Powerbanks

JustAnotherSaver

Looking at the possibility of getting one. For the most part I don't actually need one. This would be for that one time where one could come in handy kind of situation. Example, when we go on holiday we do quite a bit of walking. The last time I had to turn off a fair few features that I normally have on and even then I ran the batteries on my devices close before we got back to the hotel at night. My wifes watch has a decent battery but her phone was a similar situation to mine.

The devices are:

Samsung Galaxy S10

Samsung Galaxy A71

Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

The wife does have a Fitbit Versa 3 I think but as I said, the battery on that is pretty decent and it's unlikely that would lose its charge from leaving the hotel in the morning to getting back at night.

I did look out Anker as I believe they're supposed to be pretty decent in the charging world but ideally what I want is a decent but not overpriced powerbank that has a percentage display as to how much is left and I never saw an Anker powerbank tick that box.

Feel free to ask any questions to help with recommending something. I obviously don't need (or want) to be spending 3 figures on something with fancy features that are of no use to me. Likewise I don't want to get the cheapest thing I can find only to find it will charge my watch half way but nothing more.

debitcardmayhem

I have two ankers (one across the road and one i see in the pub ) However the anker 20000 mah that I think is good has 4 leds showing how much is used, I will dig out the details at half time , it keeps an iPad  going when in the garden and can charge a phone etc (two  at the same time) ....

OK saw the first goal so at a look it is more expensive than I paid ( about 75% more in 2 years ) but it is here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-PowerCore-Technology-High-Capacity-Compatible-Black/dp/B07S829LBX/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2OZA31P31O3UN&keywords=anker+power+bank+20000&qid=1637005950&sprefix=anker+power+20000+,aps,164&sr=8-3 but that doesn't look like mine with the leds!!

J_B

I have an Anker Power Core 5000 A1109

I rarely use it but will charge the phone to full whilst reading the paper on the beach and still have two thirds in the bank for another day.

Huynha

Anker is one of the bigger names in terms of power banks, like you say. I've tried a couple of lesser-known brands from Amazon and found that they don't tend to be as reliable in terms of holding charge.

I've currently got an Anker PowerCore 20100 which can charge two devices at the same time. Although it doesn't have a display screen, it does have LED indicators on the side to tell you the level of charge remaining. I'm unsure if it charges Galaxy watches, but it wouldn't hurt to have a look on their website to see if they have a power bank that suits your needs.

Rodders53

Most Ankers don't seem to have a digital %age display, if that's what you are seeking.

Rather 4 leds to indicate (IIRC)  >25% >50% >75% and 100% very roughly when charging the bank and in use when recharging other devices.

I use a very similar 20,0000 mAh Poweradd device from Amazon to do our tablets and phones when away and occasionally at home rather than trailing a long cable across the floor to recharge swmbo's phone. That also has just 4 leds.

More Amp-hours = heavier but also = more capability to recharge multiple devices at the same time or one after another.

JustAnotherSaver

I wasn't aware of the LED situation. Thanks. That's not a bad compromise. 

Regards the watch, why wouldn't it charge a watch? They take USB cables don't they? Or USB-C or whatever? So worst case you'd surely just need to buy an adapter so the watch charging cable could plug in. 

Or doesn't it work like that? I haven't used one of these so you'll have to forgive the ignorance. 

victor2

Another vote for the Anker 20,000 mAh powerbank. It will run/charge an iPad as well as various phones I've tried.

Has USB micro and USB-C inputs for charging, as well as two USB outputs.

Does take a while to charge up, being a high capacity little beast, but I just leave it overnight.

It is just a bit cumbersome to lug around at about 340 grams and 75mm x 160mm x 21mm, but you can't have that capacity for nothing.

Holds its charge well when not used too.

Sandtree

JustAnotherSaver said:

I wasn't aware of the LED situation. Thanks. That's not a bad compromise. 

Regards the watch, why wouldn't it charge a watch? They take USB cables don't they? Or USB-C or whatever? So worst case you'd surely just need to buy an adapter so the watch charging cable could plug in. 

Or doesn't it work like that? I haven't used one of these so you'll have to forgive the ignorance. 

Some powerbanks come with built in cables, some come in with USB ports and some a mix of the two. Some also support wireless charging (inc Apple's Magsafe, not thats of interest to you). Similar some are rapid charge on one or more connections and others don't.

We have an Anker unit that has the LEDs as mentioned, a USBC rapid charging port and a USB standard charging port. It can charge something like a watch with the appropriate cable attached.

More power stored = heavier/bigger and so just need to think if you want something big to charge multiple devices by a good percentage each  that'll be a bit of a brick or something small and light that is easier to carry but will only partially recharge one device before its empty.

Ours is more the former as is intended for travel where we have 2 phones, tablet etc and may not have a reliable power supply for a day or two

JustAnotherSaver

Thanks for feedback.

I get the points about physical dimensions of the powerbank. My wife will some times carry only a small bag with her so this is an important factor really.

I don't imagine we'll ever have a situation like yours Sandtree where we can go beyond a day before we can charge the powerbank itself. We like to get out of the hotel in the early morning and we may not return until 9/10/11 at night say but we do always return & can re-charge the powerbank then.

Just need to find myself the right balance between bank capacity and size/bulk.

k_man

JustAnotherSaver said:

......

Regards the watch, why wouldn't it charge a watch? They take USB cables don't they? Or USB-C or whatever? So worst case you'd surely just need to buy an adapter so the watch charging cable could plug in. 

Or doesn't it work like that? I haven't used one of these so you'll have to forgive the ignorance. 

Some powerbanks don't support low output (e.g that smart watches draw) and auto-shutdown as the low output is detected as 'connected device is fully charged'

getmore4less

We have small lipstick size for the small pocket/bag situations where a top could be handy.

The larger ones are for big  jacket pocket/backpack.

What are you running that is taking all the charge out of your phones in a day?