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After new testing, we’ve added the Goal Zero New Sherpa 100AC Power Bank to Other good portable laptop chargers. For Makita 7.2V
A portable laptop charger is the ideal companion if you want to charge your laptop while traveling or working remotely, in an emergency, or anytime a wall outlet is out of reach.
And it’s not just for laptops: With its built-in AC outlet, a laptop charger can power a variety of other devices, from vibrators and video projectors to breast pumps and baby monitors.
We’re confident the Mophie Powerstation Pro AC is the best portable charger with an AC outlet that you can buy. It keeps up with MacBook Pros and other powerful laptops, it has a compact size and shape, and its battery life is as good as any we’ve tested.
This portable charger has an AC outlet, two fast-charging USB-C ports, and a USB-A port, and it can charge even the most power-hungry laptops while they’re in use. But you need to provide your own wall charger.
This more affordable charger has a fast-charging USB-C port, a standard USB-A port, and an AC outlet that cranked out an impressive 157 W of power in our testing. Plus, it comes with a wall charger.
This compact, lightweight charger supports wireless charging and has an easy-to-read screen. It’s not as powerful as our other picks and doesn’t come with a wall charger, but it recharges via most USB-C or DC chargers.
This portable charger has an AC outlet, two fast-charging USB-C ports, and a USB-A port, and it can charge even the most power-hungry laptops while they’re in use. But you need to provide your own wall charger.
The Mophie Powerstation Pro AC has the best AC output (174 watts) and as much capacity (27,000 mAh) of any model we’ve tested.
It’s also the only one we’ve tested with two USB-C ports—one has 63 W input and 62 W output capabilities, and the other only outputs at 24 W—and its two-year warranty is the longest of those we tested.
On the downside, it’s the heaviest option we tested at 2.2 pounds, it only has one USB-A port, it doesn’t come with a wall charger, and it’s on the pricier side ($200 at this writing). But its higher output and dual USB-C ports make it well worth the splurge.
Rated capacity: 27,000 mAh (97.2 Wh) Max output: 174 W Weight: 2.2 pounds Dimensions: 7.5 by 4.5 by 1.0 inches
This more affordable charger has a fast-charging USB-C port, a standard USB-A port, and an AC outlet that cranked out an impressive 157 W of power in our testing. Plus, it comes with a wall charger.
The ChargeTech Premium 27K AC performed well in our testing, with a maximum output of 157 watts and a rated capacity of 27,000 mAh.
It’s also the only model we tested with a USB-C port that’s powerful enough to fast-charge the 13″ MacBook Air (we measured 65 W input and 67 W output). Unlike our top pick, it can be recharged over DC as well as USB-C, it’s fairly light (1.5 pounds), and it’s the least expensive of those we tested ($185 at this writing).
However, it has just one USB-C port and one USB-A port, its one-year warranty is on the shorter side, and it feels a little chintzy overall. Also, the DC charger it comes with is bulky and won’t fit in the included carrying pouch. But overall, it’s a great option if you’re on a tight budget.
Rated capacity: 27,000 mAh (97.2 Wh) Max output: 157 W Weight: 1.5 pounds Dimensions: 7.3 by 5.0 by 1.0 inches
This compact, lightweight charger supports wireless charging and has an easy-to-read screen. It’s not as powerful as our other picks and doesn’t come with a wall charger, but it recharges via most USB-C or DC chargers.
If you have a phone or other device that can charge wirelessly, the Omnicharge Omni 20+ is the only one of our picks with wireless charging capabilities. It’s also one of the few models we’ve seen with dual input options (you can recharge it over DC or USB-C), as well as a screen showing input/output wattage, charge level, and operating temperature.
The Omnicharge is the lightest (1.4 pounds) and most compact of our picks, and it looks sleeker than most models, with rounded corners that make it comfortable to handle.
If you want those extra features and maximum portability, this is your best option, but this charger also has the lowest output (98 watts) and capacity of any of our picks, and it’s the most expensive at this writing. And although it comes with USB-A and USB-C cables, the package has neither a case nor a wall charger. Like the ChargeTech, this model is backed by a one-year warranty.
Rated capacity: 20,400 mAh (73.4 Wh) Max output: 98 W Weight: 1.4 pounds Dimensions: 5.0 by 4.8 by 1.1 inches
I’ve been a science journalist for more than seven years, covering a wide variety of topics from particle physics to satellite remote sensing. Since joining Wirecutter in 2017, I’ve reported on solar battery chargers, USB-C cables and adapters, rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, and more. I spent 29 hours researching and 82 hours testing portable laptop chargers for this guide alone.
For a previous version of this guide, I consulted with Lee Johnson, an electrical engineer with more than 15 years of experience designing and testing electronics.
Portable laptop chargers aren’t just for laptops. Since they’re power banks with AC outlets, they can provide power to virtually any device that draws up to about 100 watts—such as a room fan, floor lamp, air mattress pump, or ice cream maker.
But since most people who buy these chargers are mainly looking to charge their laptops while working remotely, we wrote this guide with them in mind. (If you need only USB-C and USB-A ports, our favorite USB power banks are powerful enough to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro, an HP Spectre x360, or other laptops that charge via USB-C.)
Even someone who is rarely away from their desk might want a portable laptop charger in case of a blackout or other emergency. A portable laptop charger will provide more power in that scenario than a USB power bank.
If you want to charge lots of different devices, or a single power-hungry device, for more than a few hours—or if you have critical electronics that require a pure sine wave inverter, such as a CPAP machine—you should get a portable power station. Generally speaking, these have more capacity, power, and ports than most portable laptop chargers, and they’re more ruggedly built (but they also tend to be bulkier, heavier, and more expensive).
After scanning the websites of major retailers and consumer-electronics brands, we narrowed our search based on the following requirements:
To test each charger, we gauged performance in a few key areas, including the following:
This portable charger has an AC outlet, two fast-charging USB-C ports, and a USB-A port, and it can charge even the most power-hungry laptops while they’re in use. But you need to provide your own wall charger.
The Mophie Powerstation Pro AC is the best portable charger with an AC outlet for people who want to charge a laptop (or other devices drawing up to 100 W) while on the go. It’s supremely powerful, has great battery life, and it’s the only model we’ve tested with multiple fast-charging USB-C PD ports as well as a standard USB-A port.
It supplies a lot of power. This Mophie model has the best AC output of the models we’ve tested, cranking out 174 W to our array of halogen bulbs. This is more than enough power to charge most laptops while they’re in use, even heavy-duty business or gaming laptops.
It has great battery life. With a rated capacity of 27,000 mAh (or about 97.2 Wh), the Mophie comes very close to the TSA’s maximum capacity limit for spare batteries without exceeding it. So, if you like using your laptop on long flights, rest assured that you can bring it on a plane in your carry-on luggage.
In our testing, this model was able to charge our test laptop 1.9 times. In other words, it fully charged our MacBook Air once, and then (after fully depleting the laptop’s battery) brought it from 0% to about a 90% charge.
It charges and recharges fast. To recharge itself, the Mophie has a USB-C PD port rated for 60 W input and output. We confirmed these optimal charging speeds in our testing, measuring up to 63 W in and 62 W out.
The unit also has a second, slightly less-powerful USB-C PD port, which is handy for charging a phone or other small device. We measured a maximum output of 24 W from this port in our testing, which is more than enough power to charge the latest iPhones at top speed.
It’s about the size of a paperback. Measuring 7.5 inches tall, 4.5 inches wide, and 1 inch thick, the Mophie has a compact size and shape that’s easy to slip into a backpack or nestle inside a suitcase.
It has a sleek look and excellent build quality. Batteries are rarely beautiful, but this one has a streamlined, professional look. It’ll blend into its surroundings, whether you’re working out of a high-rise building or an RV.
Unlike our other picks, it has a rubber cover over the AC outlet, which is useful for keeping out moisture and dust that could damage the internal components. Helpfully, the cover is attached by a small tether so you won’t lose it.
Also, one of the corners has an attached nylon strap that’s useful to loop around a few fingers while you’re carrying it to prevent drops.
The entire unit is encased in a matte-black metal shell that seems relatively resistant to scratches and scuffs, and it feels solidly built overall.
It has a longer warranty than other options. Made by a company we trust, this charger is backed by a two-year warranty, which is longer than the coverage on any of our other picks.
This more affordable charger has a fast-charging USB-C port, a standard USB-A port, and an AC outlet that cranked out an impressive 157 W of power in our testing. Plus, it comes with a wall charger.
If you want to save a few bucks without losing many of the features or capabilities of our top pick, get the ChargeTech Premium 27K AC.
It has plenty of power. Like our top pick, this model can charge even large, professional-grade laptops without breaking a sweat. In our testing, we measured a peak-power output of 157 W (not far behind that of our top pick) from its AC outlet.
It’s also the only model we tested with a USB-C PD port that's powerful enough to fast-charge the latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models: We measured a maximum output of 67 W.
Like our top pick, the ChargeTech has a single USB-A port, which is handy for charging a phone, wireless headphones, or other small device—albeit more slowly than a USB-C port.
It has great battery life. Just like our top pick, the ChargeTech has a rated capacity of 27,000 mAh, and it performed just as well as that model in our capacity tests.
It has multiple recharging options. Unlike our top pick, the ChargeTech can be recharged over DC as well as USB-C. While we didn’t test its DC input capabilities, we measured up to 65 W flowing into the USB-C PD port (meaning it can recharge itself a bit faster than our top pick).
It’s small and lightweight. Weighing just 1.5 pounds (about as heavy as a bottle of beer) and about the same size and shape as our top pick, the ChargeTech is highly portable.
Its warranty is on the shorter side. ChargeTech backs this model with a one-year warranty, which is shorter than that of our top pick, but it should still give you plenty of time to use your unit and ensure it’s not a dud.
It comes with a charger, but it’s bulky. Unlike our other picks, the ChargeTech helpfully comes with its own charger. However, the proprietary DC charger has a fat plug that takes up a lot of space in a bag (and, annoyingly, the power bank and its charger don’t fit in the included soft pouch).
It’s inexpensive (and it shows). As one of the least expensive portable chargers we’ve tested ($185 at this writing), the ChargeTech feels a little chintzy overall. So if build quality is important to you, go with one of our other picks.
This compact, lightweight charger supports wireless charging and has an easy-to-read screen. It’s not as powerful as our other picks and doesn’t come with a wall charger, but it recharges via most USB-C or DC chargers.
The Omnicharge Omni 20+ is one of very few available options with wireless charging, as well as a screen showing helpful information like input/output power and operating temperature. It is pricey and has less capacity and output power than our other picks, but it’s your best bet if you want these features.
It can charge your phone wirelessly. This unit also has a Qi wireless-charging feature (though it’s not certified by the Wireless Power Consortium, which we’d prefer for confirmation of safety and optimal performance) that you can use to charge some phones and other devices.
It’s exceptionally compact and lightweight. The Omnicharge is about the size of a bagel or kaiser roll. It has a square shape with gently rounded corners that make it easier to hold or to stuff into a bag. And at 1.4 pounds, it’s the lightest of our picks.
It has well-spaced ports. The ports on this unit are widely spaced, leaving ample room for multiple plugs.
It has an AC outlet on one side, and USB-C PD and DC input/output ports on another. On a third side, you’ll find two USB-A output ports, an OLED display screen, and control buttons to toggle various ports on and off.
It has an upscale, professional look. Its outer shell is made of a soft-textured plastic that’s grippy and comfortable to hold, and it seems relatively scratch and scuff resistant. After you handle it for a while, its surface is likely to gain some fingerprints, however.
Its screen is bright and informative, if sometimes cluttered. When you’re recharging the unit, it displays a large battery icon to show how much charge it has, which is clear and helpful.
But when you’re using it to charge another device, the screen offers so much data—wattage, voltage, temperature, percentage charged, and what ports are currently powered on—that the display can feel cluttered, making it harder to glean key info at a glance.
Capacity and output are on the low side, but sufficient for most needs. In our testing, the Omnicharge topped out at 98 W of power output—less than our other picks, but still plenty of power to charge most laptops while they’re in use.
It brought our MacBook Air from no charge to 80% charged, which again was less than our other picks managed, but not by much.
It comes with cables, but not a wall charger. The Omnicharge comes with both USB-A and USB-C cables, but you’ll have to supply your own wall charger. Since most laptops are powered by a USB-C or DC wall charger, you might already have one on hand that’s compatible with this unit.
If you don’t already have a suitable charger, Omnicharge sells one separately that we’ve used and like enough to recommend. It comes with a 3-foot charging cable, has two USB-C PD ports and a USB-A port, and can supply up to 65 W to a single device or 60 W split between multiple devices. It’s also compact, lightweight, and has a convenient fold-up plug (though you can typically get one of our favorite wall chargers for less).
Its ports aren’t protected. We wish this unit came with a rubber flap over its ports to protect its internal components against dust and minor spills, as several other models we’ve tested do.
For added peace of mind, Omnicharge sells a clamshell-style case that we’ve packed on numerous weekend trips and workations to protect the unit from scuffs and scratches. (If you want the case, wall charger, charging cable, and portable laptop charger, all four items are also sold as a bundle for $300 at this writing.)
Product support is solid. Its one-year warranty isn’t as long as that of our top pick, but we still think the coverage is long enough for you to fully test the charger and confirm that it doesn’t have a problem. Customer service is responsive, too.
It’s not cheap. At this writing, the Omnicharge is one of our more expensive picks. But as the brand’s name suggests, this model also offers the most charging options.
If you don’t mind buying a discontinued product: Get the Anker PowerHouse 100 or Mophie Powerstation AC. Both are former top picks, but since they’re discontinued they may be difficult to find. They’re still being sold by some retailers, though, and either would be a great substitute if our current top pick becomes unavailable—or if you see a good deal.
The Anker has a maximum output of 141 W, a 27,000 mAh rated capacity, a USB-C PD port, two USB-A ports, and an AC outlet.
It comes with a 45 W wall charger, USB-C cable, USB-A cable, and a protective cloth carrying case.
It’s intuitive to use, ruggedly built, and easily packable, weighing just 1.9 pounds.
The Mophie, meanwhile, has a peak-power output of 123 W, a 22,000 mAh capacity rating, a USB-C PD port, a USB-A port, and an AC outlet.
It doesn’t come with any accessories, but it’s super compact, weighing just 1.7 pounds. Plus, it’s covered in a soft twill fabric that we love.
If you're willing to pay top dollar for more charging and recharging options, plus an informative screen: Get the Goal Zero New Sherpa 100AC Power Bank. It's expensive, heavy, and lacks premium features like port covers or an included wall charger. But it’s as powerful as any of our picks, has decent battery life, offers the greatest variety of charging/recharging options of the chargers we tested, and it’s one of the few models with a screen.
With a rated capacity of 25,600 mAh, it brought our test laptop from empty to full one time.
It has one AC outlet (100 W output), two USB-C PD ports (one with 100 W output, the other with 60 W output, and both with 60 W input), two USB-A ports (both with 12 W output), a wireless charging pad (15 W output), and a solar-charging port (60 W input).
It comes with a three-foot USB-C cable, though to recharge the unit you’ll need to pair it with a USB-C charger or portable solar battery charger (both are sold separately).
It’s ruggedly built (a cushiony neoprene sleeve is also sold separately), and its angled screen is bright and easy to read.
On the downside, it weighs 2.1 pounds, it’s not especially sleek-looking, and it’s the costliest model we tested ($300 at this writing).
Sarah Witman is a senior staff writer who reports on powering and charging technology for Wirecutter. She previously worked as a writer, editor, and fact checker for several science magazines. Though she researches and tests chargers for a living, her phone battery is usually low.
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Battery Charger For Dewalt Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time).