Even though I enjoy flying without WiFi, because it’s a forced reason to unplug and relax with a physical book, I also know that if my phone is dead when I land in a new place that I’ll be slightly screwed. Ok, it won’t kill me to find a taxi and navigate to my hotel without a phone. I’ve done it before. But it sucks when it’s forced upon me because the airplane’s electrical outlet was dead, which happens more often than not.

My phone becomes more of a necessity when I travel, not less, mostly because I need it for figuring out public transportation and fun places where I can eat tasty things. I wouldn’t think of heading out for a trip without a decent travel charger and a power bank that can keep my phone’s lights on long enough to get me through a long, long day.

Here are the best ones I’ve used recently.

the best Portable chargers and power banks

• The Do-It-All Portable Charger: Anker 100W Max 3-Port USB-C Charger with Smart Display
• My Favorite Power Bank for Smartphones: Belkin BoostCharge Power Bank 10K with Display
• The Best for Keeping Laptops Charged: BelkinBoostCharge Pro Power Bank 20K
• Faster for Phones, but Fewer Ports: Anker Nano Power Bank (10,000mAh)
• A Monster for Many Demanding Devices: Anker Prime Power Bank 26,250mAh 300W

The Do-It-All Portable Charger: Anker 100W Max 3-Port USB-C Charger with Smart Display

When it comes to portable chargers, I don’t break up my choices into best chargers for phones and best for laptops. Storage space is limited, and outlet space could even be more limited. Just last week I stayed in a 19th century hotel in Geneva that had one outlet in the whole room. I carry just one charger that can charge my phone, laptop, and anything else simultaneously.

The Anker 100W Max 3-Port USB-C Charger with Smart Display can charge most laptops at maximum speed, and even with several devices charging through it at once, it won’t choke on the task.

My Favorite Power Bank for Smartphones: Belkin BoostCharge Power Bank 10K with Display

After having tested and reviewed the Belkin BoostCharge Power Bank 10K with Display, I declared that I may have found a new favorite daily power bank, after years of relying on one Anker or another. As a 10,000mAh power bank, it had enough juice to charge my iPhone 15 Pro two to three times throughout my travels on a pair of eight-hour flights recently.

And even though at first I thought the simple display was a gimmick, I actually really enjoyed being able to press a button and see exactly how much battery remained in the Belkin itself.

The Best for Keeping Laptops Charged: Belkin BoostCharge Pro Power Bank 20K

Like the smaller 10,000mAh Belkin BoostCharge, the BoostCharge Pro Power Bank 20K had a button-activated screen that’d tell me exactly how much charge remained in it. The larger power bank had a neat trick, too: when devices were charging through any of its two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, the screen would also show the charging speed of each device. Neat.

When I reviewed the thing earlier this summer, I noted that its 20,000mAh capacity was plenty for my MacBook Pro M4 Pro. I could recharge it from zero to full, and call me a quitter but I’d never sit on a plane or in a coffee shop long enough to use two full charges on a MacBook. I’d run out of juice before the power bank did.

Faster for Phones, but Fewer Ports: Anker Nano Power Bank (10,000mAh)

The Anker Nano Power Bank (10,000mAh) was a bit faster at 30W than the Belkin BoostCharge Power Bank 10K’s 20W, but it came with one fewer USB-C port and a USB-A port instead. That’s useful for versatility; there are still devices out there that haven’t gotten with the USB-C program yet, but I preferred having the second USB-C port on the Belkin instead.

There’s also a panel that displays the exact battery charge on the Anker, but I liked the Belkin’s display better. It was larger, easier to read, and looked slicker.

a Monster for Many Demanding Devices: Anker Prime Power Bank 26,250mAh 300W

The Anker Prime Power Bank 26,250mAh 300W is a beast. Not only is the thing large enough to take down a Bell helicopter if thrown with enough force, but it can charge even the fastest, most powerful gaming laptops at full speed. Hell, it can charge several laptops at full speed, given that it maxes out at an incredible 300W.

At 26,250mAh, it also has enough juice to fully charge a laptop once and a smartphone a couple of times. But, in keeping with its penchant for big numbers, its price is a weighty $200.

how i tested these Portable chargers and power banks

To eliminate variables as much as possible, I tested chargers and power banks using an iPhone 15 Pro. Yes, it’s showing its age by now, but what am I, made of money? Because I tend to try to prolong the phone’s lithium-ion battery life, I would charge it when it hit 40% and unplug it when it hit 80%, although occasionally for good measure I’d charge it all the way to 95%.

other products i tested and considered

There’s such little price spread between the good brands—Belkin, Anker, Biolite—and the no-name ones that it doesn’t pay to bother with the questionable ones that may, for all you know, catch fire on your bed at home or in your bag in the belly of an airplane. You know the ones. They have unpronounceable names you (and nobody) have never heard of, that sound like the sort of noise that you’d make when you hit the pavement in a bicycle accident. Stick with the major brands. Still, even the major brands had some solid options that I’d still give a thumbs-up to, even if they didn’t take top honors.

• The BioLite Charge 20 PD and BioLite Charge 40 PD were perfectly fine. They lacked the fancy features of the Belkins and Ankers that took the top spots in this guide, but they performed just fine.
• The Belkin BoostCharge Plus Power Bank w/ Integrated Cables (10K) had integrated USB-C and Lightning cables. Nice if you have a significant other or family member who has an older iPhone that still uses a Lightning cable, but it was a waste on me where I just didn’t need the Lightning cable. Apple’s Lightning connection has been phased out, so it’s not like I’ll need it in the future.
• The Belkin BoostCharge Slim Magnetic Power Bank (5K) came with a magnetic ring that allows for a phone to charge without cables. I don’t mind cables all that much, and the 5,000mAh capacity was a bit low for my tastes.
• The Anker MagGo Power Anker Bank (10,000mAh) was expensive at $80 and topped out at a low 15W charging speed. The Anker Nano Power Bank (10,000mAh) was more impressive at 45W maximum charging speed, which is fast enough for most smartphones. It was also $20 cheaper and came with a retractable USB-C cable.

how to shop Portable chargers and power banks

First you need to decide which type of devices you’re going to be plugging into the charger or power bank. Laptops typically charge at speeds of 100W or so, and because they have bigger internal batteries they require higher-capacity power banks. When I bring along a power bank to use with a laptop, I aim for 20,000-30,000mAh. That allows for about a complete charge of a MacBook Pro.

If all you need is something to charge your smartphone, though, you can save yourself the weight and cost of a 20,000mAh power bank and make do with a 10,000mAh unit, or even a 5,000mAh unit. It (and your charger) only need to charge up to 40-65W because, unlike laptops, few smartphones can take advantage of faster speeds. Most smartphones, such as the iPhone 17, max out at the lower part of that range.

Which should I bring, a Travel Charger or a power bank?

Both. The way I do it when I’m traveling or out for a long day is to use the charger anytime I can find a wall outlet and reserve the power bank for when no outlet is available. The charge in your power bank is a finite resource; use it wisely. Besides, you’re going to need that charger to recharge the power bank.

Can i use them internationally? The plug end doesn’t fit.

Yeah, you can use them all internationally. Even if you have a US-style Type A plug, you can plug it into the wall outlet in any country. It doesn’t matter that North American buildings use 110-volt electrical systems and much of the world, such as Europe, uses 220-volt systems. These devices are built to work on either. You just need a travel adapter so that you can fit into whatever wall outlet you happen to be staring at in whichever country you’re in. I’ve used Ceptics plug adapters in the past and been impressed with them.

Which power banks are tsa-compliant?

For your checked luggage? None of ’em. You have to pack them in your carry-on bag or “personal item,” AKA your purse or backpack that you tuck under the seat in front of you. The TSA is concerned that power banks with lithium-ion batteries, which is all of them these days, can catch fire in checked baggage in the belly of the plane’s cargo hold, where nobody would notice until it’s far too late.

Just remember that if you pack a power bank in your checked bag, but the gate agent makes you gate-check it because the overhead bins are too full. Dig out the power bank and keep it with you at your seat.

the bottom line

There’s not much that’s sexy about a portable charger or a power bank. These are little appliances, no matter how much Belkin and Anker have tried to jazz up their models to make them stand out from a crowded market. That doesn’t change the cold, hard reality that if you’re going to work from a café or travel far from home, you really need one of each to avoid ending up with a dead phone and no way to navigate yourself.

Fortunately, this is one area in which it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to have the best. Unlike cars or TVs, the best portable chargers and power banks are about the same price as the junk ones, so for at least this one time in life when you’re shopping, tell yourself that you deserve the very best and nothing less.