Best portable chargers to keep your devices powered while on the go

It might not have the most exciting design or loads of bells and whistles but the Anker 525 is our favourite because it offers a huge 20,000mAh capacity and USB-C connectivity in a fairly compact size. This battery pack also has a regular USB-A connection, and its USB-C socket can be used to charge the battery itself, as well as other devices, such as smartphones, tablets and even laptops.

We managed to eke out enough power for a week-long trip abroad, with this power bank charging up our iPhone 15 pro max and AirPods pro. If you want something you can pack into your backpack or handbag and take on trips, this is the device that will ensure you’ve always got power, no matter the scenario.

Essentially a better version of Apple’s MagSafe power banks, the Anker nano 5K is your emergency power bank, with a large enough capacity to live in your car or your backpack, helping you boost your phone back to full health.

Instead of attaching to the back of your phone and charging it up using magnets (which takes a really long time, because wireless charging is super slow), the Anker nano 5K has a little foldable USB-C port that sticks out of the side, slotting into the bottom of your phone. This means it charged our devices quickly, and it only added a tiny bit of extra depth.

This is a great dinky power bank that stays in place securely. You won’t be able to recharge it using the USB-C port, but Anker provides a USB-C cable in the box for that.

If you think the Anker 525 is a little too big for your liking, the Anker nano is a more pocket-friendly device. With a slimline design, it fits more comfortably inside a handbag or your jacket and doesn’t weigh too much, either. It’s also more modern, featuring an LED display that tells you exactly how much battery it has left as a percentage (no more imprecise guessing with the four dots).

What we really love about the nano, however, is that it has a surprisingly durable in-built USB-C cable that doubles up as a carry handle, so, we never needed to worry about forgetting to bring the extra cable to juice up our devices on the go. It also charges the power bank itself.

Thanks to the 30W fast charging, we never needed to plug in for an extended amount of time. The only issue is it’s only 10,000mAh, so it was only really good for a couple of charges.

It’s weird to say this about power banks, but if they were smartphones, the Anker prime would be the equivalent of the iPhone 15 pro max or the Samsung Galaxy S24 ultra: big, powerful and brimming with features. It has a huge 27,000mAh capacity and charges devices super quickly, making it ideal for anyone travelling away from home.

We were able to simultaneously charge our phone, headphones and laptop just using this one charging brick. The USB-C ports offer up to 100W of power, and our laptop was juiced up to full in less than an hour. Like the Anker nano with the built-in USB-C cable, the Anker prime has an LED display that shows you how much battery is left (in minutes), as well as how many minutes it’ll take before it’s fully charged. 

Even better, and this might be overkill, it also has Bluetooth connectivity, so you can link it up to the Anker Smart Control app and input your devices into the app, so you know how long they have left before running flat. You can also see stats and optimise your charge. The app can also ring your power bank if you ever lose it, so you can hunt it down if it goes missing.

The only downside is its heft and price. It’s about the size of a Coke can. While it’s great for work trips when you aren’t near any power outlets, it’s not so great for day trips.

What’s neat about this power bank is it not only works like a handy little 5,000mAh power booster when connected to your iPhone via USB-C, but it’s also one of the few power banks that can charge your gear wirelessly.

There are strong magnets on the inside, which kept our iPhone glued in place as it charged, and we loved that there was a fold-out kickstand on the rear, so we could prop it up and charge it at the same time. Yes, it’s not got a huge capacity – you won’t be using this for more than a single charge – but, even without the charging functionality, it still worked great as a stand.

If you’ve got the trifecta of Apple gadgets (iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods), the Belkin boostcharge pro is the very best power bank for all your needs. With a hefty 10,000mAh battery capacity, it doesn’t just serve as a fast portable charger for your iPhone and other gadgets, it also has an in-built MagSafe charger, which we used with our Apple Watch series 9.

Boasting super-fast 20W power delivery, the power bank took around 40 minutes to charge our Apple Watch from zero to full. It’s a great little portable charger for Apple devotees.

This is one of the most ingenious inventions we’ve ever laid eyes on – it’s a speaker that has both Bluetooth and wifi connectivity, which also happens to double up as a 7,500mAh power bank. That means we could charge our phone using the USB-A port while blasting our tunes in the garden. 

It’s not the fastest power bank in the world but as a speaker it’s excellent. It works as an extra Alexa multi-room speaker, has Spotify Connect support, works with Chromecast and you can AirPlay your music from your iPhone. Sound is strong, the bass is good, and there’s no distortion when playing our favourite tracks. It sounds even better over wifi. Plus, you get 20 hours of battery on a single charge (not including the power bank battery).