The Best Laptop Power Banks

Toss the right laptop power bank in your bag, and you’ll never need to do that panicked run to the nearest outlet again. A hefty portable charger frees you to sit anywhere with your laptop and keep it running. Power banks with USB-C ports can charge phones and headphones as well, and I’ve tested more than 100 of them over the past few years. These powerful, high-capacity portable batteries are the best ones when laptop charging is a priority. For this guide, I considered power banks that are 20,000 mAh and up, enough to charge most laptops twice.

If you want some smaller portable chargers, check out my guide to the best power banks, the best Qi2 and MagSafe power banks, or, for more power, the best portable power stations.

Power bank manufacturers have made strides in pushing up potential charging rates in their high-capacity portable chargers. EcoFlow’s Rapid Pro X is a prime example, just edging out Anker’s Prime series below. Capable of delivering 300 watts, this power bank is close to the maximum capacity allowed on flights and can charge a couple of laptops and phones at the same time via the three USB-C ports (140W, 65W, and 65W) and a retractable USB-C cable (140W). It has a wee display showing remaining power as a percentage and the charging rate for each connected device. You can also check temperature and battery health, tweak the brightness and screen timeout, and even connect to your phone via the Ecoflow app (though most folks won’t need to).

The Rapid Pro offers a laundry list of charging capabilities (PD3.1, PPS, QC3.0, AFC, Apple 2.4A, BC1.2, SCP, FCP, and UFCS), but its greatest feature could be its super speedy recharge rate. Charge from a single USB-C input at 140 watts, and it takes an hour or so to fill, but you can plug in both at once to hit 80 percent from dead in under half an hour. Even better, Ecoflow’s dock can charge via the pogo pins on the bottom at 320 watts, enabling you to go from zero to 80 percent in just 20 minutes. You can fully charge it while you pack a bag. The Rapid Pro X comes with the 27,650 mAh model and the charging dock. Ecoflow also offers a 20,000-mAh, 230W Rapid Pro model ($140).

Photograph: Simon Hill

Prime Power Bank

£180

Anker

Anker introduced an innovative, high-wattage, high-capacity Prime Power Bank series a few years ago with an optional docking station for faster recharging via pogo pins on the bottom. This model is more compact and powerful than ever, offering 26,250 mAh at 300 watts across two USB-C ports and one USB-A, making it suitable for charging a couple of MacBooks and a smartphone at once. It also boasts a smart display and app control, and it comes with a 3.3-foot USB-C cable. Plug in both USB-C ports, and you can recharge at 250 watts to 80 percent from zero in 20 minutes.

All it’s missing compared to my top pick is that retractable cable, but it’s a handy extra to have. There are a few older models in the Prime series, including a smaller 20,100-mAh version ($180) that can output 220 watts and a 27,650-mAh model ($162) that’s bigger but capped at 250 watts. Anker’s charging dock is a little nicer, more affordable than EcoFlow’s, and easier to use with the Prime range.

Starship Power Bank

$169

Aohi

$190, $170 (11% off)

Amazon (40,000 mAh)

$180, $135 (25% off)

Amazon (20,000 mAh)

Long may this trend of sci-fi-styled portable chargers continue. The Aohi Starship looks like something you might find on the Nostromo, with a black and yellow design, three ports on one end, and a display to show remaining battery life as a percentage and wattage in and out. Information is in yellow, but the display is very dim (too dim to make out in direct sunlight). This power bank supports PD 3.1 and can deliver a chart-topping 240 watts for two devices via the two USB-C ports (140 watts and 100 watts), making it a good choice if you want to charge two laptops simultaneously.

You can fly with it in your carry-on, and there’s a 140-watt 3.3-foot USB-C cable in the box. Aohi also offers a smaller, 20,000-mAh model ($180) that can deliver up to 210 watts via two USB-C ports or a bigger model capped at 140 watts. The larger, 40,000-mAh version ($190) will get you closer to two full charges, but it’s a bit slower, and you can’t take it on a plane.

Solix C300 DC Portable Power Station

£200 vs. £150 (25% off)

If you’re heading out for a weekend in the wilderness or a long road trip and want to keep your laptop ticking, this portable charger has a whopping 90,000-mAh capacity. You can charge it to 80 percent in an hour using the two fast USB-C ports, but it also has an XT60 input for a 100W solar panel (it took me several hours to charge this way fully) and a socket for charging from your car. It is heavy (6.17 pounds), but the tall form and carry handle make it easy to take with you, and Anker sells an optional shoulder strap for $30. You can connect the Anker app on your phone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but you don’t need to, as the display shows the percentage remaining, watts in or out, and a time-remaining estimate.

This is too big to carry around day-to-day, and you can’t fly with it, but if you’re going off-grid for a few days, it’s the highest-capacity portable charger you can realistically carry easily. It also has a lovely pop-up lantern with three brightness settings and a versatile array of ports. I have a separate Best Portable Power Stations guide with recommendations for anyone who needs even more power.

Here are a few more tried and tested power banks for laptops that might be worth considering.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Shargeek 170 Power Bank for $169: Perfect for lovers of translucent tech, this power bank has a 24,000-mAh capacity capable of charging most laptops once. It looks cool, with a smart display showing battery life as a percentage, time remaining, and the input or output in watts, and it supports Power Delivery 3.1, Quick Charge 4.0, and PPS, among other standards. While the total maximum output is 170 watts, you are limited to 140 watts from a single USB-C port.

Anker Laptop Power Bank for $120: While this power bank is an excellent all-rounder and tops my best power banks guide, the 100-watt limit means it can’t charge your laptop as quickly as my other picks. If you don’t care about speed, it’s still a solid option, but sticking with Anker, some folks will prefer the Prime above, with a 300-watt maximum output, or the 737 below, because it can send or receive 140 watts from a single USB-C port.

Photograph: Simon Hill

Anker 737 Power Bank for $110: This is a versatile and reliable 24,000-mAh-capacity power bank that supports power delivery 3.1 and can send or receive up to 140 watts to charge laptops. You can charge it from zero within an hour. It’s relatively compact, but it weighs almost 1.4 pounds. The snazzy digital display shows the remaining battery percentage and stats, including the temperature, total output, cycles, and more. It fast-charged everything I tested it with, and you can charge three devices at once without a problem.

Ugreen 145W Power Bank for $70: Surprisingly compact for a 25,000-mAh battery, this weighs 1.1 pounds and has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port. Our former pick for tablets, the Ugreen, actually offers 145 watts, one USB-C port at 100 W, and the other at 45 W. There’s a small LED readout on the side of the battery with the current charge state of the battery. I’d have liked to see some charging info on that screen as well, but that’s a small quibble with what’s an otherwise outstanding option if you need to keep your tablet or iPad charged up wherever you are.

Cuktech 15 Ultra for $72: With impressive build quality, including a nice grippy material on the underside and a handy display showing power output and input, this Cuktech (pronounced “chook-tek”) power bank boasts a 20,000-mAh capacity, can charge two or three devices simultaneously at up to 165 watts, and supports many fast-charging protocols, including PPS, QC, PD3.1, FCP, SCP, and MiPPS.

Not every power bank I test impresses, and you can do better with something above.

Iniu Power Bank for $60: Offering relatively low prices, Iniu is a power bank brand on the rise. This portable charger packs a 25,000-mAh capacity, can put out up to 100W, and charges three devices at once via the two USB-C ports and a single USB-A port. Unfortunately, it fell well short of the stated capacity when tested.