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In a few short weeks my family will be heading to Disneyland for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference! We are beyond excited to be included in this prestigious event and I’m looking forward to some fun family time, the opportunity to sit in and listen to a few amazing speakers, and a chance to hug all of my blogging friends.
Whenever I head out away from an outlet, I have a portable charger on hand. While writing at iPhone Life I have had the opportunity to review several amazing chargers. Here is my personal list of the best portable battery chargers, as well as some extra charging accessories that I love.
Clockwise from top left:
Ventev Powercell 6000+, iBattz Battstation Optimus, TYLT Energi 5K, New Trent CarbonPak, Ventev ChargeSync Cable, ChargeKey and ChargeCard.
When buying a portable battery charger, keep in mind that most of the time you’ll be relying on a micro-USB cable to charge the portable charger’s battery and you’ll need a cable to connect from the USB port on the charger to your phone. The micro-USB for charging usually comes with the portable battery charger. The USB to phone charger cable is usually included with your phone.
I’m including my experience with charging using these devices. My phone isn’t always off when I recharge, so the number of charges will vary slightly from time to time.
From smallest to largest, these each have their place:
1. TYLT Energi 5K ($79.99) The TYLT Energi 5K is a 5,200mAh (the power of the battery) portable charger that includes a micro-USB and Lightning cable in the design. It can charge my phone 1.5 times and includes a USB port as well for those who don’t use the micro-USB or lightning cables. You’ll love how light this portable charger is, and how it easily fits in your hand alongside your phone. This charger is recharged with a micro-USB cable.
This is my everyday go-to charger. It’s always in my purse because I don’t need to carry an additional cord when I use it.
2. Ventev Powercell 6000+ ($74.99) Plug this charger into the wall and it performs like any other. The feature you’ll love about this charger is that you can pull it from the outlet and take it with you, using the 6,000mAh internal rechargeable battery to finish charging your phone. You can easily charge a phone and a tablet at the same time with the 1A and 2.1A charging ports (the 2.1A puts out enough power to charge a tablet). The Powercell 6000+ charges my iPhone 5 about 2.5 times. Shown below with the Ventev ChargeSync Lightning cable.
I use this charger when I’m in a hurry. I plug my phone into it and plug the charger into the wall. When I’m ready to go, I grab it all and toss it into my bag. By the time I get where I’m going I know my battery will be fully charged.
3. New Trent CarbonPak (link is to new version, $37.95) This 12,000mAh charger and two charging ports (1A and 2.1A) give you the ability to charge a phone and a tablet at the same time. The CarbonPak can be recharged with a micro-USB cable and used to charge your phone approximately 5 times. Shown below with the ChargeCard cable.
I use this charger as a back-up–in addition to the chargers I carry in my bag or purse, this can usually be found in the center console of my car for emergencies. Since the capacity is so big, it doesn’t need to be charged after every use so it can sit charged in the car for some time.
4. iBattz Battstation Optimus 20400 ($129.95) The mother of all chargers! This portable charger is the biggest I’ve owned and I take it everywhere. The Battstation Optimus 20400 has a 20,400mAh battery that can be charged with a micro-USB cable and used to recharge your phone up to 8 times. Yes, eight. The 1A port is on one end, and the 2.1A is on the other, which makes for nicer sharing in the back seat between my boys. Jack gets one side to charge his iPad and Michael gets the other for his iPhone. I have charged my iPad mini 3.5 times before needing to recharge this portable battery charger. Shown below with the Ventev ChargeSync Lightning cable.
I use this charger when we’ll be out for the day. Long car rides, sports games and practices, and blogger events. I love that I can share the power with fellow bloggers or family without the fear of running out later in the day.
5. Ventev ChargeSync Cables ($13.99-$24.99) I love these cables. They’re tangle-free and sturdy. With a house full of boys, that’s exactly what I need. The prices aren’t much different than purchasing quality cables from the phone manufacturers, and the quality is much better. An extra bonus is that you can choose a color for each family member. I know immediately who didn’t put their charger away!
I use Ventev ChargeSync cables for all of our portable devices. I especially love their micro-USB cable that I use for charging my portable battery chargers. It seems that the micro-USB cables can be very flimsy, and we go through a lot of them in our house.
6. ChargeKey and ChargeCard ($24.99 and $29.00) Two new products that I am trying and loving, the ChargeKey and ChargeCards are a replacement for longer charging cables. I keep my ChargeKey on my keyring and Michael keeps the ChargeCard (seen above in the New Trent picture) in his wallet. These are great for those times when you forget to grab a cable from the house, or when you need an extra cable to help a friend out. Truthfully, I didn’t think I’d have much use for these and boy was I wrong. They’re very flexible, so you don’t have to worry about them breaking.
What did I forget? Do you have a favorite portable battery charger? I’d love to hear about it!
I have received some of these chargers and cables to review for brands, and some I have purchased myself. There are Amazon affiliate links in this post.
Ah, this is a great post. As much as I travel, I never leave home without a portable charger – it’s my lifeline. Thanks for introducing me to some new ones!
What a great list of portable chargers. I have one already, but I have thought about getting one for the hubs, as much as his phone dies. I will have to check out some of these
Great post! I have a New Trent, but I love hearing about other options! I never leave home without a portable battery charger now! :)
Great rundown of chargers! Thanks for sharing your personal preference for each one. Makes choosing a charger that fits my needs so much easier.
I beta tested a New Trent power pack xtreme and I LOVE it! Unfortunately my husband has claimed it as his own, lol He’s a truck driver, and is out of town roughly one night a week. He keeps it in his truck with him and uses it when he’s out of town. They make excellent products!
This is a post I will definitely come back to when I am searching for a gift that is useful for my husband! Thank you!
I have one called The PowerTrip. It is pretty awesome. It can charge my iPhone 3xs before having to be recharged. To recharge it I can plug it into the wall or set it out in the sun (it has a little solar panel!). It also has a little bit of memory storage.
I have a couple of different 2nd generation Anker portable chargers that I love. I have a 6000 mAh that I keep in my purse. It will charge my Galaxy S4 a couple of times. I also have a 12000 mAh charger that I use when traveling or going to conferences. It’s great for charging my iPad Mini. Both devices have PowerIQ Smart Ports (one port on the 6000 mAh and three ports on the 12000 mAh) which identifies the type of device connected and uses the appropriate amperage to charge the device. Now there’s no more worrying about making sure the right device is plugged into the right port. That’s especially nice when I’m sharing my charger with other bloggers at conferences. Love it!
Of course I see this right after I just bought a couple of chargers that aren’t on the list. However, they were super cheap, so as long as they work and they don’t hurt my phone, I guess I’ll be okay.