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Best Types of Power Banks

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Power Banks

Out of all the charging electronics on the market, power banks are among the fastest growing and for good reasons too. This is because charging is so vital to our lives that we can’t be chained to USB wall chargers for so long. USB wall chargers are most likely the first option for charging your devices, however, the main problem with charging a smartphone, tablet and basically any other device is that you must stay in close proximity to it.

That is why power banks are becoming more popular as it’s great solution for charging because portable power allows us to go wherever we’d like to without the hassle of waiting around for our devices to charge. In addition charging our devices while we’re on-the-go, there are lots of power banks and some may be more applicable to your needs than others.

This is why I’ve chosen some the most used types of power banks and most useful ones to explain their traits and how they’re good or bad. Almost every type of power bank has its place in the market, it just depends on what you’re searching for. So let’s take a look at some of the most helpful types of power banks.

Small Power Banks

Power Banks

One of the most used types of power banks is a Mini one. Mini power banks are among the most used type of portable chargers because they’re on the basis of what makes a portable charger what it is; which means that it’s very easy to take places because of its small size and lightweight.

Take them everywhere and anywhere

With that said, Mini power banks are able to come in their very small size and Slim form factors because of their low power capacities. The Power capacity and the size of a power bank are connected. When the power capacity is higher, then the portable charger will be bigger, and when it’s lower, then the power bank will be smaller.

In this case, Mini power banks are smaller because they have very lower power capacities that are able to charge smartphones to full power about only 1 or 2 times. So Mini power banks are used a lot because of their small sizes that are able to fit into pockets and also be carried in our hands, but most of the time you’re only able to get a single full charge for your smartphone.

High Capacity Power Banks

Power Banks

On the other end of the spectrum, there are power banks that have very high power capacities. High power capacity power banks are the kind of portable chargers that have about 20,000mAh or higher. It’s with this kind of capacity of power that you’re able to charge a smartphone, and even tablets multiple times.

Less Portability but More Power

However, just remember that since these kinds of power banks have high power capacities, they’re also very large and heavy too. With that said, high capacity power banks can still be taken anywhere because they’re still portable. It’s just that with these kinds of power banks, you won’t be able to fit them in your pocket and you also won’t be holding them for too long. Ultimately, high capacity power banks are meant to be set down and used.

Also, high capacity power banks have more than just a power capacity that’s able to charge quite a lot of devices. They have other attributes such as being able to charge many devices at once. This is because high capacity power banks can have 2, 3 or more charging ports. As a result, you can charge lots of devices at the same time. The main thing that you must look out for is what the charging the speed of each of those ports is.

Know your Charging Speeds

It’s vital to know about the charging speeds with a power bank that has many ports because if you’re charging multiple devices at once, then you want to make sure that each of them is charging at good enough speeds. For example, if a power bank has 3 charging ports and each of its parts have a charging speed of 5V/1.0A, and a Max Output of 3 Amps, then that power bank is very under powered because a charging speed of 1 Amp is very slow for smartphone and tablet.

If a power bank has 3 ports, each port has a charging speed of 5V/2.0A and a Max Output of 6 Amps; then that is a quality power banks because 2 Amps of charging speed is fast enough to charge most devices at a good speed and a Max Output of 6 Amps means that you can take full advantage of each of the ports at the same time.

High-Capacity power banks also tend to have special charging attributes and the main ones include Quick Charge and USB-C charging tech. When you use a smartphone that is compatible with the charging tech, then those type of smartphones are able to charge very quickly.

Rugged Power banks

Power Banks

Just like many electronics, power banks at default aren’t made to withstand harsh conditions and by that, I mean power banks aren’t able to take falls onto hard ground or water. Overall, many power banks on the market are not waterproof or shockproof; however, just like smartphones, there are power banks that are built to withstand things that normally break the usual kind of power bank.

Tough and Waterproof

These are Rugged power banks. Rugged power banks have a lot more reinforcement than regular ones and by doing so, they’re able to survive falls onto the hard ground and also water. One of the most important parts of a Rugged power bank to know is that most of them have different Enclosure levels, and an Enclosure level is basically the level of waterproofing that a power bank has. Not all power banks are able to be immersed into water and survive because of lots of power banks actually have lower Enclosures levels than that because making a portable charger completely sealed off from water is very difficult.

So a power bank that has an Enclosure level of IP65 is only able to withstand jets of water and immersion into water. On the bright side, there are power banks that are able to be immersed and those are the ones that have an Enclosure level of IP68. With all that said, just remember that the only way a power bank is waterproof is when its charging ports are covered by a covering. So when you’re actually using the power bank then it is no longer waterproof because the charging ports are exposed.

 

Hello, my name is Usman Haq. I’m the owner of ChargerHarbor.com. I’m currently interested in tech and what kinds of technology will shape our lives in the future. We already have such amazing devices today, and I have no doubt that the future will bring more innovation.

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