Ready to count down our top 5 portable power banks? We’re looking at the best ways on the market to make sure your smartphone steers clear of load-shedding.
Ready to count down our top 5 portable power banks? With many smartphones and tablets clocking in at just under a day’s battery life, it’s easy to pine for the era of resilience where Nokia and Motorola handsets could power on – quite literally- for nearly a week. While battery life is an area where most phone manufacturers are consistently improving (Notably Sony, with their Xperia smartphone range, and Apple with the iPad line) there’s still much to be desired.
South African consumers get a further kick in the teeth with load-shedding – where local power grids switch off for two hours at a time. In the spirit of this frustration, let’s look at the top five portable chargers that can be used to keep your gadgets juiced up and ready for anything.
Before we begin, let’s quickly cover some basics. The higher the milliamp rating (mAh) on a power bank, the more charges the bank can provide. Similarly, most smartphones will have a battery catering to a specific milliamp size (usually around 1800mAh to 3000mAh) – the larger indicating how much power the battery can hold and discharge before depleting itself. To work out how many times you’d be able charge your specific phone, you’ll need to find out your battery’s capacity (1810 for an iPhone 6, which we’ll use a a running example) and divide the capacity of the power bank by the capacity of your smartphone. For example, a 5,000mAh battery pack would be able to charge an iPhone 6 roughly 2.7 times.
Without any further ado, let’s begin – here are our Top 5 portable power banks!
1) EasyAcc 10,000mAH Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank
With a name almost as sizeable as the amount of charges it can support,the EasyAcc power bank is shelled in a slim frame and can be purchased in a total of 6 different colours, should your outfit demand total colour co-ordination. With a massive 10,000mAh capacity, the EasyAcc can nearly charge an iPad Air (original model) to capacity – that’s indeed something to note considering the Air has a nearly 3.7 hour charging period. This also means with the EasyAcc, you’d be able to power most smartphones two-to-three times. At this capacity, it’s also affordable at approximately $50 USD at retail.
2) RAVpower 3rd Gen Deluxe 15,000mAh Portable Charger
If your intention is to fuel a small armada of mobile devices, there are few other places to look other than the 3rd generation RAVpower portable charger. While smarting for looks when compared to the prior sleek EasyAcc power bank, the RAVpower is less interested in looking stylish than it is making sure your tech is permanently powered. The RAVpower can supply mutliple devices with power at once, and features three outputs: a 2.4 and 2.1 USB output, as well as MicroUSB. It even has a small LED flashlight for existential crises in the dark. Its slightly pricey at $114 USD at retail, but if you need to keep connected while out, there’s little competition.
3) Limefuel 24,000 Power Pack
The priciest portable charger on this list – and perhaps, for good reason – the Limefuel is also the largest capacity battery pack we could find at a (relatively) affordable price point. At $150 USD at retail, the Limefuel is either for the enthusiast or the paranoid, offering 24,000 mAh of power. The Limefuel offers four USB out ports, and a small LED flashlight. The Limefuel is also available in 15,600mAh and 18,000mAh configurations. At this price point, the Limefuel might represent an expensive purchase when compared to both prior entries. However, if you’re looking to power an iPhone 6, for instance, nearly six times, you needn’t look elsewhere. Perfect for weekends away.
4) New Trent PowerPak Xtreme 12,000mAh Portable Charger
Speaking of weekends away, any mountaineer, hiker or general outdoorsman worth his or her salt will advise you to keep your electronics in a safe a place as possible – and usually that’s at home. When that’s not an option, it’s time to search for a power bank capable of surviving the most dire and unforgiving terrain. That title easily goes to the New Trent PowerPak, which is water, dust, and shock proof. Shelled in a shock-resistant rubber grip, the PowerPak features two USB out ports. At roughly $60 USD, it’s a worthy buy for the outdoorsy who’re looking for a rubber-gripped power bank to keep their gadgets on, and their loved ones informed of their latest exploits.
5) Levin Solstar Solar Panel 5000mAh Portable Charger
If the New Trent PowerPak, above, was too heavy-handed a solution, the Levin Solstar might be the remedy. Small enough to fit comfortably on a harness or backpack, and slim and unobtrusive enough not to get in the way while doing so, the Levin Solstar lives up to it’s Latin root and offers solar charging – ideal for days spent outdoors orienteering. Arriving in three vivacious different colours (green, blue and yellow) the Solstar is hard to misplace. Sporting two USB out ports, a hiking key-hook, as well as functioning as a flashlight, the Solstar is further, like the New Trent PowerPack above it, dust, water, and shock proof. However, it only carries a small (in comparison) 5,000mAh charge which will likely only charge an iPhone 6 to full capacity one and half times. At $100 USD, it’s expensive, but ideal if you’re looking to avoid contributing to your monthly electricity bill.
That concludes our list of our top 5 portable power banks!
Do you feel we’ve left out any great portable chargers from out list above? What are your favourite Top 5 portable power banks? Do you use a specific power bank that you swear by? Let us know in the comments below!
Follow Bryan on Twitter: @bryansmith1138
