Phone charger bank

[Donald]

Looking for recommendations for a phone charger bank I can use to charge my Pixel 6 cell when I have no access to an AC powered charger. Wireless charging or USB-C. Unsure if solar charging of the phone charger bank is needed. Look for use during travel, not camping.

When all else fails, I would get an Anker.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Anker is a safe bet. So is Ravpower.

Just choose the desired capacity and connection.

 

[JavierH19]

I have an old anker that I hardly use but when i do use it it's a life saver and it's perfectly been reliable. I've bought cheap no name junks that always have tons and tons of issues and end up becoming landfill.

I don't recommend buying a huge one that's over 10k mah since it becomes too big to be pocketable and truth is you only need enough for half to a full charge which can be done with a 5k one just fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-VoltageBoost-Technology/dp/B07QXV6N1B/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=anker%2Bpower%2Bbank&qid=1653518763&sprefix=anker%2Bpo%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-11&th=1

A bit too thick for the pocket but still great for a bag. Cylindrical cells are cheaper to make.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B0194WDVHI/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=anker%2Bpower%2Bbank&qid=1653518931&sprefix=anker%2Bpo%2Caps%2C189&sr=8-19&th=1

 

[Quattro Pete]

I don't recommend buying a huge one that's over 10k mah since it becomes too big to be pocketable and truth is you only need enough for half to a full charge which can be done with a 5k one just fine.

Agreed. I've got a few larger ones when going camping and such, but for just travel and pocket-ability, 10k mAh is plenty.

If you want your Pixel 6 to charge at max speed, look at a power bank that has USB-C PD (Power Delivery), like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Portable-10000mAh-Delivery-PowerCore/dp/B096TP4B1T

 

[92saturnsl2]

I bought a couple of these:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32896041237.html

Best thing since sliced bread. I have a USB device that measures power output/input, and they will output the advertised power (5V @ 3.1A, 9V @ 2A, 12V @ 1.5A, etc.) if the device supports it. USB-C port functions as an input (for recharge) or output, so you can use a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge things, in addition to standard USB-A to whatever cables. The display will actually tell you whether it's outputting at 5V, 9V, etc.

The best thing about it is you have to supply your own 18650 cells, so you know exactly what you're getting.

Before these, every "power pack" or whatever fancy marketing name they're given I've ever owned has always contained cheap Chinese cells of dubious quality and about 1/4 of the rated capacity. Most never lived up to their advertised output; a couple claimed 2.1A output, never got over 500ma. I was lucky to get a year or two out of them.

But these suckers are something else when paired with 7 18650 cells. My wife's has Panasonic / Sanyo 2900mah cells, mine has LG 3400mah cells. You can find genuine 18650 cells online; if a Google search doesn't turn up anything helpful, visit some vaping forums, and some old posts will point you in the right direction. The cells were about $5 a piece, so had perhaps $50 in each charger at most.

The drawback is they're heavy (7 cells will do that), but not unwieldy and fits in most pockets. About the size of a large cell phone, but obviously the thickness of an 18650 cell, which most are. Once you snap it together with the cells installed, nothing short of a hammer blow or a nice high drop onto hard concrete is getting that thing apart. Ask my wife who is super careless with such things. In three years she's managed to break one of the USB-A ports (she or one of the kids probably tripped over a cord), plenty of drops from the couch to the hardwood floor, I think the dog tried to get a bite out of it once, three weeks lost bouncing around the car interior, etc. So far we've yet to kill one. Both are working great to this day and charge my phone (Iphone XS Max) 3-4 times before needing a recharge. Will charge an Ipad from 0-100% and then some.

 

[BMW Dom]

I have an Anker. Really handy when I need it

 

[y_p_w]

The house brands that you can find at Walmart aren't necessarily the highest quality, but they're cheap and won't damage a device. The batteries may not last and I had to fix one when the internal connection broke. It was a strap that connected to the negative terminal, and it was placed right on the edge where it broke off after being dropped. But just a little electrical tape and a wad of electrical tape as a shim pressed it against the terminal.

But other than that, Mophie is really good. I did have one that died early, but their customer service was excellent and replaced it even when I got it for free (it was a giveaway from my power company during a planned outage). I bought another one from Mophie (at 10,000 mAh one) for less than $20. That one is a little too big to comfortably fit in my pocket, but I might put it in a bag.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Can't go wrong with Anker. What appeared to be another weirdly named brand on Amazon has become a leader in phone phone peripherals and is on par with Apple quality IMHO. I only buy cables, chargers, and battery packs from them or the OEM.

 

[Snagglefoot]

There are all types of made in China units. Mine is called Blue Hive but probably has other names. It’s 20,000 mAH so it can probably charge your cell phone a 2nd time. It’s twice as thick as a 10,000 mAH unit simply because it has a 2nd row of batteries. For travelling, a 10,000 mAH is enough IMHO.