The Best External Battery Pack

External battery packs buying guide

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Let's face it! We live in a world that is dominated by gadgets. At any given time, most of us are carrying at least one gadget that we just can't live without. May it be a cell phone, a laptop or a tablet, we all love our gadgets. But all of them operate on batteries, and despite us desperately wanting otherwise, there comes a time when the batteries run out of juice. If you are on the go, it can be a nightmare to find an electric outlet recharge the batteries in your gadgets. Thankfully, some great products on the market will get your devices going without a power outlet. Battery packs or power banks are small, compact batteries that can recharge your devices when you are not near an electric outlet. These devices are so small and compact that you can carry them in your pocket and essentially increase the operating time of your devices many folds!

However, picking the right battery pack can be frustrating for most people. A quick search on the internet will reveal thousands of products that claim to be the best battery pack out there. Sifting through all these products can be difficult especially if you don't know what to look for in a good battery pack. Well, this is where this guide comes in handy. In this guide, you will find all the information you will ever need to pick the best battery pack that meets your personal needs. We will be going through every small detail and perhaps learn a few things about battery packs while we are at it. So, sit back, relax and let's find the best battery pack for you!

What is a battery pack and do you need one?

Well, it is a great question to begin. A battery pack is a small battery, much similar to the one inside your phone or tablet that is designed so that it can be used to charge other batteries. In other words, it is a stand-alone battery that you can charge and carry with you at all times. Typically, these external batteries are bigger than the ones found in your cell phones or tablets and as a result, can hold a lot more charge. You charge them similar to how you would charge your cell phone. But once they are charged, you can use these to recharge your mobile phones and similar gadgets.

Now about the question of whether you need one. Well, let me answer this question with a question of my own. Do you ever find the need to recharge your devices during the day? If you do, like most of us, then you need a battery pack. Even if you are always near a power outlet, say at work, a battery pack is still a sound investment. You might need to recharge your device on your way home or during any other emergency. So, if you own a cell phone, a tablet or a similar device, you need a battery pack. It is as simple as that!

What to look for in a battery pack?

Now, this is the most important question. How to compare the thousands of battery packs out there? Well, the best way to do this is to lay out a few things that matter the most in a portable battery pack. As long as you choose the right things to compare, you can easily pick the battery pack that is best for your needs. So, let's break down the things that you should be looking for in a battery pack.

1. The amount of power that you need

The first thing to consider is the amount of power that you want from the battery pack. The power capacity of batteries in your battery pack (and all your devices) is measured in a unit called mAh (Milliampere-hour). Without going into the technical detail, just remember that the higher the number of mAh on your battery pack, the more powerful it is. But the question remains how much power do you need? Well, you can figure that easily as well. Just take all your electronic devices that you wish to charge the battery pack with and note down the number of mAh values of their batteries. You can easily find that information on the internet. If the total for two of your devices comes out to be, say, 11,000mAh, then a battery pack with a capacity of 11,000mAh will be able to charge both your devices to a 100%. However, if you have a battery pack that has a capacity of, say, 5500mAh (half of the previous one), your devices will be charged only to a 50% and so on.

In a nutshell, you should buy a battery pack that has a mAh capacity that at least matches all your devices. If you have a battery pack with a higher capacity, you can perhaps charge your devices multiple times, which is a good thing. But if you have a battery pack that has a smaller capacity, it won't be able to charge your devices fully to a 100%.

This information is important for a couple of reasons. First and most obviously, you want a battery pack that is powerful. But there is a downside of having more power than you need as well. The prices of the battery packs are proportional to their power. The more powerful the pack, the costlier it is. So, if you don't need all that extra power, you can save a few bucks. Secondly, a higher capacity means bigger size. If you don't need all that power, you may save some space with a smaller pack that still can fulfill your needs. If your power needs are less, you can buy a small, compact battery pack that you don't have to lug around!

Battery packs are available in a range of powers. From a few thousand mAh to over 10,000mAh. If your needs are small, buying a big powerful battery pack would be overkill. On the contrary, if your needs are large, purchase a small and compact battery pack just won't cut it. The key is to find a pack with enough power to fulfill your needs without compromising on the portability.

2. The amperage of the pack

Apart from the mAh power of the battery pack, the other most important thing to consider is the amperage, which is a unit of electric current. Most of the electronics that you use can be charged at either 1 ampere or 2.1 amperes. As a general rule, the more power hungry your device is, the more amperage it will need. Now, if you connect a 1-ampere device to a battery pack that offers 2.1-ampere current, the device will only use 1 ampere to charge without any harm. However, if your device requires 2.1-ampere current and you plug it in a 1-ampere battery pack, it will still get charged but at a much slow rate. It will take a long time to charge such a device.

So, even if you get a powerful battery pack but with a 1-ampere output, some of your power-hungry devices will take forever to charge. Thankfully, many of the power packs come with both 1 ampere and 2.1-ampere outlets. If you have a bigger device like an iPad Air, you might want to get a battery pack that offers 2.1 amperes if you don't want to end up waiting forever to get it charged.

So, pay attention to both the power (mAh) and the amperage while considering the battery packs.

3. Ports on the battery pack

The number of output ports is also important in a battery pack. If you want to charge multiple devices, it is better if you have at least a couple of USB ports in the battery pack. Another thing to remember is the amperage of these ports. If you have a cell phone and an iPad, you may want to have a battery pack that has one 1 Ampere port and one 2.1 Ampere port. There are some packs available that have two 2.1 ampere ports as well. If you have two power-hungry devices, you are better off buying a pack with two high-draw 2.1-ampere ports.

4. Extra features

Many manufacturers try to entice customers by offering battery packs with some 'extra' features. Now, granted, some of these features are quite handy, many can be just gimmicky and worthless. Imagine, if you are getting a mediocre battery pack just because it offers several attachments that you don't need, isn't such a smart thing. You may be better off buying a good power pack without any said accessories.

That said, one of the best extra features on a battery pack is a LED flashlight. It may be easy to dismiss it as being gimmicky or worthless until you need it. Trust me, I have used the flashlight feature on my battery pack many a time, and I am thankful for it being there, to say the least!

5. Size and form factor of the battery pack

Well, when it comes to size and form factor, it is more a personal choice. The size of a battery pack, in most part, is dictated by the power. Powerful battery packs can be huge! The shape and form is a different issue though. While most of the manufacturers have adopted a rectangular design, some packs are also offered in a cylindrical shape.

Recommended products

1. Best low power compact battery pack: Jackery Bar Pocket-sized Ultra Compact Portable Charger

What makes it a hot buy?

• Compact size
• 6000mAh power
• In-built flashlight
• 2.1 Ampere Single output

2. Best high power compact battery pack: KMASHI 10000mAh Portable Power Bank

What makes it a hot buy?

• Compact size
• 10000mAh power
• Dual output offering 2.1 amperes current for the fastest charging of even the most power hungry devices
• Intelligent power management technology to prevent overcharging and short circuit

3. Best looking compact battery pack: Anker AK-A1206012

What makes it a hot buy?

• Stylish mirror finish
• 10000mAh power
• Two USB charging ports with up to 3-ampere output for fast charging
• LED power indicator, so you always know how much power is left

4. Best high power battery pack: EC Technology Power Bank Ultra High Capacity External Battery

What makes it a hot buy?

• 22400mAh power that can charge almost anything that you can throw at it
• Three high amperage outputs offering up to 3-ampere fast charging
• LED indicators

5. Best high power battery pack for people on a budget: Poweradd Pilot X7

What makes it a hot buy?

• 20000mAh power
• Affordable price-point
• Two outputs at 1 ampere and 2.1 amperes current

6. Best High-end powerful battery pack: Anker PowerCore 20100

What makes it a hot buy?

• Tremendous 20,100mAh power
• High current output with up to 4.1 amperes for the fastest charging for high-end devices such as iPad Air
• Power IQ technology

7. Best value for money: Portable Chargers 16750 RAVPower

What makes it a hot buy?

• 16750mAh power
• Come with an inbuilt flashlight feature, LED indicators, intelligent circuit, and surge protection
• Two outputs at 1 ampere and 2.1 amperes current

Top Rated External Battery Packs

If you're looking into finding the best rated external battery pack, you should probable check out the Anker PowerCore 10000 Portable Charger. We looked at various sources of reviews and found this one to have the best mix between review count and average rating stars.

Anker PowerCore 10000 Portable Charger

The Lowest Price We Could Find

Often, going for the best price is a simple but good option. With a price of $15.99 (last checked this morning), we do not list any other external battery pack cheaper than the Anker Portable Charger. Just remember that it's not always the best option to go for the cheapest one.

Anker Portable Charger

The External Battery Pack With the Most Reviews