2024 Powerbank (Never owned one, need one for upcoming trip)

iNeed2Pee on 25/04/2024 - 14:33

Im going to make this short and sweet. Specific to what I need.

I need a powerbank to charge my Iphone 14 pro max and my wifes Samung s23.

We are going overseas to Africa/Europe for 7 weeks and with our phones now dwindling on power and the fact we will use them throughout the trip I am in need of a powerbank.

My problem: I have done heaps of research and the spectrum is wide and far.

Tell me:
What would you recommend?
I am not worried about the price being cheap. I am just looking at something that is highly rated, good quality and to be honest one where I can buy it without it being linked to a weird website where I am not sure what will turn up.
Ive seen Anker, Xiamo, Cygnett and theres about 30 versions of each. 10,000mah, 20,000mah etc.

Thanks.

Electrical & Electronics Power Bank

Comments

  • DOGGYWOWWOW on 25/04/2024 - 14:42

    10,000 mah should be able to charge either of those phones from flat 1.5 times, 20,000 mah will double that.

    For budget brands, INIU and Vrurc are generally good. For higher end, Xiaomi and Anker.

    • iNeed2Pee on 25/04/2024 - 14:45

      Re the Xiaomi and Anker, any specific ones you recommend for those?

      or just any 20,000 mah?

      • DOGGYWOWWOW on 25/04/2024 - 14:48
        +1

        To charge phones anything will do, just check it outputs more than 15W.

        This VRURC 20000mah is a decent deal and has good reviews: $27.19 delivered with prime

  • freefall101 on 25/04/2024 - 14:49
    +4

    For something reliable on a trip I'd spend a little more and get a xiaomi or anker.

    Just don't go over 20,000mah too (and make sure it's standard voltage so it's under 100wh).

    • Gunnar on 25/04/2024 - 16:11

      Yeah this on the mah and wh. Also remember that a big power bank will weigh a bit and eat into your carry on luggage for flights (it can’t go in check in)

      Turn off your WiFi, Bluetooth and only keep the essential apps on mobile data and you will boost up your battery life.

      I recently used a baseus 20,000mah 65wh around Asia (6weeks) for an iPhone 15 and s23, it was fine. If you don’t intend on every using it to charge a laptop you won’t need 65wh

      • lolcoaster on 25/04/2024 - 18:02

        Also remember that a big power bank will weigh a bit and eat into your carry on luggage for flights (it can’t go in check in)

        Just strap it to your body

        • serpserpserp on 25/04/2024 - 20:45

          I don't have any room after I strap my holiday spending money to my body tho

    • BoomTetrisForJeff on 26/04/2024 - 17:50

      took 100w 25000mah iniu powerbank for my japan trip worked very well, got flagged at customs bag scanning area, they took out the powerbank to check and gave it the all clear.

    • DOGGYWOWWOW on 25/04/2024 - 15:43

      I lean towards the Xiaomi. I'm not sure about the reliability of the Cygnett although you will have a good warranty and the Anker only does 15w. None of those are a particularly good deal though. The Xiaomi is good but 50w is overkill.

      • iNeed2Pee on 25/04/2024 - 15:59

        I would have thought the cygnett one for $69 is not a bad deal

        • DOGGYWOWWOW on 25/04/2024 - 16:06

          It's too expensive in my opinion, doesn't justify paying almost 3x when compared to the Vrurc I linked above.

          • iNeed2Pee on 25/04/2024 - 16:16

            @DOGGYWOWWOW: how did you get it for $27? Showing 32 on my end…

            • DOGGYWOWWOW on 25/04/2024 - 16:24

              @iNeed2Pee: There was another $5 coupon when i linked it earlier but I guess someone else ordered it and exhausted the coupon.

              • iNeed2Pee on 25/04/2024 - 16:35

                @DOGGYWOWWOW: Thanks for the link. I thought why not after looking at the reviews. Just needs to last me the 7 weeks tbh.

              • Prong on 25/04/2024 - 16:42

                @DOGGYWOWWOW: Weirdly when I look at it, it shows a save 30% promotion, and a save 22% promotion. But at the checkout it only applies the 30% one.

                Entering the code (BTPD8TG2) for the 22% off at the checkout does not work either.

                There don't seem to be any terms that exclude using both. Weird!

          • iNeed2Pee on 25/04/2024 - 16:23

            @DOGGYWOWWOW: $32 is actually really good regardless. Obviously it was $16 two weeks before on a lightning deal but everything ive looked at what you linked is actually not bad. I just bought it

            • DOGGYWOWWOW on 25/04/2024 - 18:54

              @iNeed2Pee: Theres a new 10% coupon which makes it $29.99 if you're bothered to cancel and reorder. It actually stacks this time unlike the 22% promotion.

        • 82norm on 26/04/2024 - 08:05

          Got the Cygnett 20000mah, works a treat. No reliability, recharging issues.

  • SharedSugar on 25/04/2024 - 15:48
    +3

    Two 10 000 mah might be more useful than one 20 000 mah. The sizes vary a bit by model but the 10 000 I have are about the size of a phone. With 10cm cable you can hold the battery and phone in one hand while charging. That would be harder with most 20 000 models.

    I wouldnt bother with wireless charging but I got the anker one in the last deal. I haven’t tried it yet.

    I haven’t ever had trouble with any I’ve bought from Xiaomi or even an unbranded one I bought from a convenience store.

    • zombrex on 25/04/2024 - 19:05

      Also adds redundancy. Harder to loose two powerbanks or have two go faulty vs one unit.

  • Prong on 25/04/2024 - 15:55
    +1

    Will you ever use it to charge other devices, such as a laptop?

    If not, I would suggest buying two power banks. Either identical, or one larger and one smaller.

    20,000 mAh is good, and will charge one phone 3 times over.
    A 10,000 mAh power bank will give about 1.5 full charges to a phone.

    As has been mentioned, you want at least 20W output. 18W is also ok, as that will fast charge most phones almost as quick as higher wattages.

    The VRURC power bank DOGGYWOWWOW linked for $27.19 is an excellent deal, as is it currently quite cheap, and decent quality.
    www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09LC82WS3

    INIU is another good brand that is on the cheaper end, but has a good warranty. Here are the 20,000 mAh and 10,000mAh options. Handily they have a (not very bright) LED torch built in.
    www.amazon.com.au/INIU-Portable-20000mAh-Charging-Compatible…
    www.amazon.com.au/INIU-Portable-Charger-10500mAh-Charging/dp…

    If maximum reliability is a goal, then you want a power bank that uses 21700 cells, rather than pouch cells.

    The best ones are the Anker 737, the ZMI No.20, and the Ugreen 145W. They are typically 25,000mAh, which will do around 3.5 charges per phone. And will charge a laptop. They are much more expensive when not on sale.

    Anker 737 - www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09VPHVT2Z
    ZMI No.20 - www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08YKKZBYQ
    Ugreen 145W - www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BJQ7F16

  • AustriaBargain on 25/04/2024 - 16:04

    If you have a newer iPhone then those magnetic battery packs are handy. Some run a bit hot.

  • FoxJump on 25/04/2024 - 21:04

    id like a lifepo power bank. any of those around?
    to supplement my lifepo small Powerstation

  • Agent Q on 25/04/2024 - 22:05
    +1

    Get a 20,000 mah fast charging power bank.

    As someone else suggested, INIU which comes up at around $30 to $35 on Amazon every now and again.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/841615

  • Nicoletta on 26/04/2024 - 08:11

    I bought this Charmast power bank and it’s been great. Love the convenience of the inbuilt cables. My kids have charged their iPhone and Samsung phones simultaneously and it charges quite quickly. https://amzn.asia/d/6lseZB0

  • numloxx on 26/04/2024 - 08:36

    I bought the Shargeek 100, very good quality battery.
    https://sharge.com/products/storm2

    • Ramrunner on 26/04/2024 - 11:59

      I've always admired the sexiness of that product especially since Marques reviewed it BUT

      You may have to hand in your OzBargain membership for suggesting a US$275 power bank LoL

  • BendBridge on 26/04/2024 - 11:37

    This doesn’t answer your question but I just want to share my experience with a really cheap power bank I bought on my recent trip to HK’s Golden Arcade. It’s a no name 10000mAh power bank with two USB-A charging ports (can charge two phones simultaneously). It can be charged with either a micro-USB or a USB-C port. It’s also a torch. The price was only HKD$19 ( AUD$5). It has charged my iPhone XS Max for my trips throughout Asia.

  • kiitos on 26/04/2024 - 15:28

    What sort of life do these powerbanks have in terms of recharge cycles? Is it recommended to not fully charge them etc?

    I had a small capacity one a while ago but it seemed to lose its charge capacity fairly quickly.

  • The Hawk on 27/04/2024 - 10:51

    Another strong recommendation, make sure that your powerbank can charge your devices while it is being charged itself. Means you can plug in your powerbank to the wall to charge while also charging any connected devices overnight rather than needing extra chargers for all the things or having to swap things in and out all the time.

    I've got an older 27,000mAh Cygnet unit that has USB A/C as well as wireless charging, but can't charge things while it's being charged. Great for camping, terrible for travelling.

  • WT on 27/04/2024 - 22:30

    2.5ah ozito battery with their $17 adapter charged my phone twice and my tablet once with an unknown amount of charge left

    4ah charged 4 other peoples phones plus mine and had 2/3 bars left

  • ameyas7 on 08/08/2024 - 12:15

    In Europe (at least I can vouch for Paris, Switzerland, Italy) you should be able to find free charging points / power points at several public places including trains, stations, food courts etc. so it's not a must have for that region. Not sure about Africa. Having said that, while I managed to survive without any powerbank, there were couple of instances where we had to switch to power saving mode to get more juice before reaching hotel. Also both me and my wife use samsung devices so we could share power wirelessly between our phones. So it also depends on your usage and whether or not you can survive without devices in one-off instance. Alternatively keeping some good quality powerbank handy should give you some peace of mind. You can use those free ports to charge the bank too so you do not need to buy a powerbank with huge capacity. I'd reckon to do some research on places you will be going to see if they offer free charging stations / ports, how easily accessible they are, how many critical devices you have and respective devices battery capacity etc. Then you can take a call on what size fits your specific scenario. Hope that helps.

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