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How to Buy the Right Power Bank

While there is no way to overlook the fact that smartphones are becoming more and more power-efficient, at the same time, they are becoming more and more powerful, too. Which only means that they run out of battery a lot sooner than some of your old phones would, and in all honesty, it is not as bad as it sounds. As a matter of fact, these days, a phone that can last an entire day on a single charge is considered to have good battery life.

Now for the people who are always on the go, or traveling; running into a situation like this can be a problem. Why? Because when you are using data and GPS at the same time, these features eat through your battery, unlike anything. In such situations, it is best to carry a power bank with you because they can really help you back up and running in no time.

Now, when it comes to good power banks, you will have to buy the right one in order to get the most of your experience, you cannot settle with something that is cheap, and does not even have enough capacity to get you through the day.

That is why, in this article, we talk about how you can buy the right power bank with ease. So, you do not have to spend hours on the internet or in the market going through different options.

Capacity Matters the Most

First things first, whenever you are buying a power bank, the first thing that you need to know that is that the capacity matters the most. Power banks are available in a variety of capacities. You can go for something as low as 3,000 mAh but we will not suggest that because modern-day phones have larger batteries than this capacity.

The simplest way to determine the capacity is just how much you run out of battery and how many times during a day you have to charge your phone. If the number is higher than 2, then you are certainly going to need a power bank with larger capacity because the smaller one is not going to get it.

Simply put, deciding on the capacity is actually very, very important. You do not want to end up wasting your money on a power bank that does not even have enough capacity to get yours through the day.

Do Check for Input and Output

Another important factor that you need to put into consideration is that you have to check for both input and output. With different charging ports in the market, you can easily get confused.

The key around this is rather simple, actually. If you want to make sure that the power bank you are buying serves you well, the simplest thing that you can do is make sure that it has a USB Type-C charging port. Why? Because type-C is slowly taking over other parts, and will soon be the future.

Plus, with a Type-C port for charging the power bank, you do not really have to worry about the output. You can actually use any cable there is and it would get the job done.

Still, always be very careful when deciding this part.

Price

You might hear people saying that price does not mean quality in many cases. While it does hold true with many things available in the market, but that is not always true. In cases of power banks, price does equate to quality. Why? Because the more expensive the power bank is, the better cells it has inside of it, or more circuit protection it is carrying with.

With that said, you can easily find a great power bank in $50 from reputable companies like Anker. But if you are looking to spend more, you can easily do so, as well. It usually depends on your budget, as well as the capacity you are looking for.

Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that whatever power bank you choose, it is always better to avoid the cheaper ones because they use cells that are not reliable, as well as no protective circuitry against overcharging or overheating.

Size of the Power Bank Does Matter

Another really important thing that you need to decide whenever you are buying a power bank is that size of the power bank does matter a lot. There are some really slim and small ones available in the market but the thing that you need to know is that there are some trade-offs if you are going for the smaller power banks. The first one being the fact that smaller power banks have lower capacities.

Another really important reason why considering size is necessary is because if you do commute and have a power bank on you most of the times, then in that case, you need to settle with something that can easily fit in your backpack, so you really do not have any issues or any hindrances in your commuting.

Power Delivery

Obviously, you are going to charge your phone, it is important that the power bank you are using is good enough with supplying the required amperes. This can be a confusing part for a lot of people, and things can easily go wrong in this section.

If you want to make the most of the situation, make sure that the power bank you are looking to get your hands on has power delivery. It is a neat technology that detects the number of amperes your gadget needs to charge at the best possible speed and delivers just that amount. Not more, not less.

The thing, however, is that the power banks that have power delivery feature tend to be more expensive than the ones that do not. However, it is the feature that you should be paying for thanks to how well it works in all the situations.

Always Keep Your Smartphone’s Battery in Mind

Obviously, you are using a power bank to charge your smartphone; so, in such a situation, you need to make sure that you are fully aware of how much battery does your smartphone have in the first place. For starters, whenever you are getting a power bank, do keep your smartphone’s battery in mind.

Why? Because if you don’t know the battery, you might end up with a power bank that has the lesser capacity. This will only cause issues for you, as you will not be able to charge your phone properly. It is best that you get a high capacity power bank because that way, you will be able to charge your device multiple times without ever running into any issues.

What is Your Use Case?

As a frequent traveler, I take my power bank with me everywhere I go. Even if I am taking short trips, I find it extremely important. Additionally, I also have a bunch of wireless devices that need charging whenever I run out of battery. However, the thing that you need to keep in mind is that if you are looking to charge multiple devices, then it is always better to go for something that has higher battery capacity, too.

Do You Fly Frequently?

If you happen to be a frequent flyer, it really is an important thing to know that airlines have limitations as to just how much battery capacity you can carry in your hand. This does include your laptop’s battery, as well. So, if you are looking for a power bank, make sure that you check with the airline rules and regulations.

That way, you will not have to worry about buying something that is not even allowed on the airlines. Once you have followed these simple rules, your overall experience with power banks is going to be so much simpler and easier.

Conclusion

Buying a power bank can be a tricky process for a novice. Especially if you have never bought a power bank before. This can be a lot more confusing, too. The thing that you need to know is that if you are looking for something that will give you the proper experience, you will have to make the most of the situation and not run into any problems.

The reason why we made sure that this guide covers everything is that we really want you to be able to have the best possible experience, and we want you to have the best power bank as well. Ultimately if you’re in the market to purchase a gigantic power bank as we’ve mentioned above, take a look at this powerbank buying guide.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Wilson


Bill is a certified Microsoft Professional providing assistance to over 500 remotely connected employees and managing Windows 2008 to 2016 servers.