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After new testing, we’ve made the Anker 747 PowerCore 26K our new top pick, and added several models to Other good power banks for laptops with USB-C charging. Microwave Power Meter
Working is hard, and when your laptop is close to dying, it’s even harder. Fortunately, a high-capacity power bank can save the day when you’re low on battery and outlets are out of reach—or if you need to charge your phone and other small devices during a power outage.
The Anker 747 PowerCore 26K is the best power bank for laptops that charge via USB-C because it fully recharges most laptops at least once and does so as quickly as possible, yet it’s compact enough to carry in a backpack, a laptop bag, or even some purses.
This charger has two powerful, fast-charging USB-C PD ports, two USB-A ports, and enough capacity to charge most laptops at least once or smaller devices several times over.
With a USB-C PD port, a DC port, two USB-A ports, and a wireless charging pad, this power bank has the most charging options of our picks. It also has enough capacity to charge most laptops at least once.
This power bank has one USB-C PD port, two USB-A ports, and a sleek fabric exterior. It has less capacity and power than our other picks, but it’s also the most compact and cheapest model we recommend.
This charger has two powerful, fast-charging USB-C PD ports, two USB-A ports, and enough capacity to charge most laptops at least once or smaller devices several times over.
The Anker 747 PowerCore 26K has two USB-C Power Delivery (PD) ports that deliver up to 87 W apiece, or 63 W combined, and two USB-A ports that can charge at up to 15 W (the total maximum output of all four ports is 78 W). With a rated capacity of 25,600 mAh, or roughly 92 Wh, it can fully charge most laptops at least once or charge smaller devices several times over.
It’s ruggedly built yet sleek-looking, small, and lightweight, weighing just 1.3 pounds. It couldn’t be simpler to use, either: A single button turns it on and off, and a ring of small lights signals when it’s charging and roughly how much battery life remains.
Anker backs this power bank with an 18-month warranty and includes a high-quality 65 W charger and USB-C cable in the box.
Its biggest downside is that it doesn’t allow pass-through charging—so you can’t charge other devices while the power bank itself is charging—but if you can live with that unfortunate omission, it’s a great choice.
With a USB-C PD port, a DC port, two USB-A ports, and a wireless charging pad, this power bank has the most charging options of our picks. It also has enough capacity to charge most laptops at least once.
If you want a portable laptop charger with a round DC port or a wireless charging pad, opt for the Omnicharge Omni Mobile 25600.
Its rated capacity of 25,600 mAh is equal to that of our top pick, giving it enough juice to bring most laptop batteries from empty to full at least once.
And although its output capabilities fall a bit short of what you get from our top pick, this charger’s 60 W USB-C PD port, two 18 W USB-A ports, 72 W DC port, and 10 W wireless charging pad, allow you to charge the widest variety of devices when you’re on the go.
A hair lighter than our top pick, this charger weighs just 1.2 pounds, has a professional look, is easy to use, and is equipped with pass-through charging capabilities. It comes with two charging cables (one C-to-C cable and one A-to-C cable), but unlike with our top pick you’ll have to supply your own wall charger.
Its one-year warranty is shorter than that of our top pick but should still give you plenty of time to make sure you don’t have a dud.
This power bank has one USB-C PD port, two USB-A ports, and a sleek fabric exterior. It has less capacity and power than our other picks, but it’s also the most compact and cheapest model we recommend.
If money is tight, but you still want to charge a laptop on the go, get the Einova Eggtronic 63W Power Bank.
It has a single USB-C PD port capable of charging a laptop at up to 45 W—that’s ample power to fast-charge a tablet or ultrabook, though it’ll charge larger laptops more slowly. One of its two USB-A ports can pass up to 15 W of power to a phone or other handheld device, while the other got up to just 12 W in our testing.
Its capacity rating is somewhat lackluster at 20,000 mAh, but that’s still enough to fully charge most laptops at least once, and it’s one of the slimmest and lightest models we tested, weighing just a pound. We also liked its fabric exterior, which gives it a stylish look and added protection from scuffs and scratches.
Although it doesn’t include a wall charger, the Einova power bank comes with a USB-C cable and a handy adapter to turn a USB-C port into a USB-A port. It has a small screen showing the remaining battery life, and it’s backed by a one-year warranty.
As the writer of this guide, I spent 23 hours researching and 45 hours testing portable laptop chargers (also called USB power banks or battery packs). I’ve been a science writer for nearly a decade, covering a wide variety of topics from particle physics to satellite remote sensing. Since joining Wirecutter in 2017, I’ve reported on electric vehicle chargers, rechargeable AA and AAA batteries, surge protectors, and more.
To learn more about how to recycle portable laptop chargers and other batteries, I talked to Joe Day, commercial manager of Midwest and Northeast regions for lithium-ion battery recycler Li-Cycle; Linda Gabor, director of external relations at Call2Recycle, a battery-recycling nonprofit; and Call2Recycle CEO Leo Raudys. I also interviewed Isidor Buchmann, CEO of Cadex Electronics, for background on how batteries work and how to extend their lifespans.
If you have a laptop that charges over USB-C—such as a MacBook, a Chromebook, or one of many other modern laptops—and you frequently use it in a coffee shop, on a plane, and in other places where wall outlets can be scarce, you should get one of the power banks in this guide. A power bank is a handy backup for those moments when your laptop battery is low and there’s no outlet in sight. And it will keep your laptop running for hours, so you can work (or watch downloaded episodes of Severance) on long flights or train rides.
Beyond being a simple convenience, a high-capacity power bank is also good to have in case of emergency. Ready.gov notes that “[s]martphones have become a vital tool to get emergency alerts and warnings” and recommends keeping “a back-up power source on hand.” Stowing one of these power banks in a bug-out bag is a good way to prepare for wildfires, flooding, and other emergency situations. Or, pack one in a hospital go bag to keep electronics powered during labor, an unexpected surgery, or any other medical emergency.
If you’re primarily looking for something that you can carry around in a pocket or a purse to power your phone, tablet, and other small devices, you’re better off getting one of our lower-capacity picks. If you want to power a laptop or other high-powered device that charges from an AC plug—the kind you’d usually plug into a wall outlet—you should get one of our favorite portable laptop chargers with an AC outlet. For tailgating, camping, or other heavy-duty powering, we also have recommendations for much larger portable power stations and generators.
We built a list of contenders based on the following features:
We tested the performance of each power bank in a few key areas, including:
This charger has two powerful, fast-charging USB-C PD ports, two USB-A ports, and enough capacity to charge most laptops at least once or smaller devices several times over.
If you want a powerful, durable power bank to keep a laptop and other essential devices charged while you’re on the go, the Anker 747 PowerCore 26K is your best bet. It offers as much output power and battery capacity as any model we’ve tested, and it weighs just over a pound.
It is simple to use, ruggedly built, and one of just a few models we tested that comes with its own wall charger.
Its primary downside is that it lacks pass-through charging, so you can’t charge other devices while it’s recharging itself, but for most people its overall performance outweighs that small inconvenience.
It has great battery life. This power bank’s rated capacity (25,600 mAh, or about 92 Wh) is among the highest of those we tested, giving you enough juice to fully charge most laptops at least once.
Plus, since it falls under the TSA’s capacity limit for carry-on bags, you can safely bring it on a plane.
It has plentiful power and ports. This model has two USB-C PD ports that each support up to 87 W charging (or 63 W combined), as well as two USB-A ports that support up to 15 W charging (individually or combined), with a total peak output of 78 W.
The USB-C PD ports supply enough power to charge ultrabooks and heavy-duty laptops as fast as physically possible. The USB-A ports aren’t quite powerful enough to charge most handheld devices at top speed, but they can still charge the Nintendo Switch (in handheld mode) or recent iPhones at a relatively rapid pace.
It’s sleek, small, and light. This model has a slim, streamlined shape and weighs just 1.3 pounds.
It’s sturdily built, relatively rugged, and its rounded edges make it comfortable to hold and easy to slip into a backpack or briefcase.
Its polished aluminum finish is lustrous and sophisticated-looking, and it doesn’t attract many smudges or fingerprints.
It’s a great value, with added peace of mind. Despite coming bundled with a 65 W USB-C wall charger, a USB-C cable, and a protective cloth pouch, this model costs less than many of the models we tested.
Anker covers it with an 18-month warranty, which allows plenty of time for you to confirm that your unit is working properly.
We’ve found the company’s customer support to be reliable and responsive, too.
With a USB-C PD port, a DC port, two USB-A ports, and a wireless charging pad, this power bank has the most charging options of our picks. It also has enough capacity to charge most laptops at least once.
If you want the option to charge your laptop from a round DC port or to charge smaller devices wirelessly, opt for the Omnicharge Omni Mobile 25600. It’s about as lightweight and portable as our top pick, and it has a similar capacity rating. Although its output capabilities are less than stellar compared with our top pick, it lets you charge a wider variety of devices while you’re on the go, offering USB-C PD, USB-A, DC, and wireless charging.
It has a lower maximum output and input than our other picks. This model’s single USB-C PD port has a maximum output of 60 W for charging other devices, and it can take a maximum input of 45 W when recharging itself.
While neither wattage is optimal, that’s still enough power to charge a professional-grade laptop like the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 as fast as physically possible. Likewise, both of its 18 W USB-A ports have ample power to charge a Google Pixel 7, a Nintendo Switch in handheld mode, or an iPhone 8 or newer.
It offers charging options our other picks don’t. These include a 10 W wireless charging pad with plenty of room to accommodate a phone, smartwatch, or other portable device with wireless-charging capabilities. It also has a 72 W DC input/output port to charge a laptop, digital camera, drone, or other compatible device, or to recharge the unit itself, with a compatible charging cord (not included).
Even though most people are unlikely to already have such a cable on hand, this port is a nice-to-have feature if your laptop can take advantage of it, since the higher output from DC charges slightly faster than the USB-C PD port on this unit.
It has plenty of battery capacity. This power bank’s rated capacity (25,600 mAh, or about 92 Wh) matches that of our top pick, enabling it to bring most laptop batteries from empty to full at least once.
It’s lightweight, slim, and easy to use. This power bank weighs even less than our top pick, at just 1.2 pounds.
Its slim design makes it easy to slip into a bag for commuting or longer trips, and it has a sturdy build and a sleek appearance that wouldn’t look out of place in a boardroom or a bar. It’s relatively easy to use, since all of its charging ports are on the same side, which also houses the power button and voltage indicator lights.
It offers pass-through charging from its USB-A ports. You can charge up to three small devices via the USB-A ports—or use the wireless charging pad—while the power bank itself is recharging from either the USB-C port or the DC port (neither input port has pass-through charging capabilities).
It’s a good value. Like our top pick, this model costs $150 at this writing. Fewer accessories come in the box (just a C-to-C cable and an A-to-C cable), and Omnicharge’s one-year warranty is shorter than most, but those are minor quibbles.
This power bank has one USB-C PD port, two USB-A ports, and a sleek fabric exterior. It has less capacity and power than our other picks, but it’s also the most compact and cheapest model we recommend.
The Einova Eggtronic 63W Power Bank lacks some of the features that make our top pick great—it has less capacity, less power, fewer ports, fewer included accessories, and a shorter warranty, and it seems slightly less ruggedly built—but it’s still a solid option for the price. If you’re on a tight budget and can stomach sacrificing some performance to cut costs, this power bank is the one to get.
It can charge lower-powered devices at full speed, but will take longer with powerful laptops. The Einova model’s sole USB-C PD port can output up to 45 W, so it can charge most handheld devices, such as a Nintendo Switch or an iPad, iPad Air, or iPad Pro, at maximum speed, but it tops up most laptops at a slower pace than our other picks.
Likewise, its maximum input is just 30 W, so it’s slower than the rest of the bunch in recharging itself. It has two USB-A ports, which both support pass-through charging and got up to 15 W and 12 W respectively (or 15 W combined when the unit was plugged in) during our testing. That’s enough power to charge a phone or another small device, but not at top speed (for instance, the iPhone 8 and newer models require at least 18 W for fast-charging, and most Samsung Galaxy S22 Series phones need at least 25 W).
Its capacity is lower than our other picks, too, but still enough to recharge most laptops. Our other picks surpass this model in battery life, as it offers a rated capacity of just 20,000 mAh. It can charge most laptops (including the MacBook Air M2 or HP EliteBook 840 G9) at least once or simply top off larger models.
It has enough capacity to fully charge a phone like the Google Pixel 7 three times or more, or an iPhone 14 four times or more. And like our other picks, it meets the TSA’s battery-capacity requirements, so you can carry it on a plane.
But as a result, it’s the lightest and slimmest of our picks. At exactly a pound, it’s lighter than our top pick and has a much slimmer profile, which is nice if you prefer to carry a smaller bag. While our other picks might seem a smidgen sturdier than this model, we love the sophisticated look and soft feel of its fabric exterior.
It has a screen. This model is the only one of our picks with a screen, and while it doesn’t supply much information—just the percentage of battery life remaining—it’s still effective.
It’s remarkably cheap. At this writing, the Einova power bank costs just $70, less than half the price of our top pick. It doesn’t come with a wall charger like that model does, but it includes a USB-C charging cable and an adapter that allows you to turn the USB-A port into a second USB-C port (though it’ll still charge more slowly than a true USB-C port).
Einova's one-year warranty is half as long as that of our top pick, but that still gives you plenty of time to take your power bank on a few trips and confirm that it works properly.
If you’re willing to pay a premium for wireless charging and hub functionality, and you can overlook a lower capacity and fewer USB-C PD ports: Get the Omnicharge Omni 20c+. It pales in comparison to most of our picks in rated capacity (20,000 mAh), and it’s one of the priciest models we tested, but it’s the only option with both wireless charging and hub functionality.
In addition to its 10 W wireless charging pad, it has two USB-C PD ports (one with up to 100 W output, and the other with up to 60 W output) and two 18 W USB-A ports. All four ports have pass-through charging capabilities.
It has a sleek, professional look and a compact shape that makes it easy to stow in a bag, and it weighs just 1.1 pounds. We also liked its easy-to-read screen, which displays helpful information such as the internal temperature, the remaining battery life, the input and output wattage, and icons indicating which ports are in use.
It’s simple to use, too: A single button turns it on and off, and holding down the same button activates and deactivates the hub feature. And it comes with a USB-C charging cable, though sadly the hard-shell case that pairs with it is sold separately.
Omnicharge’s one-year warranty is on the shorter side, and this model costs $250 at this writing, but if those trade-offs are tolerable to you it’s still a great option.
If you want a lighter charger with more power and an additional USB-C PD port: The Baseus PPBLD100-X is a good alternative to our budget pick. Like that model, it has a 20,000 mAh capacity rating, two USB-A ports, a screen showing the remaining battery life, a one-year warranty, and a super-slim shape—plus, it’s a few ounces lighter, weighing just 17.6 ounces.
We measured a maximum output of 100 W in our testing, which is more than double what we saw with our budget pick, and each of its two USB-C PD ports has up to 75 W input.
It comes with a C-to-C charging cable, and at this writing it costs $75.
If you want a lighter charger with more power and hub functionality: The ZMI PowerPack 20K Pro is another good budget option. A former top pick, it’s had some stock issues in the past, but it’s still a great charger when you can find it.
It has a single USB-C PD port (up to 65 W output and 45 W input) and two USB-A ports (18 W apiece or 15 W combined) with pass-through charging and hub functionality.
It has a 20,000 mAh capacity rating, weighs exactly a pound, and it’s easy to use—a short press of the power button turns it on and off, a long press activates the hub feature, and four small lights indicate the remaining battery life.
It’s backed by an 18-month warranty, comes with a C-to-C cable and A-to-C cable, and costs $85 at this writing.
If you’re willing to pay a bit more for more power, more capacity, and a longer warranty than any of our picks, and you don’t need a wall charger: Get the Zendure SuperTank or Zendure SuperTank Pro. Both models performed well in our testing (and the latter used to be our top pick) but, as of this writing, they’re unavailable from most retailers. Still, either one is a great option if you can find it for $200 or less.
The SuperTank is the smaller of the two, weighing just 10.6 ounces (lighter than any of our picks). It’s easy to slip into a backpack or briefcase, and easy to find by feel thanks to thick ridges on the top and bottom surfaces. A backlit screen shows the remaining battery life, and a single button turns it on and off.
It has two USB-C PD ports (one can pass up to 60 W to a connected device, and the other can pass up to 100 W in or out) and two USB-A ports (which can pass up to 15 W and 18 W, respectively) with pass-through charging capabilities.
The SuperTank Pro weighs a bit more (1.3 pounds, like our current top pick) but it has the same streamlined shape, and its grooved aluminum exterior is even more comfortable to hold and resistant to scuffs and scratches. Its screen has a bit more clutter, but it’s still easy to glean key information at a glance, including the remaining battery life and input/output wattage. It has four USB-C PD ports (two can pass up to 100 W in or out, and the other two can pass up to 20 W out), all of which have pass-through charging capabilities.
Both models have a higher capacity rating than any of our picks (26,800 mAh) while still meeting TSA carry-on regulations, as well as a higher maximum output (138 W when all four ports are in use). They’re also backed by Zendure’s two-year warranty, giving you more time to request a replacement if you get a dud. On the downside, neither comes with a wall charger.
This is not a comprehensive list of all USB-C power banks we have tested. We have removed any models that have been discontinued or that no longer meet our criteria.
The Anker 537 PowerCore 26K has the same capacity rating as our top pick, comes with a wall charger, and at this writing is slightly less expensive. However, it has a much lower output, only one USB-C PD port, no pass-through charging, and a shorter warranty.
The Belkin BoostCharge BPB002btBK costs about the same as our budget pick, and it’s a few ounces lighter, but it has less power (we measured a maximum output of just 30 W) and fewer ports (one USB-C PD port and one USB-A port).
The Chargeasap Spark has the same capacity rating as models we tested that cost half as much or even less. Plus, it failed to measure up to its output and input ratings in our testing, it has a worse look and feel than our picks, and it’s out of stock at this writing.
We had high hopes for the Goal Zero New Sherpa 100PD based on its rated capacity and output, as well as our past experience with some of this brand’s other products. However, in our hands-on testing, its bulk (it weighs 1.5 pounds) and somewhat clunky design overshadowed its performance in those key areas.
The HyperJuice 245W USB-C Battery Pack is the heaviest model we tested, as well as one of the most expensive. In our output tests, it was not as powerful as advertised, and in look and feel it’s lackluster in comparison with other contenders.
The Lenovo Go USB-C Laptop Power Bank is one of the lightest models we tested, weighing just 14.4 ounces, and it’s the only one with a built-in charging cable. However, the rubber tab used to pull the cable out of its holster feels flimsy, and if it tore or broke off completely the cable would become unusable. Plus, our picks offer more capacity and/or output for the price.
The Mophie Powerstation Pro doesn’t offer much capacity or power for the price, and its exterior isn’t especially rugged or luxurious in comparison with other fabric-covered devices we’ve tested.
During our research, the RAVPower PD Pioneer RP-PB058 seemed like a decent contender for a budget pick, but it’s currently out of stock.
The Ugreen 145W Power Bank costs less than our top pick, and it’s a few ounces lighter, but it has fewer USB-C PD ports (two), a lower capacity rating (25,000 mAh), and a less informative screen.
The ZMI PowerPack No. 20 Model QB826G costs less than our top pick, but it has fewer USB-C PD ports (two), a lower capacity rating (25,000 mAh), and a less informative screen.
This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.
Sarah Witman has researched, tested, and reviewed all manner of products—from massage chairs and mousetraps to pencils and power banks—since joining Wirecutter in 2017. Before that, she worked as a science writer and fact checker for numerous publications, and she studied journalism at the University of Wisconsin. In her spare time, she eats as much cheese as her body will tolerate.
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