Since power banks are growing so quickly, it means that there are lots of companies that now sell power banks. This has resulted in lots of innovation, and as a result, there are many different types of power banks on the market. It can be difficult to know what type of power bank is best for you, and that is why in this article, I’ll be going over the most useful types you’ll be able to find the most value in.
Each of the power banks in this article holds its own value and can basically be useful for any situation. It’s mainly about choice.
Built-in Cables
Power banks that have their own cables are something to consider if you don’t find yourself always having a charging cable to use with your power bank. That’s because there are times when we only have a charging cable to use with a USB wall charger, and if you’re headed out with your power bank without a cable, then your power bank is basically useless.
Built-in cables with a power bank ensure that your charger is always going to be usable as long as it has a power capacity. With that said, just having a single built-in cable isn’t where it stops. Instead, there are power banks with two built-in cables that can use a Micro-USB cable to charge Android smartphones and a Lightning cable to charge iPhones and iPads. In addition to built-in cables, they have a USB port to use any charging cable, and some even have built-in methods to recharge the power bank, such as an AC Adapter or a USB cable.
Power banks that have AC Adapters are basically able to be used as USB wall chargers as well, as they can be used while they’re plugged into an AC outlet for recharging.
Rugged Power banks
Just like most electronics on the market, power banks are fragile. Just any normal power bank that’s dropped onto the hard ground or exposed to water is going to be damaged. However, when it comes to portable chargers, it can cause quite a lot of worry that your power bank is going to get damaged. That is why Rugged power banks exist.
Rugged power banks are ones that are built to withstand and survive circumstances that normal ones cannot. These chargers have reinforcements on their structures that make them impervious to shock damage, and that makes them shockproof. They’re also waterproof because they have port covers that are able to cover the USB ports. With that said, not all Rugged power banks have the same waterproofing level.
It’s called an Enclosure level, and an Enclosure level is a power bank’s ability to block out water. The better the Enclosure, the more water the Rugged power bank is able to resist. If you plan on purchasing a “Waterproof power bank,” then look at the Enclosure level, because some can withstand jets of water, and others can be submerged.
Waterproofing is only possible when a Rugged power bank is not in use, and the ports are covered. These tough chargers are marketed to be best used while you’re in the outdoors, hiking or camping; however, they’re just as useful for everyday use power banks because threats such as dropping the power bank or getting it exposed to water are still present.
High Capacities
Most of the time, people just go straight to the power banks that are small and compact, and it makes sense as Mini power banks are easy to hold and can even fit into a pocket. However, they don’t have a lot of power, which is why high-capacity power banks are more useful.
Since they have power capacities within the 20,000mAh to 30,000mAh range, it’s with that high power capacity that you’re able to charge smartphones, tablets, and lots of other devices multiple times to full power. Another thing they have is multiple USB charging ports so you can charge many devices at once.
Special charging tech like Quick Charge or USB-C is also present with power banks like these. There are quite a lot of devices that are compatible with Quick Charge, and the number of devices that use USB-C is increasing; when using compatible devices with these charging technologies, you’re able to charge them a lot faster. Some power banks even have DC output ports that allow you to charge laptops.
Car Jumper Power banks
Just a small category branching off of High capacity power banks are ones that are also able to Jump Start cars. Some portable car jump starters have 3 main powering features: USB ports, DC Outputs, and Car Jumping abilities.
So you can charge your devices with the USB Ports, power appliances with the DC Output port, and also Jump start cars, all with just a single power bank. These types of power banks usually have LCD power capacity displays to also show the Amp current that they’re outputting.
As useful as these power banks are, though, they’re quite large and heavy, even larger and heavier than most high-capacity power banks. As a result, it’s best to just keep these types of power banks in your car where they’ll be the most useful.
