There are so many portable chargers on the market now it can be daunting to know which you need and for when, how many charges you’ll get for your phone or tablet, so here are portable chargers simplified and then you can take your pick.
You should purchase a portable charger depending on weight and power, with the latter being defined by mAh. The mAh, or milliampere hours your battery has, the more charge it offers and this will also affect the weight.
Compact Portable Chargers up to 5000 mAh with single USB port.
These are the lightest of portable chargers and are perfect for a full day out. As long as you keep yours charged up – and this will take several hours so best done overnight - the smallest, 3500 mAh (and my advice is not to go smaller than that) weighs very little and will give you a full charge for an iPhone 6 or equivalent. If you want a bit more then go to something a bit more robust, say 5000 mAh, and you'll get a good couple of charges. Don't expect it to charge your iPad though.
Portable Chargers and Battery Packs 5000 – 10,000 mAh
At 6700 mAh portable chargers are just that – still extremely portable, and this is the battery strength I normally take around with me. For that you’ll get 2 full charges to a normal smartphone, and 1+ to something like an iPhone 7 Plus or Galaxy S8.
Moving up to around 10,000 mAh you’re going to be getting much more tech and power for your money, both in terms of charging capability and weight. This TP-Link charger has two USB ports which means you can charge two phones simultaneously, and enough oomph to charge a smartphone 3 – 5 times or your iPad as well.
Portable Chargers and Battery Packs over 10,000 mAh
We’re into weekend territory here with much heavier battery packs which are also, of course, much more powerful.
TP-Link’s 20,100 mAh portable charger really means business, charge it up fully first (I always charge mine overnight) and it’ll give you 5-7 smartphone charges and will also be fine with a tablet. This is one to pack in your wheelie or overnight bag. Alternatively consider RAVPower’s 16,700 mAh portable charger which is almost as powerful and again will charge two devices at the same time.
These are brilliantly useful pieces of tech that once you start using you won’t want to be without. Just remember to keep them charged and get the one that suits your lifestyle the best. Preferably get a lighter ‘one-day’ portable charger and a more powerful one for longer trips. And give one of these as a gift to everyone you know, then they'll stop pinching yours......
