Over the past few years, more and more camera manufacturers have added USB charging to their respective camera models. It’s not always easy to determine what chargers will work with a specific camera model, as Chris and Jordan noted in a recent DPReview episode, but if you’ve confirmed your camera can be charged over USB, we’ve taken the time to round up a few of the best power banks in various capacities to help you get the power you need on the go.
For this roundup, we’ve chosen a few power banks across various capacity levels, as each range tends to increase in both size and price in a fairly linear fashion. Specifically, we’re going to look at power banks at or around these milliamp hour (mAh) levels: 5,000 mAh, 10,000 mAh, 20,000 mAh, 50,000 mAh. Do note though that most airlines only allow lithium batteries with less than 100 watt hours or less to be in your carry on luggage. No lithium batteries are allowed in checked baggage. You can read more about the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) rules on its lithium battery FAQ page.
Every power bank in this list, with the exception of two 5,000 mAh models and one 50,000 mAh model, has options for both USB-A and USB-C charging, for backwards and forwards compatibility. For the larger battery packs, we tried to focus on models with USB-C Power Delivery (PD). While standard USB-C chargers top out at only 15W, USB-C PD can deliver power as high as 100W with the latest PD 3. 0 standard.
Name
mAh
USB-A
USB-C
AC Out
PD
Price ($)
Champ Lite Portable Charger
5,200
1
1
No
No
$25
Nitecore NB5000 5000mAh Power Bank
5,000
1
1
No
No
$40
Anker PowerCore 5K
5,000
No
1
No
No
$55
Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 PD
10,000
1
1
No
Yes
$40
Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux
10,000
1
1
No
Yes
$45
Otterbox 10,000mAh Power Pack
10,000
1
1
No
Yes
$35
Omni Mobile 12,800
12,800
1
1
No
Yes
$75
Aukey PB-Y14 Slimline USB C Power Bank
20,000
3
2
No
Yes
$40
Anker PowerCore+ 26800mAh PD
26,800
2
1
No
Yes
$130
Anker PowerHouse 100
27,027
2
1
Yes (100W)
Yes
$200
Zendure SuperTank Pro
26,800
No
4
No
Yes
$260
Nuxgal 50,000 mAh Power Bank
50,000
3
1
No
Yes
$60
Maxoak 50,000 mAh Power Bank
50,000
4
No
No (but it does have a DC port with adapters)
Yes
$130
Crave PowerPack 50,000 mAh
50,000
2
2
No
Yes
$240
Omni Ultimate 38,400 mAh
38,400
1
1
Yes (120W)
Yes
$400
5,000 mAh
Nimble Champ Lite Portable Charger — $25
170g (6oz) | 107cm3 (6. 5in3)
This ultra-compact charger manages to pack a 5,200 mAh battery inside, as well as both a USB-A and USB-C ports capable of charging devices at up to 15W. What sets this model apart from the others is that it’s made of a 72. 5% post-consumer recycled plastic, which Nimble says reduces its total footprint by 7. 43lbs of CO2 compared to similarly-sized chargers. It might not sound like much, but as far as battery packs are concerned, it’s one of the few marketed with environmental-friendliness in mind.
Nitecore NB5000 5000mAh Power Bank — $40
115g (4oz) | 66cm3 (4. 0in3)
Nitecore is known for making fast and convenient third-party battery chargers for various camera models, but the company also has a line of power banks that includes this 5,000 mAh model. It features both a USB-A and USB-C port, capable of 18W each, with the USB-C also serving as the input port for charging it up. It weighs just 115g (4oz) and features a carbon fiber design with honeycomb vents for keeping the device cool when charging electronics.
Anker PowerCore 5K (model 521) — $55
130g (4. 6oz) | 93cm3 (5. 7in3)
Anker is a name you’ll see across every category in this article, and with good reason. It offers solid products at reasonable prices and this little 5,000 mAh charger is no different. While it only offers a USB-C output port, it charges at 18W and has a built-in Qi charger for wirelessly charging compatible mobile devices.
10,000 mAh
Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 PD (model 523) — $40
213g (7. 5oz) | 149cm3 (9. 1in3)
This is one of the best-selling power banks out there and it’s clear why. It offers an impressive capacity in a thin form factor with a Quick Charge USB-A port (12W) and a USB-C Power Delivery port capable of charging devices at up to 18W. If used with a wall plug that can output at 18W, the power bank can be fully recharged in 4. 5 hours.
Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux — $45
195g (6. 8oz) | 139cm3 (8. 5in3)
This little thing is effectively a smaller version of the PowerCore Slim 10000 PD. It packs in the same 10,000 mAh capacity and same charging speeds from its USB-A and USB-C ports, but does so in a form factor that measures just 10. 7cm (4. 2”) x 5. 2cm (2”) x 2. 5cm (0. 98”) and weighs just 195g (6. 8oz).
Otterbox 10,000mAh Power Pack — $35
272g (9. 6oz) | 139cm3 (8. 5in3)
Otterbox is best known for making rugged cases for electronics, but it also sells rugged power banks, such as this 10,000 mAh model that offers Quick Charge USB-A and USB-C PD at up to 18W. It’s not the smallest of the bunch, but it features a tough design that is ‘uniquely durable,’ in Otterbox’s own words.
Omni Mobile 12,800 — $75
270g (9. 5oz) | 230cm3 (14in3)
This Omni power bank is one of the pricier models of the bunch, but with good reason. In addition to packing in a little more power (12,800 mAh), it also features 60W charging through its USB-C PD power on top of the 18W output of its Quick Charge USB-A port. It even features a 10W Qi charger on top that allows you to charge up to three devices at once when paired with the two physical ports, making it one of the most versatile and powerful of the bunch.
20,000 mAh
Aukey PB-Y14 Slimline USB C Power Bank — $40
435g (15. 3oz) | 295cm3 (18in3)
Not to be confused with Anker’s lineup, similarly-named Aukey also sells power banks, including this incredibly versatile 20,000 mAh model. Unlike nearly every model in this lineup, which need to be charged via USB-C, the Aukey PB-Y14 can be charged with a micro USB, USB-C or even a Lightning cable.
In addition to being charged with all of the most common cables you’re likely to have in your bag, this power bank also has four outputs for charging your camera and equipment: Three USB-A ports and one USB-C PD, all of which are capable of outputting a shared 18W of power. It’s not as fast as the other chargers in this range, but its versatility makes up for its lack of speed.
Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD 45W — $130
726g (25. 6oz) | 1051cm3 (64. 2in3)
When it comes to packing a lot of power into a little package, it doesn’t get much better than the Anker PowerCore+, which features a 26,800 mAh capacity and three output ports: Two 18W Quick Charge USB-A ports and a single USB-C PD port. The onboard USB-C PD port charges at up to 45W and enables to power bank itself to be charged at 60W, meaning the entire 26,800 mAh power bank can be fully recharged in just 3. 5 hours.
Anker PowerHouse 100 — $200
861g (30. 4oz) | 743cm3 (45. 4in3)
Anker makes a second appearance in this range with its 27,027 mAh PowerHouse 100 power bank. What makes this model unique is that in addition to its two Quick Charge USB-A ports and its 45W USB-C PD port, it also features built-in pure sine wave inverter, allowing devices to be powered through a standard standard North American wall socket (100W). Using the AC plug will likely reduce the overall charging capacity due to the overhead required by the inverter, but the option of being able to charge and power things like fans or small lamps is an added bonus.
Zendure SuperTank Pro — $260
565g (20oz) | 419cm3 (25. 6in3)
If all you need is a ton of power and an array of USB-C ports, the Zendure SuperTank Pro is just what you’re looking for. This 26,800 mAh power bank features four USB-C PD ports that share a combined 100W of output for ultra-fast charging nearly any device you can throw its way. It even has a built-in OLED display for keeping tabs on the output and remaining battery capacity at a glance.
For context, this device can fully charge a DJI Mavic Air 2, an iPhone 13 Pro, a GoPro Hero 10 and a Sony a7 IV camera at the same time, twice. It’s not cheap, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more robust power bank with so many outlets in this kind of form factor.
50,000 mAh
Nuxgal 50,000 mAh Power Bank — $60
925g (32. 6oz) | 730cm3 (44. 6in3)
This power bank from Nuxgal isn’t the fastest or fanciest of the 50,000 mAh power banks, but what it lacks in speed, it makes up for in value and versatility. This power bank is similar to the previously-mentioned Aukey power bank in that it can be charged via micro USB, USB-C and Lightning cables. It also features the same four output options, including a single 18W USB-C PD output port and three USB-A ports (two 15W ports and one 18W port).
It also has a built-in OLED display for monitoring charging and remaining capacity as well as a built-in flash light for times when you need an extra bit of light on hand. Also, at $60, it undoubtedly offers the best price-per-mAh performance of any model on this list.
Maxoak 50,000 mAh Power Bank — $130
1256g (44. 3oz) | 915cm3 (55. 8in3)
While most of the devices in this list emphasize the USB Charging capabilities, this one takes a different approach. While it does have four USB-A ports, they're very modest, with two 5W ports and two 10. 5W ports. Where the MAXOAK 50,000 power bank shines is in its two DC ports (12V and 20V), which work with the included DC adapters to power various accessories that would otherwise need a dedicated wall transformer.
So long as you have the right output and plug, you can charge a plethora of non-camera accessories, including external monitors/recorders, audio interfaces and computers that use non-USB chargers for power.
Crave PowerPack 50,000 mAh — $240
1864g (65. 7oz) | 943cm3 (57. 6in3)
The Crave PowerPack 50,000 mAh is as utilitarian as it comes. It features a basic book-shaped design and offers a humble array of ports: two 18W Quick Charge USB-A ports and two USB-C PD ports (one with 18W output and one with 60W output). It doesn’t feature an integrated display, but does have a four-LED light indicator for letting you know when you’re at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% capacity, respectively.
Omni Ultimate 38,400 mAh — $400
1397g (49. 3oz) | 1271cm3 (77. 6in3)
Moving on up, we have the Omni Ultimate, a 38,400 mAh power bank that features an 18W Quick Charge USB-A port, a 60W USB-C PD port and a 120W AC port. While this humble setup seems straightforward, what makes the Omni Ultimate unique is that it uses a removable battery. That means you can use the same hub when all of your devices are plugged in and just swap out the removable battery when you’ve drained its power if you need to have more power on hand than a single Omni Ultimate offers.
It also offers pass-through charging so you can charge the removable battery inside the Omni Ultimate while charging a camera/laptop/smartphone at the same time. The replaceable batteries sell for $150 on their own, so you can get the base set for now and add additional battery packs as your budget allows and needs require down the road.
Our recommendations
If you still can't decide what device will best fit your needs, here are our three picks, each of which was chosen with a general price point in mind. First up is the 'Budget' option, which is for those who want the best value per mAh. Following that is the 'Mid-range' option for those who want slightly improved features and specifications, but don't want to break the bank. Last up is the 'High-end' option, which is for those who want the absolute best, regardless of price.
Budget pick
Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 PD — $35
Dollar for dollar, you'll struggle to find a more capable, reliable and powerful power bank than Anker's PowerCore Slim 10,000 PD. It's relatively small, offers 18W charging via the USB-C cable and can be recharged in 4. 5 hours. It also comes with both USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C cables in the box, making it ready to go out of the box.
Mid-range pick
Anker PowerHouse 100 — $200
This isn't going to win any awards for being compact, but it offers 27,027 mAh of power delivered through its USB-A, USB-C or AC outlet. The inclusion of an AC outlet means you can use the more conventional means of using a standard North American AC socket for those devices that can't charge via USB. There's even a handy flashlight built-in for times when you need a little light in your tent or car.
High-end pick
Omni Ultimate 38,400 mAh — $400 (plus $150 per extra battery)
If money isn't an issue, the Omni Ultimate is a unique proposition. It offers a powerful 60W USB-C port, an 18W USB-A port and a 120W AC port, which should power everything short of a moonlight on-set. Better yet, this hybrid device features removable 38,400 mAh batteries that can be swapped on-demand without needing to unplug whatever it is you're using.
. dpreview.com2022-1-8 17:00