Imagine you’ve booked a trip to your dream city. You’re out exploring the sites, snapping photos of everything you pass. You’re just about to snap another photo when you hear that dreaded sound: your battery is about to die.
You’re out and about; there’s not a charger or outlet in sight. What do you do?
A portable charger, also known as a power bank, can keep you up and running when your phone runs out of juice. And in this case, a portable charger can spare you from the horror of not being able to document every second of your trip.
Power banks are a great back-up for charging your phone, but you need to buy the right one. Here are four things to look for when choosing your portable charger.
Capacity
The first and most important thing to look at is capacity. How much power do you need?
The answer to that question will depend on what you plan to charge, and how often. Tablets need more power to charge than a smartphone. If you plan to charge multiple devices at once, you’ll need an even higher capacity.
The best way to determine your capacity needs is to check the device’s battery. Battery capacities are measured in milliamp hours, or mAH. Android devices usually have batteries with 2000-3000mAH capacities. The iPhone is a bit lower at around 1900mAH.
Tablets and other bigger devices will need much higher capacities – usually 10000mAH or higher.
Make sure that the charger you choose has a higher capacity than the device’s battery. If you want to charge multiple devices at once, you’ll need to add up the capacity of each battery to determine how much power you’ll need.
Always choose a power bank that has a higher capacity than your battery.
Ports and Plugs
If you want a high-capacity power bank that can charge multiple devices at once, you’ll need to consider how many ports and plugs you’ll need.
Make sure that the charger has the right ports for your devices. Maybe the device has three ports, but one of them can only charge a tablet or an Apple device.
Charging Time
Charging time is another important thing to consider when choosing a power bank, but most people overlook this detail. The higher the capacity, the longer it will take the charge up the unit. If you’re always running late and tend to be forgetful, you may wind up always having a dead phone and a dead power bank.
A unit that’s powerful enough to charge a tablet and other devices at once will need a few hours to charge.
Keep the charging time in mind when choosing a power bank, and be sure to select a unit that suits your lifestyle.
Weight and Size
Along with a longer charging time, high-capacity power banks usually have a much heavier weight and bigger size than their lower-capacity counterparts.
The Qi-Infinity 3500mAH charger, for example, weighs just one pound. The Crave 50000mAH charger offers twice the capacity, but is twice the weight of the Qi-Infinity power bank. Two pounds may not sound like much, but every ounce matters when you’re backpacking or traveling.
If you’re aiming for portability and want a unit that you can take with you hiking, sightseeing and exploring, you may want a smaller capacity portable charger with a smaller size and lower weight.
You may also want to consider buying multiple power banks for different occasions. You might have a lower capacity charger for traveling, which is lightweight and pocket-sized. You might also have a bigger power bank for other uses when size and weight isn’t an issue.
Article Submitted By Community Writer