Best portable high

Today's phones and tablets are more powerful than ever, but despite more power-efficient processors, it's not uncommon to find yourself needing to charge up at times when you aren't near a wall outlet with a portable charger or power bank. A high-capacity battery pack that is 20,000mAh and higher is ideal for people who need a lot of juice while on the go, and while they may not fit into your pocket, they're necessary for keeping your devices topped off. Our top pick is the RAVPower 90W Power Delivery Portable Charger. Here's why it's the best high-capacity power bank, along with other great alternatives if you need something even bigger.

Anker is one of the biggest names among power banks and chargers today. It's built that name thanks to exemplary build quality and long-term durability and recently announced new technology to further improve on the best Anker power banks on the market. The Anker 737 Power Bank is a major upgrade from previous generations with 24,000mAh in a very compact package. But don't mistake its small size for small power. It can pump out up to 140W of juice and recharge at the same rate. This means that this power bank can charge phones, tablets, and power-hungry laptops with no trouble.

24,000mAh is on the lower end of the "high capacity" spectrum, but it can still recharge a smartphone four to six times on a single charge or recharge most USB-C laptops from empty to full at least once. If you are using more than one port, it is worth keeping in mind that the USB-A port is capped at 18W regardless of what the USB-C port is doing. But those high-powered USB-C ports will still kick out up to 122W when using both simultaneously.

This beefy bundle isn't lightweight, but nothing over 20,000mAh is. The Anker 737 Power Bank is compact enough to easily slip in and out of a backpack while rushing around an airport or convention. While it doesn't come with a USB-C charger, it does include a high-quality USB-C to USB-C cable capable of handling the high wattage. You also get a helpful display showing battery percentage, what the output or input rate is and how long until the battery is drained or full.

When it comes to charging multiple devices quickly with a power bank, you don't need tons of ports, just a few ports that all charge at decent speeds. If you need a big, beefy battery that you can still fly with, the Sherpa 100PD is just under the FAA's 100Whr limit, and it's just what you need to keep a laptop or camera topped off while working on the road.

The main port here is a 60W USB-C Power Delivery Port, which will give your laptop a quick recharge and recharge faster once you reach your destination and plug it back in. You also get two USB-A ports for smaller peripherals and a Qi wireless charging pad on the top of the bank.

Goal Zero is a brand you might not have heard of before since it tends to deal with solar and portable power solutions. However, because it's geared towards outdoor tech, you can rest assured this is a battery pack that will not leave you hanging. The Sherpa 100 PD is about half the size (and half the price) of the Sherpa 100 AC, so make sure you grab the newer PD model!

Let's say that you want an overwhelmingly huge battery pack with no concern about its price or size. If that's the situation you're in, the MAXOAK Power Bank 50000 hits all the right notes.

The 50,000mAh capacity here is enormous, and while you may not think you need that much battery, it comes in handy for long road trips, hurricane season, and other situations in which you're without access to power for a prolonged period of time. With such a big battery, you could charge an iPhone X up to 16 times.

For phones, tablets, and other mobile gadgets, you have two USB-A ports at 2.1A and two USB-A ports at 1A. MAXOAK's battery pack is also a great choice for laptops, as there are 20V and 12V DC outputs.

MAXOAK's pack won't be going in your pocket anytime soon, but you can easily toss it in a backpack and have hours upon hours of charge time to take with you anywhere.

Our editor Harish Jonnalagadda tests a lot of power banks, and two of his recent favorites are the Shargeek Storm 2 and Storm 2 Slim. He called the latter his "new favorite" because of its portability and 130W charging speed, but even though it could just make our list at 20,000 mAh, we're more focused on high-capacity power banks here, so we'll go with the standard Storm 2 for this list.

The Storm 2 has four ports, including a DC outlet with a variable voltage you can control via the built-in screen, which also shows ports in use, battery charge level, and thermals. As Harish noted, 25600mAh is just under the 27,000 maximum allowed on carry-on luggage, and the Storm 2's 579g weight gives a pretty solid size-to-capacity ratio.

You can use up to three of the four ports at once; below is the breakdown of how much power you get per charge:

Perhaps the coolest thing about the Shargeek Storm 2, aside from its powerful wattage, is its transparent and distinct look, something techies will find pretty distinct from power banks' usual look. 

If you've played in the rugged power space for any amount of time, you're bound to be familiar with Jackery and its eponymous Explorer Series. These power stations come in sizes ranging from 160Whr all the way up to 100Whr, but after reviewing the Explorer 300, we think it hits the sweet spot in Jackery's current lineup for three reasons:

Unlike the RAVPower, Jackery goes for the traditional toolbox style where all the ports go on the front, and all the power cells sit in the bottom and back with a box, honking handle up top that's easy to grab and easy to carry from a car to campsite and back again. There are two AC plugs here that can be used to charge electronics and run smaller appliances like a camp fridge or a TV, but it's not rated for higher-wattage electronics like the Explorer 500 and 1000. When used with lower-wattage devices, it also has an automatic shutoff, meaning you can't trust it to stay on all night with a CPAP machine.

Like Goal Zero, Jackery makes solar panels perfect for recharging this power station when you're out in the woods for that three-week sabbatical, but also, like Goal Zero, those solar panels will come at a steep premium. If you need to recharge the Explorer 300 in a hurry, though, you can combine the 60W Power Delivery charging with the included 90W wall charger to recharge to 80% in two hours.

Like Goal Zero, Jackery makes solar panels perfect for recharging this power station when you're out in the woods for that three-week sabbatical, but also, like Goal Zero, those solar panels will come at a steep premium. If you need to recharge the Explorer 300 in a hurry, though, you can combine the 60W Power Delivery charging with the included 90W wall charger to recharge to 80% in two hours.

There are battery packs in a league of their own, and there's the Fanttik Evo 300. Not everyone needs to spend this much money on a battery pack, but if you want one of the most powerful options out there and have the money to afford it, this is it, chief.

The Fanttik Evo 300 is less of a battery pack and more of a lunch box-sized emergency power station. You get plenty of ports and surge output up to 600W, which powers more substantial things through the AC outlet and car socket for a day or two.

Going back to the port selection, you have a lot to choose from, including:

While it is on the expensive side and a bit cumbersome, the after reviewing the Fanttik Evo 300, it became clear it's one of the best options for having a reliable power source during power outages, emergencies, and long camping treks. As an added point of comfort, the power station has a large LED room light to ensure you are never left in the dark, checking all of the boxes for why everyone should own a portable power station.

One of the best use cases for a power bank is using it as a power source while camping, hiking, or on other outdoor adventures. If this is the primary scenario in which you'll be using your new power bank, we recommend checking out the BLAVOR Solar Charger Power Bank.

For people who spend a lot of time outdoors, one of the best features of this battery pack is solar panels on the top that allow it to recharge using the sun. Solar recharging isn't the fastest, but it is nice to have. If you need to recharge the BLAVOR more quickly, you do so via USB-C or Micro-USB. This bank has a single USB-C 18W Power Delivery port, two USB-A ports (one 9V/2A, one Qualcomm QuickCharge 18W), and there's even a 10W Qi wireless charging pad so that you can charge four devices at once.

An IPX5 rating offers ample protection against splashing water, there's a built-in LED flashlight to help you see at night, and the 20,000mAh capacity should be plenty of battery for most weekend adventures.

You'll be happy no matter which battery packs on this list you choose, but at the end of the day, if you want a portable power bank that offers high-power output and isn't going to be a beast to carry around, the Anker 737 Power Bank is the way to go. It allows you to charge three devices at once, it comes with a high-quality cable and has a helpful display to see the battery status. While this power bank isn't going to come cheap, it offers impressive capabilities that will likely handle your mobile power for years to come.

We think the best value pick is the RAVPower 90W Power Delivery Portable Charger with its 30,000mAh capacity. It's the most affordable entry on this list, and yet it also hosts one of the highest charging speeds and will still fit easily in your backpack or suitcase (so long as you aren't getting on a plane). Yes, it only has two ports, but unless you consistently need to charge 3-4 devices at once, why pay for ports you on't need?

While battery packs are seemingly simple gadgets, there are quite a few different things you should consider before buying one.

Sure, you could go out and buy the biggest one you see, but if you take the time to understand the little differences between everything, you'll end up with a battery pack that truly fits your needs and works the best for your specific workflow/lifestyle. Once you have determined what you'll be using the mobile power solution for, you can decide if a high-capacity power bank is for you or if you should go with one of the best portable power stations.

Perhaps the most important thing to consider before buying a battery pack is its capacity — in other words, how big of a battery it's packing.

Since we're dealing with high-capacity packs, we're only looking at 20,000mAh or higher options. As such, any of the picks on this list will be able to charge your smartphone multiple times and still have some leftover fuel in the tank.

For comparison's sake, most smartphones today have batteries that vary in capacity from around 3,500 and 4,500mAh. If you're planning on using your battery pack to charge your phone, tablet, or headphones, something with a capacity of around 10,000-15,000mAh should be enough so long as you're getting home to an outlet by the end of the day. If this sounds like a better fit for you, you might want to consider a more compact power bank.

So, why do power banks with capacities of 30,000mAh and more exist? There are a couple of good reasons:

We've talked a lot about USB-C Power Delivery throughout this article, but let's take a step back for a second and explain why it's so important and why you should get a USB-C battery pack.

USB-C is essentially the better-in-every-way evolution from those Micro-USB ports that used to be prevalent on just about every Android phone for charging. Not only does USB-C benefit from the fact that it's reversible (meaning there's no "wrong" way to insert it), but it's also considerably more powerful: Power Delivery can be used to charge at speeds up to 100W or beyond, such as the 140W speeds on our overall pick, the Anker 737 Power Bank.

Here's the thing, though — not all USB-C ports are created equally. Most USB-C ports come with the Power Delivery standard (often referred to as PD), which signifies that a USB-C port offers considerably faster charging and data speeds. So if a USB-C port only offers 15W, that's a USB-C port that is not USB-C, and you should skip it.

As such, when you're looking to charge a device that has an extraordinarily big battery, not just USB-C but also Power Delivery is a must. Not only are a lot of newer devices moving to Power Delivery ports, but it'll also cut down quite a bit on recharge times.