Power Banks and Portable Chargers

Power Bank Buyer’s Guide

How Does a Power Bank Work? The main idea is to have sufficient supplies of energy with no access to other sources of electricity. The way to do it is to charge the external battery in advance and draw energy from it when you need it. It's as simple as that and a little planning is all that is required. Power flow is controlled by a circuit placed inside the portable battery making the entire exploit possible.

External banks normally use a mini USB socket for input, and a full-sized USB socket to charge your device. If you are not sure which socket is which, please be advised to check the manual for precise instructions. Follow these to connect the USB cable to a power source – note that this can also be a USB socket on your PC, but in this case charging may take longer. There is a light to indicate when the battery is fully charged. When it is full simply unplug the device.

How Long Does It Take for a Power Bank to Charge?

To get a picture, let’s say that an external battery of 1500mAh needs about the same time to charge as a typical smartphone. With an increase in the strength of the portable source of energy, the charge time increases proportionally. If you want your external charger completely full, arm yourself with a little patience.

The capacity of your portable battery will determine how many recharges you can get out of it. If your device has a 2000 mAh battery, a 6000 mAh power bank will suffice for about 3 charges. Find the capacity of your device in the “about phone” section in the settings. If there are several USB ports with 2A on your external charger this means you can plug in and charge more than one device at the same time.

What Is the Meaning of mAh in Portable Charger ?

The more milliampere-hour (mAh) the portable battery has, the greater the energy it provides. If you would like to charge a stronger machine or two devices at once, you need a stronger external battery. A small trick that will speed up the process is to leave your phone alone. If you are listening to music while charging it may seem like the device is never charged because of the ongoing energy consumption.

What Is the Best Portable Charger to Buy?

For starters, you should decide if you want a daily emergency backup or something you can use as a primary source of power for several days, such as on a long outdoor adventure. Based on your needs and budget, the choice shouldn’t be hard.

As for compatibility, if your device is charged via USB you will find the majority of portable batteries to be compatible. This includes all mobile phones – Apple, Samsung, HTC, Blackberry and Nokia, and also the GoPro camera, Kindle reader or Bluetooth headset. If the external battery is of a larger capacity, it can also be used to charge laptops and tablets.

What Types of External Batteries Are There?

There are universal portable chargers in many sizes and configurations. Apart from these, there are also solar-charged versions, or those that can be built into a mobile phone case. Once you’re here don’t miss the chance to check out our amazing choice of mobile phone accessories. We've hopefully answered all your questions and charged up your knowledge, just remember to keep the power bank charged, too!