Nothing can turn your great Android phone from state-of-the-art to overpriced paperweight faster than a dead battery. The best portable chargers and power banks can help recharge your tech when life plays keep-away with your power outlets. Portable chargers used to be big, bulky, and slow, but USB-C power banks and Power Delivery charging standards have made things much faster — fast enough to charge laptops, even — and have allowed power banks to get slimmer and better than ever. There are plenty of options in every shape or size, but our favorite is the versatile Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless. Still, there are plenty of other choices that rank among the best portable battery packs. Here are our top recommendations that you can buy today.

Best overall: Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless

Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless

Look, ma, no wires!

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

While most portable chargers only let you recharge your devices with wired charging, wireless portable chargers are showing up in the best portable chargers making the feature finally become somewhat mainstream. There were several hurdles that early models had to overcome — finicky placement, inconsistent speeds, and the higher energy loss that inherently comes with wireless charging — but we've finally reached the point where wireless power banks are dependable, widely compatible, and consistent.

While most wireless power banks only charge at 5W, the Anker PowerCore III 10K Wireless will charge Samsung smartphones at 10W, iPhones at 7.5W, and all other Qi-enabled phones at 5W, even smaller devices like Galaxy Buds Live or AirPods Pro. When you need faster speeds, you can use the USB-C port for 18W Power Delivery charging to refill your phone more quickly.

Flexibility is paramount in an accessory that will outlive your phone, and being able to use a power bank even when you forget the cable at home is liberating. While this isn't the thinnest power bank around, the usefulness of wireless charging coils and the sturdy design of the PowerCore III Wireless is worth the added thickness — and price.

Anker loves to slip in little details to help elevate the experience with its products, including a nicely fitting travel pouch, a high-quality USB-C-to-C cable, and a curious little clip that can extend out from one side. This kickstand allows you to slot your phone into it and keep watching while charging via USB-C or USB-A. (If you want to use the kickstand while wirelessly charging your phone, keep reading, we'll cover one later.)

Best on a budget: Aukey Slimline PD Power Bank (10,000mAh)

Aukey Slimline PD Power Bank (10,000mAh)

Good size at an even better price.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Aukey makes some of the best phone accessories on the market, and its Omnia chargers hold multiple spots on our best 100W Power Delivery chargers and best GaN chargers because its gear tends to last a long time and be priced more competitively. This holds true for its portable chargers, too, with the Aukey Slimline offering the best blend of power and portability for the price of pizza night with the fam.

Roughly the size of a Pixel 6 Pro, this 10,000mAh power bank can charge up to three devices at once while still being slim enough to slip in your pocket next to your phone. You can choose from either USB-C Power Delivery or Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0, meaning whether your phone is brand new or a few generations old, the Slimline will charge them all with ease.

Unlike the Anker, Aukey doesn't provide you with a travel pouch, but it does still come with a C-to-C cable for quickly recharging this portable charger — it can also charge via microUSB if you've still also go those hanging around. Considering you're probably going to use a C-to-C cable to charge your phone, you can use that same one to charge the bank when you get home at night. 10,000mAh should recharge most phones 2-3 times.

Best for laptops: Baseus Adaman 20,000mAh Power Bank

Baseus Adaman 20,000mAh Power Bank

Get high capacity and speeds without super high prices.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

When choosing the best portable charger, it's all about balancing power with portability. After all, a power bank doesn't do you any good if it's so bulky that you forget it at home. Likewise, a power bank that's small but low-capacity can run dry before your day is over, especially when you need to keep multiple devices alive. Lower-capacity portable chargers also have lower charging speeds, making them incapable of powering anything larger than a tablet.

These factors are why the 20,000mAh Adaman power bank from Baseus is almost perfectly balanced as the best portable charger on the market. Weighing in at just over a pound, this power bank can recharge a phone 4-6 times, but it also has the ability to recharge tablets and laptops thanks to its 65W Power Delivery output. Whether you're trying to power one of the best Chromebooks, a MacBook, or some Windows laptop with USB-C, you can top them off with the Adaman.

There are three ports on this power bank — one 65W USB-C port and two USB-A ports capable of 30W  — so if you're going to be charging a laptop and phone regularly, you'll need to keep a USB-C to USB-A cable handy. It's worth mentioning that if you are charging devices using all of the ports, you'll max out at 30W total output. Baseus includes a C-to-C cable for charging your laptop or phone, as well as for recharging your portable charger.

You'll be able to recharge your portable charger at up to 60W if using a wall charger that is capable of that sort of output. While it's nice that Baseus included an LED display to clearly see how much power is left in the charger, it would have been even better if a wireless charging pad had made it in as well.

Best compact: Zendure SuperMini (10,000mAh)

Zendure SuperMini (10,000mAh)

I'm not tiny! I'm travel size for your convenience.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Finding the best portable charger that won't stick out of your pockets awkwardly — especially if all the jeans they make for your body type have tiny, tiny pockets — can be challenging. But Zendure's smallest portable charger aptly named the SuperMini and is just what you're looking for. This 10,000mAh bank offers the same 18W speeds — or 20W, on Supermini 20W models — and ports as the Anker PowerCore III and the Aukey Basix Slim, but it packs it into a footprint that's smaller than a credit card and light enough to not tug at your jeans when carrying it in your pocket all day.

For a small, rugged power bank, you'd expect this to come in boring colors like black and white. Instead, you have six color options with the Supermini, though you might have to search around a little more for the newer Minty Green and Misty Rose. I'm partial to the Blue Horizon, which is bold, beautiful, and easy to spot amongst the clutter that is my standing desk, but the Sunrise Red is also super-cute.

If there's any downside to this pint-sized power bank, it's that the ports are at opposite ends, which makes things awkward if you're charging two devices at once while walking around — such as in the airport rushing to catch a flight. For a bank this small, you'll likely only need to charge one device at a time, but it's worth mentioning.

Best 25,000+ mAh option: Anker PowerCore Elite III 25600 87W Bundle

Anker PowerCore Elite III 25600 87W Bundle

Keep power-hungry laptops alive with Anker.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

When looking for power banks, Anker will invariably come up on the first page of every search. Anker is one of the most trusted brands in the space, offering durable, dependable, and long-lasting power banks that will stand the test of time. It may not be at the forefront of every bleeding-edge feature or trend, but it refines each of its products and present them in a premium package. Such is the case with the PowerCore Elite III, which gives you the ability to power a laptop and three phones at once thanks to two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports.

The claim to fame for this power bank is that it supports 87W Power Delivery charging. If 87W sounds like a weird number to you, it's the highest speed many MacBooks charge at, meaning if you're trying to keep your Mac alive while you're rendering some 4K video in some cafe, the Anker PowerCore III Elite will actually charge your Mac instead of struggling to keep it alive.

Both USB-C ports are capable of 87W, but that speed is only attainable when it's the only thing plugged in. When 2-4 devices are plugged in, the maximum output is 78W. That would still give you 45W for the laptop, 18W for the USB-C-connected phone, and 12W for the two USB-A devices to share, which is pretty impressive.

This bank has a higher capacity than the Baseus Adaman, but it has almost three times the price tag, too. However, Anker offsets some of that price by throwing in a PowerPort III 65W wall charger and Powerline cable that'll recharge the Elite III in just over two hours.

Best midrange power bank: RAVPower 15000mAh Compact Power Bank

RAVPower PD Pioneer 15000mAh Compact Power Bank

Small enough to carry, big enough to power the whole family.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

RAVPower makes some of the best power banks that offer excellent bang for the buck on the market. That includes this 15,000mAh power bank that costs less than half some 10,000mAh banks on this esteemed list. Sitting between 10,000 and 20,000mAh, this Goldilocks of a portable charger might not have the highest speeds, but if you need to keep several phones topped off throughout a long, long day of waiting in lines at Universal or that cross-country road trip, this is exactly what you need.

18W USB-C Power Delivery charging will fast-charge everything from Samsung to Pixel to OnePlus and beyond. Yes, 18W may not be top speed, but it's a profile literally the best of Android smartphones support, so it's universally compatible and every Power Delivery charger has it for quickly recharging the power bank, too.

This 15,000mAh power bank also takes the guesswork out of exactly how much charge you have left. Rather than having to guess wherein a 25% range, it is from four measly led lights, RAVPower includes an LCD to show a 1-100% status of battery life. This is especially great for ensuring you leave the bank between 80% and 40% before you stick it on a shelf for months at a time between your trips or vacations. Leaving a bank fully charged for months on end can damage the battery's ability to hold a full charge, so it's good to discharge it down a bit first so that it's closer to half-full instead.

Best for gaming: Aukey Basix Pro (20,000mAh)

Aukey Basix Pro (20,000mAh)

Charge up while you keep playing.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Aukey's Basix line of chargers has not one but two wireless models on it, and I'm particularly fond of the 20,000mAh version because it's slightly more sturdy and features a LED display where you can see exactly how much of a charge is left. Don't get me wrong, those four little indicator dots are just fine for smaller power banks, but it's so refreshing to be able to tell if my power bank is at 75% or 52% when that means the difference between having 15,000mAh worth of charge or 10,000mAh out of 20,000mAh.

You may notice that the Basix Pro has a lot in common with the Anker PowerCore III Wireless — same wired and wireless charging speeds, same number of ports — but the Aukey has double the capacity in almost the same size power bank. Aukey's kickstand also has a leg up because you can simultaneously use the wireless charger and kickstand.

Where Aukey loses points is that while you have a small symbol marking the middle of the charging coil, there's not as much of a guide for phone placement as on the Anker, nor is there the non-slip ring to help keep your phone in place. When your phone slipping half an inch, can shut down the wireless charging, anything to keep the phone in place is heavily appreciated.

Best power station: Fanttik Evo 300 Portable Power Station

Fanttik Evo 300 Portable Power Station

Go big or go home.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Power banks come in some pretty large sizes, but at some point, it's better to transition to the boxier form factor of a power station. These ultra-high-capacity portable chargers are designed to power small appliances on camping trips or keep your gear alive during a hurricane, and they have a wide array of port types and power levels to choose from. The best power stations can run you hundreds or thousands depending on what capacity you go with, but I prefer the balance of capacity and price that comes around the 200-300Whr range.

While some may not be familiar with Fanttik, the company is making a name for itself with high-quality products made for on-the-go lifestyles. The Fanttik Evo 300 power station size is a great option due to its Power Delivery input and output and variety of ports. It hits the sweet spot between too expensive for the masses and too small to power anything other than laptops. Fanttik goes for the traditional toolbox style where all the ports go on the front, and a big honking handle up top is easy to grab and carry from car to campsite. 

You can use the two AC plugs to charge non-Power Delivery electronics or run a camp fridge, but don't expect it to power beefier appliances due to a max output of 300W from the AC outlets. It'll power some CPAP/BIPAP machine models, but not all, so check your model's rating if this is something you rely on and need a backup should the power fail in your region again. With the large LED lamp built into the back of the unit, you'll have plenty of light for your room if the power does go out. If you want a power station in case of extended power outages after hurricanes, ice storms, or floods, Fanttik makes solar panels as well to recharge the device, but they cost a pretty penny.

Why size matters for the best portable chargers

You can find portable chargers in a variety of sizes, but for the majority of you reading this, you're going to want either a compact 10,000mAh or a slightly beefier 20,000mAh portable charger. I'm partial to the former, such as the strikingly colored Zendure SuperMini, which makes it easy to slip into a pocket when out and about.

The best power bank is the one you remember to bring with you, and smaller, lighter banks are easier to carry around. 10,000mAh also gives you enough power to recharge a phone twice before it needs a recharge, but if you need to keep a whole family's worth of phones alive during a long day or a long weekend — or if you're only going to own a single power bank rather than a couple in different sizes — get the Anker PowerCore Elite III.

Anker's high-capacity bank is just over a pound in weight so that it won't weigh down a backpack or purse too much during long grueling days of travel or adventure. The 87W Power Delivery output means you can recharge laptops, and the bank can fully recharge in three hours, so you aren't tethered to a wall long when you're topping it back up.

Why battery packs are harder to find in stock right now

Currently, the world is dealing with a shipping crisis and chip shortages, though it's improving, the situation is crippling many industries and making it hard for manufacturers, vendors, and retailers to keep a wide array of products in stock. Given that power banks have restraints that prevent them from being shipped via air in bulk, they're especially impacted by the backlog in most American ports. This means that as hard as it is to find the best power banks right now, it's likely to only get worse until a solution can be found or the backlog is finally tackled.

Those looking for a new power bank right now can do two things. Firstly, if you already have a working power bank, you shouldn't replace it until it breaks. Once it breaks, please use an electronics recycling program or e-waste reclamation program to ensure that as much material from the broken bank can be recovered and recycled into other electronics (or disposed of properly).

Second, if you need a new power bank, be prepared to be patient. Don't wait until the last second to buy that power bank for your business trip or your Thanksgiving pilgrimage over the river and through the woods. Allow time for shipping delays and don't expect many deals this holiday shopping season due to lower-than-normal supply.