A portable charger (or “powerbank”, or “battery pack”) is the only thing that can give a little serenity to those who have the anxiety of the dead phone and already know, going out in the morning, that their smartphone he won't make it to the end of the day. Even for the less anxious it can be a very useful purchase, now that the season of weekends out of town, concerts, travels, music festivals, holidays and in general of the days that get longer has finally arrived.
There are various types of portable chargers, by capacity, characteristics, weight and size. If you need to extend the life of your phone for a few hours before you go home, you don't need the same device that someone who treks in Patagonia and stays away from electrical outlets for five days. We have therefore selected four that respond to different needs.
An inexpensive portable charger, for emergencies
If what you need is a reliable charger that is also as small and light as possible, to insert purse or pocket and use only in an emergency, Anker's PowerCore 5000 is a good solution. It is a cylinder 10 centimeters high, with a diameter of 3, weighs about 140 grams and has a capacity of 5000 mAh (i.e. milliampere-hours) which allows you to recharge at least once – abundantly – any smartphone of the most popular and recent models (they have all batteries around 1800-3000 mAh). It also has a fast charging system as an option, if your phone is compatible. On Amazon it costs about 15 euros, an expense that is worthwhile to be able to find friends at the end of a concert or write a generic “I'm coming” and get cursed.
If the cylindrical shape bothers you, by spending four euros more you can buy a slightly more flattened and slightly larger model, with similar characteristics.
If, on the other hand, you want it even smaller, you have no spending limits and you are not in a hurry to receive it, you can take a look at the portable charger recommended by Wirecutter, the authoritative review site of the New York Times: it is as big as a credit card. , therefore it is very pocketable, but it can only charge a smartphone for a third (it is for real emergencies, in short) and above all it costs 34 euros, including shipping.
A very large portable charger
If you know that for a few days it will be difficult for you to find an electrical outlet with which to charge your phone, the PowerCore 20100, also by Anker , it is a good investment. It's not tiny (it's 17cm long and 6cm wide, about 2 thick) and it's not even super light (about 300 grams, like two phones) but it allows you to fully charge a smartphone up to five times pretty fast (but also a tablet and two smartphone, if desired). It has two USB ports, so it can also charge two smartphones at the same time. An editor who carried it for a few days of trekking says the efficiency definitely compensates for the bulk and weight. On Amazon it costs 29 euros, and is available in four colors.
A portable charger out of the way
If you already know that you will not need to charge your phone five consecutive times away from civilization, but having to make the purchase you prefer to focus on a device that can charge it more than once, the best compromise solution are the 10,000 mAh portable chargers, which can charge a smartphone about three times, and are not bulky.
Anker's PowerCore 10000 is lightweight (177 grams) and small in size (9cm by 6cm, 2cm tall), and is available in four colors if your eye wants its share. It costs between 20 and 23 euros, depending on the color you choose. The newer version of the same model has fast charging and costs 3 euros more. Finally, at 25 euros, a good alternative to comparable functions is the Tronsmart Prest 10000 PBT10, which we had already reported here.
Bonus: a solar powered charger
If you want to stay away from the electricity grid for a while but not from the technology (tell those who accuse you of being dependent from your phone), if you are about to take a trip to areas where the electricity grid is not very reliable, or if you simply spend a day climbing or fishing or picnicking in the countryside and want to rely on another source of energy, you can try a solar powered charger. Wirecutter recommends a charger from the BigBlue company: it's made like a wallet, in multiple parts that unwind and fold in on themselves. It weighs about 450 grams, is thin but is 30 by 16 centimeters long, and although it is slower than a normal charger, with a few hours of intense sunshine it can charge a smartphone. It costs around 60 euros, but hey: it's solar powered.
Disclaimer: on some of the sites linked in the articles of the Consumerism section, the Post has an affiliation and gets a small fee of revenues, without price changes. But you can also google for the same things.
