The best power banks 2025: Top portable chargers for smartphones

If you want a power bank with all the bells and whistles you could imagine, look no further than Anker’s top-end Prime 20,000mAh. It is one of the more expensive options in our chart at a cool £129/$129, but it’ll undoubtedly be worth the price for many.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Prime is its built-in screen, and it’s not a basic one like that of Ugreen’s competing Nexode 100W either. It’s a full-colour screen that displays a range of information, from available battery capacity to the specific charge speeds of each USB port, of which there are two USB-Cs and one USB-A to make use of.

The USB-C ports top out at 100W, making them ideal for quickly charging phones and even laptops. As seen in our benchmark testing, it can simultaneously deliver full 100W power from both USB-C ports. The USB-A port is similarly equipped with 65W charge speeds, playing nicely with USB-C PD and QuickCharge 3.0 systems.

The 20,000mAh battery capacity is enough to charge even the chunkiest smartphones a couple of times before needing a top-up itself, and although we saw an efficiency of 82% when charging at the top speeds of 100W, that’s still pretty respectable. Other power banks we’ve tested have dropped far lower.

Despite that fairly large capacity, you can fully recharge the battery pack via USB-C in as little as 56 minutes using a 100W USB-C charger. It is a bit of a chunk, however, more an accessory that’ll live in a rucksack than in a pocket.

The Ugreen Nexode 100W matches the Anker Prime in many respects, offering the same 20,000mAh capacity and 100W output via its USB-C port. There’s even a screen, albeit one that only displays remaining battery life rather than the more helpful info its competitor provides.

However, it’s much cheaper to buy at £79.99/$79.99, and can be found even cheaper during sales, offering exceptional value for money.

Now it’s not quite the same as the top-end Anker power bank in the performance department; while there are two USB-Cs and a single USB-A, you can only hit the 100W mark (or 98W, as our testing showed) from the primary USB-C port when charging a single device, with around 81% efficiency. You’ve also got a secondary USB-C that outputs 30W and a USB-A that outputs 22.5W.

You can charge three devices at once, but the primary USB-C drops to 60W, while the secondary outputs share the same 20W, split between 13W and 7W from the USB-C and USB-A ports respectively during testing. However, if you’re only charging your smartphone, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.

It’s also not quite as premium-looking as the Anker Prime with a rather generic rectangular design and curved edges, but then, do you really need a good-looking power bank when it’ll likely just sit in a rucksack most of the time? Probably not.

Given just how many power banks Anker currently sells, it can be tricky to know which of the company’s wares might be best for your needs, so with that in mind, the best way of summing up the Anker Nano Power Bank 10K 45W is that it’s ideal for anyone who wants a proper all-day battery in a compact build that easy to carry around.

Even though it packs a massive 10,000mAh battery, the Anker Nano is still small enough to easily fit in a jacket pocket, and you’ll barely notice its presence if you add it to your rucksack. Still, despite its size, having such a large battery to hand does give you plenty of freedom as you use your most favoured devices throughout the day.

The Nano can be used to either fully (or thereabouts) charge up a laptop, or be used to top up your phone and then some. Depending on how you use your devices, you may also have some juice left to top up any accessories, like a vlogging camera or a pair of earbuds. Whatever you decide to bring with you, having the Anker Nano to hand should be enough to dissuade any notions of battery anxiety.

You don’t have to leave anything to chance either, as the handy onboard display can let you know at all times exactly how much of the battery is remaining. The built-in USB-C cable is also greatly appreciated as you won’t need to worry about always keeping a separate cable on your person in order to make use of the power bank. The cable is retractable too, so it won’t come loose whilst in your bag.

When it comes to charging itself, the Anker Nano can output up to 45W, although this will adapt depending on the device in use and the remaining battery capacity of the power bank. Overall, it’s an excellent option for ensuring that all your most crucial devices are kept topped up when needed throughout the day.

If you’ve got a MagSafe-enabled iPhone and want a convenient way to charge your phone, Anker’s MagGo Power Bank 10K is a no-brainer.

It features MagSafe compatibility that allows it to snap onto the back of the phone, and if you’re at a desk, the power bank sports a flip-out stand that turns it into a mobile dock – ideal for gaming sessions or watching Netflix without battery drain. And, at 20mm thick and 250g, it’s not offensively chunky either.

It also has a screen like other Anker power banks, though this one is rather basic in comparison, only displaying the current charge percentage. Still, it’s a nice mod-con that delivers a more accurate idea of remaining battery life than a smattering of LEDs.

The MagSafe output delivers the same 15W as the first-party Apple accessories, a step up from many 7.5W third-party alternatives, and the secondary USB-C port can output at an iPhone-friendly 27W for relatively speedy charging.

Despite the advertised capacity of 10,000mAh, we clocked an input of 11,483mAh and an output of 10,072mAh from the USB-C port, which gives the power bank a rather impressive 87% efficiency – the most efficient of any power bank in our chart right now. That indicates some pretty premium tech within the power bank, suiting its high-end look.

However, at £89.99/$89.99, you’re certainly paying for that experience, especially when you can find similar power banks (albeit less efficient ones) with MagSafe charging at a cheaper price point.