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8 best portable chargers and power banks to keep your phone going

Always running out of juice? Use one of these gadgets to keep your handset fully charged

Alistair Charlton
Monday 20 June 2022 12:01 BST
<p>We’ve even found one that doubles as a desk stand and a wireless earphone charger</p>

We’ve even found one that doubles as a desk stand and a wireless earphone charger

If you’re anything like us, your smartphone lives within reach almost all day and all night. But, with their 5G connections, GPS, huge screens and endless applications to entertain and inform, battery life is always at a premium.

As we’re sure you know, using a smartphone for an extended amount of time can put a massive dent in the battery life, and getting to the end of a long day with enough power left to order a taxi (or a takeaway) can feel like running an efficiency gauntlet.

But help is at hand, thanks to the humble power bank. Coming in all shapes and sizes, portable chargers can give your phone hours, or even days, of extra life, and the latest models use magnets and wireless charging to refill without even needing a cable. Others have integrated stands to prop up your phone on a plane or train, and one featured here even doubles as a desk stand and a wireless earphone charger too.

You will notice only three brands are featured here. This is because we have opted for the best-known and most trusted companies on the market, and chosen not to include those that were removed from Amazon in 2021 after reports of paying buyers to leave positive reviews.

With that housekeeping taken care of, here we present the best portable chargers for your smartphone.

How we tested

We’ve tested each of the below for speed, weight and power. Without this round-up, we would’ve been without our phones more than once while outside in the rain, an hour’s walk from home.

The best portable chargers for 2022 are:

  • Best overall – Anker 313 powercore 1000: £22.99, Anker.com
  • Best for Android users – Belkin USB-C powerbank 10K: £34.99, Currys.co.uk
  • Best for travelling – Anker 622: £49.99, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best for smaller iPhones – Belkin boost charge power magnetic wireless power bank: £29.99, Belkin.com
  • Best for versatility – Mophie powerstation wireless XL: £74.95, Zagg.com
  • Best for Apple users – Anker 633: £89.99, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best for wireless charging – Mophie snap+juice pack mini: £44.95, Currys.co.uk
  • Best for portability – Mophie powerstation mini: £22.68, Jp-uk.co.uk

Anker 313 powercore 10000

1 Anker Power 10000k.jpg .jpeg

Best: Overall

Rating: 9/10

  • Dimensions: 143mm x 70mm x 15mm
  • Weight: 256g
  • Connections: USB-A, USB-C
  • Capacity: 10,000mAh
  • Wireless: No

It might not have the most exciting design, but the Anker 313 is our favourite because it offers a large 10,000mAh capacity, USB-C connectivity and a fairly compact size for just £23. This battery pack also has a regular USB-A connection, and its USB-C socket can be used to charge the battery itself, as well as other devices like smartphones, tablets and even laptops.

  1. £22 from Anker.com
Prices may vary
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Belkin USB-C powerbank 10K

2 Belkin 10k.jpg

Best: For Android users

Rating: 8/10

  • Dimensions: 150mm x 70mm x 12mm
  • Weight: 213g
  • Connections: USB-A, USB-C
  • Capacity: 10,000mAh
  • Wireless: No

The Belkin USB-C powerbank 10K is another chunky, 10,000mAh battery pack. There’s no wireless charging, but there’s a pair of charge ports in the form of USB-C and USB-A, with cables included for both. A button and LED lights are used to show the battery’s current charge level, and…that’s about it. This is a nice, simple power bank with a larger capacity.

  1. £34 from Currys.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Anker 622

3 Anker 622.jpg

Best: For travelling

Rating: 8/10

  • Dimensions: 150mm x 65mm x 12mm
  • Weight: 146g
  • Connections: USB-C, Qi wireless, MagGo
  • Capacity: 5,000mAh
  • Wireless: Yes

This battery pack is compatible with Apple’s MagSafe technology, as featured in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. This enables the battery to attach magnetically to the back of your iPhone (or to your MagSafe-compatible case), which is a really handy way to wirelessly charge up the battery.

What’s more, the battery has a fold-out stand that smartly fixes into place using magnets and can prop your iPhone up in portrait or landscape orientation. This makes it perfect for holding your iPhone up on the table of a plane or train, while also filling the battery. A USB-C port can also be used to charge devices with a cable, so Android users aren’t left out, and for refilling the battery pack itself.

  1. £49 from Amazon.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Belkin boost charge power magnetic wireless power bank

4 Belkin boost magnetic wireless power bank .jpg

Best: For smaller iPhones

Rating: 7/10

  • Dimensions: 97mm x 65mm x 12mm
  • Weight: 109g
  • Connections: USB-C, Qi wireless, MagSafe
  • Capacity: 2,500mAh
  • Wireless: Yes

A smaller battery pack for more compact phones, this power bank from Belkin is best for small iPhones with MagSafe, like the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini. The battery fixes to the back of compatible iPhones using magnets, which automatically starts the wireless charging process.

It also has a USB-C port for topping up other devices, like Android phones. The capacity is only 2,500mAh though, so while this is a small and light battery, it doesn’t have the power of others featured in this roundup.

  1. £29 from Belkin.com
Prices may vary
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Mophie powerstation wireless XL

5 Mophie power station wireless xl.jpg

Best: For versatility

Rating: 8/10

  • Dimensions: 135mm x 70mm x 15mm
  • Weight: 221g
  • Connections: 10,000mAh
  • Capacity: USB-A, USB-C, Qi wireless
  • Wireless: No

This power bank from Mophie has a lot going for it. It has a large 10,000mAh capacity, and can charge devices using its USB-A and USB-C ports. It also has wireless charging, so you can top up a phone battery by simply resting it on top of the power bank.

There’s a button and LED lights on the side for checking the remaining charge of the power bank, and the soft, fabric-like finish gives it a quality feel. The large capacity on offer here should fill most smartphones twice over.

  1. £74 from Zagg.com
Prices may vary
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Anker 633

6 Anker 633.jpg

Best: For Apple users

Rating: 9/10

  • Dimensions: 160mm x 110mm x 110mm
  • Weight: 405g
  • Connections: Qi wireless x2. USB-C
  • Capacity: 5,000mAh
  • Wireless: Yes

So much more than a power pack, the Anker 633 is an iPhone stand and charger, plus a portable MagSafe-compatible battery, and a wireless AirPods charger all-in-one. We love having the 633 on our desk, where it charges our iPhone, holds it at a convenient angle, fills the removable battery pack, and tops up our AirPods.

As with other MagSafe-compatible batteries, this product only works with the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, as it connects magnetically and charges wirelessly. That said, the battery also has a USB-C port, so can be used to top up other devices too, using a cable.

Read our full review of the Anker 633

  1. £89 from Amazon.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Mophie Snap+juice pack mini

7 Mophie snap juice mini.jpg

Best: For wireless charging

Rating: 8/10

  • Dimensions: 112mm x 70mm x 12mm
  • Weight: 140g
  • Connections: USB-C, Qi wireless
  • Capacity: 5,000mAh
  • Wireless: Yes

This is another MagSafe-compatible battery pack, but what’s interesting is how it comes with a so-called “snap adaptor”. This is a magnetic ring that sticks with adhesive to the back of smartphones that have wireless charging but aren’t iPhones. Essentially, this brings a simpler version of Apple’s technology to other smartphones. This would be a great option for anyone who has a MagSafe iPhone as their personal phone, plus an Android with wireless charging as a work phone.

  1. £44 from Zagg.com
Prices may vary
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Mophie powerstation mini

8 Mophie powerbank mini.jpg

Best: For portability

Rating: 8/10

  • Dimensions: 130mm x 70mm x 8mm
  • Weight: 127g
  • Connections: USB-A, USB-C
  • Capacity: 5,000mAh
  • Wireless: No

Lastly we have another 5,000mAh battery pack, this time from Mophie. The Powerstation mini has a nice fabric-style finish, along with USB-C and USB-A connectivity. There’s a button on the side for checking how much charge the battery has, and we really like how thin and light it is. It’s ready to slip into a bag or pocket and to fill your smartphone through its speedy USB-C connection wherever you go.

  1. £22 from Jp-uk.co.uk
Prices may vary
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The verdict: Portable chargers and power banks

If you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, it’s hard to overlook the Anker 313. It has a large, 10,000mAh capacity, USB-C and USB-A ports, and costs just £23. We also really liked the Anker 622 with its magnetic mounting and integrated iPhone stand, while the soft-touch finish of the Mophie powerstation wireless XL and Mophie snap+ juice pack (not to mention the latter’s smart magnetic accessory) also impressed.

Find the best iphone mobile deals at Independent compare

Looking for a new handset too? Read our round-up on the best mobile phones

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