Article updated on September 22, 2024 at 6:43 PM PDT
New or old, SE or Pro Max, these CNET-tested portable chargers will keep your iPhone alive through your longest days and darkest nights. automotive electronic parts
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
With the iPhone 15 series, Apple has made the jump from their proprietary Lightning Cable to USB-C. Be sure your power bank aligns with this shift.
Wireless charging: MagSafe vs. Qi
Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack will wirelessly charge iPhones much faster than more affordable Qi models. Either way, you'll need a MagSafe-compatible phone case to use a wireless power bank.
Chargers with a high charging capacity provide more power but they weigh more. That's of particular note if you plan on traveling with the charger in a purse, backpack or pocket.
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.
With the iPhone 15 series, Apple has made the jump from their proprietary Lightning Cable to USB-C. Be sure your power bank aligns with this shift.
Wireless charging: MagSafe vs. Qi
Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack will wirelessly charge iPhones much faster than more affordable Qi models. Either way, you'll need a MagSafe-compatible phone case to use a wireless power bank.
Chargers with a high charging capacity provide more power but they weigh more. That's of particular note if you plan on traveling with the charger in a purse, backpack or pocket.
No matter how big and beautiful the battery capacity was on your iPhone when it was brand-new, it will degrade over time. No matter how fastidious you are about topping off your phone, there are inevitably days when you just can't get back to an outlet in time. That's okay; you can keep yourself from being completely cut off from the world -- and the server raid your guild was four hours into -- with a portable charger, also known as a power bank.
Some banks are sleek, slim, and lightweight enough to just slip in your pocket alongside your phone and be on your way, and others are durable tanks that can keep not just your phone but your entire family of devices alive for days on end. And, in this age of Power Delivery, so long as a power bank has a high enough wattage, it can charge your tablet or trusty laptop just as easily as your phone.
While iPhone owners are still in the switchover from Lightning to USB-C, all iPhones from the iPhone 8 onward support the USB-IF's Power Delivery fast charging standard. Every power bank here -- except the two Anker Nanos with built-in USB-C connectors/cables, which only work for the iPhone 15/16 series -- will work with any current iPhone so long as you use the proper cable. This also means that every wired power bank here will work with Android phones, too, so you won't have to worry about relaxing it should you switch platforms down the line.
You also have wireless charging options. Companies like Anker and others now offer Qi2 power banks. Although more expensive, Qi2-certified wireless chargers offer 15-watt fast charging capabilities and full MagSafe compatibility. So you'll get twice the speed of standard 7.5-watt wireless chargers for MagSafe-enabled iPhone models and for Android smartphones that support 15-watt wireless charging.
If we had to pick the single best iPhone power bank right now, it would probably be the Anker MagGo 622 or the new Qi2-certified Anker MagGo Power Bank 6.6K , which has an adjustable and foldable stand. Anker also released the higher capacity Qi2-certified MagGo Power Bank 10K with an integrated kickstand.
Again, nearly all of the models below will work with any recent iPhone so long as you have your proper Lightning-to-USB-C (iPhone 14 and older) or USB-C-to-USB-C (iPhone 15/16) cable. Starting with the iPhone 12, MagSafe took wireless portable charging from a touchy disaster to an absolute godsend, and I highly recommend them except for two subsets of iPhone users. Wireless charging doesn't play nice with thick heavy-duty cases, and the heat generated by MagSafe charging can be uncomfortable for those of us living in hotter climates. (It makes for a nice pocket-warmer in the winter, though.)
At first MagSafe power banks were limited to 7.5W, but 15W MagSafe banks have become widely available in the last two years. The iPhone 16 series now supports 25W MagSafe charging, but no power banks on the market today do, and that doesn't appear to be changing in the foreseeable future.
While we wait for newer models, here are our current picks. All the products reviewed below have been tested by me or other expert CNET editors. This list is geared toward iPhones, but any portable battery pack on the list with USB-C or USB-A out ports will work perfectly well for charging an Android smartphone (or any other portable gadget), so long as you provide a compatible smartphone cable. Wireless charging should also work for Android phones that are so configured.
Read more: Best iPhone Chargers
What's cool about Anker's 622 magnetic battery is that it's a wireless battery that has an integrated magnetic flap that converts into a stand. You won't get fast wireless charging from this 5,000-mAh battery (it charges at up to 7.5 watts), but it's slim and easy to carry around.
It charges via USB-C, and if you use a USB-C-to-Lightning to charge your iPhone, it will charge at a faster rate of 12 watts. That's not as fast as what a 20-watt USB-C power adapter can deliver, but it's faster than 7.5 watts.
Note that Anker has updated this model to move the charging port to the side (from the bottom), so you can charge it while using it as a stand. That's a worthy upgrade worth the premium price versus the old version (which confusingly retains the same 622 model number).
The Anker MagGo Power Bank 6.6K has a 6,600-mAh battery that can fully charge most iPhones at one time. It's Qi2-certified, which means it offers 15-watt fast charging capabilities and is fully MagSafe compatible, offering twice the speed of standard 7.5-watt wireless chargers for MagSafe-enabled iPhone 13, 14 and 15 models and Android smartphones that support 15-watt wireless charging.
Available in five color options, this model has a foldable design with customizable viewing angles. It comes with a USB-C cable, but you'll need a USB-C charger with more than 15-watt output to hit those 15-watt charging speeds. You can take the power bank on the go or leave it plugged in to use as a wireless charging stand when at home. It's fairly pricey at launch, but will hopefully get some discounts as more competitors hit the market.
The Baseus Magnetic Mini Wireless Portable Charger is a compact wireless power bank available in sizes from 5,000mAh up to 20,000mAh that sticks to the back of MagSafe-enabled iPhones (or MagSafe-enabled iPhone cases) and charges your iPhone at 7.5 watts. If you're looking for faster charging, you can plug a USB-C-to-Lightning or USB-C to USB-C cable into the battery and get 20-watt charging speeds. It also offers pass-through charging, meaning you can charge the battery while charging your phone.
Being available in multiple capacities allows you to choose the smaller 5,000mAh or 6,000mAh sizes if you need to keep things slim or bring enough juice to keep your phone alive during your long weekend getaway. The 6,000mAh and 20,000mAh are only available in purple at this point -- which is the best color anyway -- but the 5,000mAh and 10,000mAh have more variety if you're too scared to rock such a fun hue.
If you're looking for a new power bank for your new USB-C equipped iPhone 15, Anker's Nano Power Bank with an integrated foldable USB-C connector is an appealing choice -- and it also charges Android devices (or anything with a USB-C charging port). It's available in multiple color options.
This 5,000mAh power bank weighs in at 3.5 ounces or 100 grams. It features 22.5 watts of fast charging power with the option to charge two devices at the same time if you plug a cable into the power bank's USB-C in/out charging port. (Charging two devices simultaneously divides the charging power in half, delivering 11.25 watts to each device.)
If you're looking for a beefier portable battery option, Anker's 10,000-mAh Nano Power Bank is one of the better values out there, with an integrated USB-C cable. It's not huge, but it's certainly on the larger side and can be used to charge multiple devices (along with the USB-C cable, there are also USB-C and USB-A out ports). The battery charges your devices at up to 30 watts. I also appreciated the LCD that shows precisely how much battery life is available.
Infinity Lab is the new accessories subsidiary of Harman Kardon -- a company that is, in turn, owned by Samsung. (Got that?) I like its InstantGo 5000 and InstantGo 10000 power banks, which come with an integrated Lightning cable for easy charging for iPhones (the InstantGo 5000 is currently sold out). The larger 10000 mAh costs more and is heavier. It can charge most iPhones twice. Both models are also well designed with a slightly grippy finish on the top and bottom of the battery.
The Anker MagGo Power Bank 10K has a 10,000-mAh battery that can fully charge most iPhones around 1.75 times. It's Qi2-certified, which means it offers 15-watt fast charging capabilities and is fully MagSafe compatible, offering twice the speed of standard 7.5-watt wireless chargers for MagSafe-enabled iPhone 13, 14 and 15 models and Android smartphones that support 15-watt wireless charging.
Available in five color options and not much bigger than the MagGo Power Bank 6.6K, this model has a retractable kickstand and an LCD that displays the remaining battery life. It comes with a USB-C cable, but you'll need a USB-C charger with more than 15-watt output to hit those 15-watt charging speeds. You can take the power bank on the go or leave it plugged in to use as a wireless charging stand when at home. Like the 6.6K version, it's fairly pricey at launch but will hopefully get some discounts as more competitors hit the market. For those looking for a higher-capacity battery, the MagGo Power Bank 10K is probably a better choice than the MagGo Power Bank 6.6K. But I do like the foldable stand a little better on the Power Bank 6.6K.
If you're looking for a bigger portable battery that charges your phone wirelessly, the Baseus Magnetic Wireless Power Bank is an excellent option. It houses a 10,000-mAh battery that can charge most iPhones around two times -- but it's still somewhat compact.
The magnet is strong, and I also liked that it has an integrated flip-out kickstand, so it converts into a stand. There's also an LED battery life indicator on the back of the battery that tells you exactly how much juice the battery has left (you see the actual percentage). The Baseus Magnetic Wireless Power Bank is available in three color options with the black version currently costing a few bucks less.
driver state monitoring Thanks to gallium nitride technology, chargers have been getting more powerful while shrinking at the same time. The latest example of that trend is Anker's new line of GaNPrime chargers with next-generation GaN 3 technology, which the company says is even more energy-efficient. The Anker Power Bank 733 combines a 65-watt charger with a 10,000-mAh portable battery and is part of the new GaNPrime line. It's pretty compact for what it is and offers two fast-charging USB-C ports and one fast-charging USB-A port. You can charge up to three devices at once, but note that to get a full 65-watt charge for a laptop, you can only plug in the laptop.