Even though it has a camera that takes increasingly better photos and is the most useful piece of technology you own, your smartphone probably still suffers from a battery life that you just wish was a little bit longer. Thanks to its growing list of fancy features, ever-faster processor, and larger-than-ever storage capacity, it’s likely been a while since you got through a whole day without having to charge it. That’s where the portable power bank comes in. But how do you choose the perfect portable power bank for your phone? It’s simple really.
What Exactly is a Portable Power Bank?
A portable power bank, as the name suggests, is a small electronic gadget that consists of some batteries and a charging circuit. This allows you to charge almost any device that you’d charge from a USB port or a cellphone-type charger without the need to plug it into mains power. They’re great for off-grid camping and essential for traveling abroad, but there are many other reasons you’d want to carry a cellphone charger in your pocket.
Thanks to the many Anker product alternative manufacturers, You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to feature and capacity variations.
Look at the Capacity
The biggest decision to make when you’re choosing a portable power bank is to look for an option that will suit your needs in terms of capacity. These devices are rated in milliamp hours, and while what that means is a bit complicated, essentially, it translates to the bigger this rating, the more battery capacity the power bank has and the longer it will be able to keep your devices charged. For example, a 10 000mAh power bank will charge your smartphone from empty to full approximately twice, depending on your phone’s battery capacity.
Is it Light Enough?
The larger the capacity, the more batteries the power bank needs, and that means that it’s going to get heavier. Striking a balance between what you need from your power bank and how heavy it can be is important. If you’re taking it camping, and you’re not going to need to carry it around, a heavier and larger capacity power bank is better suited because it will keep you going for longer. If you need one to keep in your handbag and you can recharge it often, you might opt for something smaller and lighter that just gives you a single charge to get you through the day.
Check the Features
Different power banks come with different features and options, so check these, too, before making your choice. They come with a variety of charging ports, like USB-C, lightning, and regular USB, and some might support solar recharging or even have the ability to wirelessly charge your device. You’ll need to look through the ranges available and find one that suits your needs.
It’s sometimes difficult to remember how we survived before the portable power bank was readily available to us, but now that they’re so useful and there are so many options available, we’ve become reliant on these indispensable little gadgets.
