in the Qi Certified Product Database.”
That distinction matters: “Qi-compatible” isn’t the same as Qi-certified, and non-certified products may skip safety features like foreign-object detection or advanced thermal management.
The faster version, officially called Qi2 25W by WPC, delivers nearly 70% more power, up to 25W than the original Qi2 standard which launched at 15W. If you see “Qi2.2” on a product, it’s almost certainly referring to this same 25W standard under an unofficial marketing name. When shopping, look for “Qi2” or “Qi2 25W” on the certification itself.
If you have an iPhone 16 or newer, you can take advantage of this faster charging speed, just make sure your phone is running iOS 26 or later.
UL 2056 is a safety standard specifically for complete power banks, rather than just the battery cells inside them. “Evaluating a battery cell alone doesn’t address how it behaves once it’s integrated with circuitry, connectors and other components into a complete device throughout its expected lifecycle,” says Jeff Marootian, president and CEO of UL Standards & Engagement.
Look for evidence that the specific product has been tested and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. A generic “UL” logo or “UL tested” claim isn’t enough on its own. And don’t assume price equals safety: “A higher price does not necessarily mean a power bank is safer or better built,” he says.
It’s worth factoring in, but it’s not the whole picture, says Marootian. “A reputable manufacturer is more likely to have established quality-control processes and stand behind its products.”
In other words, a recognizable brand name is a useful signal, but it’s not a substitute for actually confirming the product has been tested and certified, no matter who made it.
If a power bank becomes unusually hot, swells or bulges, leaks, changes color, shows visible damage, smokes, sparks or develops an unusual odor, stop using it immediately, Marootian says.
Don't puncture, crush, open or try to repair it. If it's already smoking, sparking or on fire, don't touch it, get away and call 911.
Don't throw a damaged battery in household trash. Follow local battery disposal guidance instead.
Check your specific airline’s current policy before you travel, since rules have been tightening and vary by carrier. Every charger in this roundup falls well under the FAA and TSA’s 100 watt-hour carry-on limit, but if a power bank’s packaging only lists milliamp-hours, Marootian says free online calculators can convert that to watt-hours so you can check it against your airline’s policy.
How we tested portable chargers
I tested each of the nine power banks with my iPhone 15 Pro, and several with a Google Pixel 11 Pro as well. Because the Pixel has a larger battery and can accept more charging power than the iPhone, it gave me another way to see how the chargers performed with a phone that could take advantage of higher wattage. For each charger, I recorded how long it took to bring a phone from near empty to 50%, as well as how long the power bank itself took to recharge. I used the fastest compatible adapter for each power bank so I wasn’t unnecessarily limiting its charging speed.
I also lived with these chargers day to day, tossing them into my purse, backpack and pockets to get a feel for their size and weight. I paid attention to the things a spec sheet doesn’t tell you: whether a built-in cable was actually convenient, how securely a magnetic charger stayed attached and whether a charger became noticeably warm during use. For the wireless models, I also considered whether the convenience of going cable-free was worth any tradeoffs in charging speed or portability.
Why trust Shop TODAY?
Andrea Smith is an award-winning technology reporter, producer and Shop TODAY contributor with more than 20 years of experience in the tech space. She has previously tested portable Bluetooth speakers and Bluetooth earbuds for Shop TODAY’s Ranked series.
Meet our experts
- Paul Golden is a spokesperson for the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), the industry group behind the Qi wireless charging standard used in magnetic and wireless power banks worldwide.
- Jeff Marootian is the president and CEO of UL Standards & Engagement, the organization that develops and maintains UL 2056, the safety standard for portable power banks.
