If you need maximum power and don’t mind a less-streamlined unit that costs a bit more than our picks: Get the Mophie Powerstation Plus. Offering slightly more power than any of our picks, it has a built-in USB-C PD cable (up to 30 W output), built-in Lightning output cable (up to 18 W output), and USB-C PD port (up to 20 W output and 23 W input) with passthrough charging.
Like our top pick, it has a 10,000 mAh capacity rating and weighs 8.4 ounces (just over half a pound). Also, it’s backed by a two-year warranty, and comes from a brand we trust.
Unfortunately, it only comes in black, and it’s the costliest model we tested ($80 at this writing, with no included accessories). Plus, while it has a generally good look and feel, its built-in cables are maddeningly difficult to slide in and out of their holsters. For some people, though, the extra power might make these sacrifices worthwhile.
If you want a power bank with replaceable batteries and don’t mind sacrificing some power: Get the Panasonic BQ-CC87. Powered by up to four AA or AAA rechargeable batteries, this power bank has an unusual design that allows you to reuse it indefinitely—making it more sustainable than most power banks, which become useless when the internal battery wears out.
The BQ-CC87 is fairly lightweight (around 3.1 ounces with four AA batteries inserted), and it comes in two colors (black or white). It’s made by a reputable company and backed by a two-year warranty. And costing just $21 at this writing, it’s the least expensive model we tested.
On the downside, its charging ports are less powerful than those of other models we tested (we measured just 5 W flowing into its Micro-USB port and out of its USB-A port), and it has only about 2,550 mAh of battery life (with four AA batteries inserted) to top off a phone or other small device.
Lastly, this unit has a blockier shape than most models we tested, and the plastic cover is relatively flimsy (we strongly recommend stowing it in a pocket or bag organizer to keep the batteries from popping out of their slots in transit). But if you’re someone who already uses rechargeable AA and/or AAA batteries, this could be a versatile addition to your charging setup.
If you want a lightweight power bank that costs less than our picks, and you don’t mind that it charges more slowly than otherwise comparable options: Get the Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux. A former top pick, the Redux was discontinued and then revived, and it costs $35 as of this writing.
Weighing just 6.8 ounces, the Redux has a sleek exterior and softly rounded corners that make it easy to hold or to slide into a pocket. Subtle grooves in the plastic act like the ridges of a fingerprint, giving the power bank an even grippier texture, and four little lights next to the power button tell you how much battery life remains.
It has a rated capacity of 10,000 mAh, a USB-C PD port with up to 19 W of input/output power, and a versatile (if slow-charging, at 12.3 watts) USB-A output port for legacy devices. Backed by an 18-month warranty, it also comes with a two-in-one charging cable (a handy built-in adapter can turn one of the cable’s two USB-C plugs into a USB-A plug).
