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The hidden hero behind all our favorite tech devices is the power bank. Power banks charge our devices while on the go, whether you’re camping, traveling, or just away from a power source for a few hours. While some have handy features like different port options, or a slimmer or more durable build, or safety precautions, the thing that really matters most is how fast a power bank charges.
Also: The best power banks you can buy
We compared 10 power banks from popular brands like Anker, Baseus, and UGREEN, based on our gadget reviewer Adrian Kingsley-Hughes‘ recommendations from his real-world testing, as well as the products we’ve tested in our Louisville-based lab. Our goal was to measure power banks’ energy data, rather than manufacturer specifications or onboard charge indicators, to determine approximate charge completion times.
Based on our data-driven comparison process of how quickly each unit reached charge milestones of 50%, 80%, and 100%, the power bank that charged the fastest was the Cuktech 15 Air.
How we tested these power banks
To test these power banks, we used a HOBOware plug load logger to measure the energy (Wh) drawn from the wall to charge each power bank from 0% to 100% battery. All units were charged using a 70W USB-C power adapter. The logger recorded energy consumption at one-minute intervals, and we then summed these per-minute readings to obtain the total cumulative energy used over the charge cycle.
Using the cumulative energy curve and its timestamps, we interpolate the elapsed time at which each unit reaches the 50% and 80% points, as well as full charge, and report these as charge-milestone times. In our testing, the shorter the time span, the faster the unit charged.
Gianmarco Chumbe, the ZDNET lab’s product testing manager, noted a few caveats to the testing. “Charge milestones are based on cumulative input energy measured at the wall, providing a consistent reference point across all units tested,” he said. “Because input energy includes normal charging overhead, reported figures reflect energy delivered to the charger rather than energy stored in the cells.”
The results
Based on our test results for how long each power bank took to charge to 100% (Fig. 1), the Cuktech 15 Air was the fastest, charging in only 54 minutes. It also took only about 26 minutes to charge to 50% (Fig. 2), which is great for those who want a quick top-up.
In our hands-on testing, Hughes noted that the Cuktech 15 Air supports pass-through charging, so it can charge itself while powering other devices.
Review: Cuktech 15 Air
An honorable mention goes to the Anker Prime power bank: Despite it having a significantly higher capacity (250Wh) than the Cuktech 15 Air, it fully charges in just 100.2 minutes (1.67 hours).
Another interesting result we found was the Baseus EnerGeek GX11 4G MiFi — it was by far the quickest power bank to charge to 50% in just above 13 minutes; however, it took more than 3 hours to charge fully to 100%. This, of course, could be attributed to the fact that this unit also doubles as a hotspot that can charge up to 10 devices at once.
Our test results might differ from your own experience with power banks, depending on the power source you’re using to charge a device, as well as other factors. However, as a baseline, our testing provides expert analysis of how quickly flagship power banks from top brands charge.
- Battery size: Power banks range from giving your device a single charge to several charges, and may increase in size and price accordingly. Anything with a battery capacity below 7,500 mAh can be considered a small power bank, while 7,500 to 20,000 mAh are medium power banks, and anything above 20,000 mAh are large power banks better suited to those wanting to charge laptops and such or who are going to be away from a power outlet for a few days.
- Portability: Some people want giant power banks for multi-day adventures, while others want something small they can hold in their pocket or purse for daily charging or emergencies.
- Design: Some want something stylish and sleek, while others want something more like a charging computer than a simple power bank.
- Weight: Big power banks can really pull on your pocket or bag, so choose wisely if you intend to carry it around with you.
- Ports: Do you want one or two or more ports? Do you need USB-A or will USB-C be fine? These are points to consider before making a purchase.
- Passthrough: Do you want to be able to charge the power bank while it is charging other devices? This is a handy feature when traveling because you can use the power bank as a charger for multiple devices.
Lithium-ion batteries — the batteries found in most power banks — are good for about 800 recharge cycles. This means if you used a power bank daily, and each day you ran it empty before recharging it for the next day, you’d get more than two years of life.
In reality, people easily get 5 years from a power bank, and normally, it’s technology moving forward and making the power bank obsolete that kills it, not usage.
