If you ever wanted to charge your smartphone or any other device while you were on-the-go then there is a solution to it and that would be by using a power bank. Power banks are chargers that can be taken anywhere because they have their own batteries. They’re so useful that they’ve become very popular over the years and that has caused there to be many charging electronics companies to rise and also sell portable chargers. What’s important to note though is that there’s a lot to choose from now and that can make it difficult to know the variety of power banks that are good for you.

Another thing is that many people don’t even know where to start when it comes to purchasing a power bank in the first place as there are quite a lot of parts to consider. That is the reason I’ve gathered up the vital features that a power bank has and the main types of portable chargers on the market to let you know the best way to purchase a power bank.

The Portability is Reflective of its Size

The power capacity of a power bank and its size are both connected. That is why there are basically two main types of portable chargers that are on the market: Ones with high power capacities and then there are ones with low capacities.

Low Capacities

Power banks that have low capacities are ones that are usually used the most, the reason for that is because these chargers are quite small. Being small is the result of not using many batteries and most of these small power banks just use a single battery most of the time and they come in two main different form factors. There are Mini power banks that are cylinders and those are the ones that use Lithium Ion batteries, then there are ones that use Lithium Polymer batteries and these types of portable chargers are the ones that are Slim and about the same size and weight as your smartphone.

As portable as these power banks are they do have a pretty large flaw and that would be the fact that most of them are only able to charge a smartphone to its full power only once. Also, most of these chargers only use a single USB so they can only charge a single device at a time.

High Capacities

Then there are power banks that have high power and in general, these chargers are a lot more use full than low capacity power banks. First though, let’s just point out the main flaw and that would be the usage of their high capacities. A high capacity of 20,000mAh and beyond requires that the power bank use multiple batteries and that is going to result in the portable charger being larger and heavier than low capacity ones. Most of these types of portable chargers are not going to fit into your pocket.

Now let’s go through the things that make portable chargers really great to have and that would be what makes them large and heavy, which is their power capacity. These chargers have enough power to charge smartphones, tablets, and lots of other variety of devices to their full power many times over. Another thing is that along with having a high power capacity, these portable chargers also use many USB ports, so you can charge lots of devices all at once.

These high capacity power banks tend to use special charging tech such as Quick Charge and USB-C as well.

Charging Speeds

Even though power banks are portable chargers that can be basically taken anywhere, they’re still a charging electronic and we’re always going to want to break free from them. That is why charging speeds with them matter.

When it comes to Mini power banks, charging speeds are usually going to be slow for the Output and Input. Input charging speeds being slow doesn’t really matter too much because Mini power banks don’t really have a lot of power to recover anyways.

That said, the main type of power bank that you want to care about charging speeds the most with are ones that have multiple USB ports. Since if you’re charging lots of devices at once, you’re going to want each of the devices that you’re charging the charge quite quickly. Just take a look at this charging criteria to get an idea of what charging speeds are going to be best:

5V/1.0A = Slow

5V/2.0A = Standard

5V/2.4A = Max Standard

5V/3.0A = Quick Charge/Type-C

So if you don’t have devices that are compatible with Quick Charge then it’s best to aim for a power bank that has 2.4A for each of its ports. However, if you do have a smartphone that is compatible with Quick Charge or Type-C charging tech then it’s vital to purchase a power bank that has those technologies as you’ll be able to get a very fast charging speed.

Power Bank Brand that you’re Buying From

There are lots of brands on the market that are selling power banks. Overall, there are ones that sell great quality portable chargers and then there are companies that are simply selling white labeled power banks that they have bought wholesale and are now selling them to consumers like us. That is why you must know about the brand that you’re purchasing from.

The first thing to do is take a look at the specifications of the power bank such as its charging speed and material. Then after that, it’s important to take a look at reviews for the portable charger that past people have posted so you can get an idea of what your experience would be like. Another thing is to take a look at the warranty of the power bank as that would give you an idea of whether or not the company believes in their product.

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