The Best Portable Power Bank (After Charging Phones for 200 Days)
Six power banks, 200 days of real travel use, and a TSA bag-check that finally answered our 'will this brick get confiscated' question. One pick covers most of you.
The right power bank is the one you trust on a trip.
+ What we liked
- ✓20,000 mAh capacity verified at output (not at the cell)
- ✓100W PD output charges a laptop in real time
- ✓Pass-through charging works without the cell heat warning
− What could be better
- !Heavy — 410 g (it's a brick, by design)
- !Status LEDs are bright at night
Power banks lie about capacity more than any other product category we cover. Of six banks we tested, five claimed capacities at the cell — which is not the capacity that reaches your phone. Our pick is the one that delivered what it said.
Our pick
A 20,000 mAh, 100W bidirectional power bank that delivered 17,800 mAh of real output to the load on our test rig. That's an 89% conversion ratio, which is among the best we've measured. The 100W PD output is enough to charge a laptop in real time, and pass-through works correctly.
The bottom line
Buy a power bank that publishes its real output and has 100W PD. Our pick is one of the few that does both.
What our readers said
- Owen B.Feb 7, 2026, 7:56 AM★★★★★
Bought ours four months ago. Holding up well, but the cord storage clip broke in week 8 and customer service didn't seem to care.
- Lin J.Feb 8, 2026, 11:13 AM
Good honest review. The 'we don't recommend' section is the part I trust the most — most reviews can't bring themselves to be negative about anything.
- Kyle T.Feb 9, 2026, 3:30 PM
Reading this on a Saturday morning with my coffee. This is what subscription-supported reviews should look like.
- Drew L.Feb 10, 2026, 1:47 AM
I came here to see if you'd address the dishwasher question and you did. Bought based on that detail alone. Thanks.
- Ines M.Feb 11, 2026, 5:04 AM★★★★★
Long-term update: nine months in, still going strong. Wish more reviews followed up at the 12-month mark.
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