The more powerful laptops get, the quicker your laptop battery drains. That’s a fact of life, much like death and taxes. Modern laptops pack high capacity batteries that last hours on end, but performance laptops use so much juice that if you don’t have a power outlet nearby, your laptop will die in the middle of that critical Premiere Pro export, with nothing you can do to save the day.
Luckily, there is a solution if you are on the move, have a dying laptop battery on your hands and no power outlet in sight. Power banks with enough power wattage to charge laptops have been around for a while, but have been getting smaller, more powerful and smarter.
We review a few of them below, and as always, we pick our favourites so you can make the most informed choice!
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Omnicharge Omni 20
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RAVPower AC Outlet 27000mAh Power Bank
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Omnicharge Omni 20 20400mAh Power Bank |
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The Omnicharge Omni 20 is expensive, but for the asking price, you get a sturdy, extremely well-built power bank with an AC outlet. The 20400 mAh battery guarantees several charges for your portable devices and depending on the battery capacity of your laptop, it will at least expand its usage for a few hours.
There are also 2 high-capacity USB ports for other devices such as tablets and phones and even a barrel port with dedicated adapters (a USD 50 upgrade) for different popular laptop brands.
The integrated OLED screen shows not only the exact state of the battery but also various details on the status of the device, such as temperature, battery power out in (watt), battery power in (watt)…
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RAVPower AC Outlet 27000mAh Power Bank |
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The RAVPower AC Outlet 27000mAh is great power bank to have with you if you not only need to charge your portable devices such as tablets and smartphones. Keep in mind though that charging through the USB-C port or the AC port can be an issue due to the limited output wattage, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a big help in emergency situations.
The battery has a capacity of 27000mAh, and that is quite a bit. But it does add to the considerable weight of 1.8 lb (847 g), so keep that in mind if you plan to carry this power bank around a lot.
Overall, this RAVPower AC Outlet is a good choice for serious users at a reasonable price, but the limited output wattage can be an issue for devices that require higher output wattages.
Maxoak K2 50000mAh Power Bank
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The Maxoak K2 50000mAh Power Bank is a big brick and probably almost as heavy as the laptop you want to charge it with. Also, because of its size and battery capacity, you won’t be able to carry it on a plane.
But if you are looking for the absolutely biggest portable battery on the market, both for your laptop as for your mobile devices, the Maxoak K2 is your best choice.
The Maxoak K2 comes with 11 adapters for different brands of laptops, but that doesn’t include Apple products. It’s a bit of a shame an AC outlet is not included since this would make a lot of sense considering the battery capacity, and it eliminates the need for all those adapters. The lack of LCD screen to see battery status and other things is also missing but there are LED’s that indicates battery status.
Chargetech 42000mAh AC Power Bank
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The Chargetech 42000mAh AC Power Bank is a great option if you need big battery capacity but still need to take your power bank on international flights, since this power bank is FAA approved. It has two AC outlets, and you can choose between a US version (110V) and international version (220V).
It’s heavy and rather large, but still compact enough to fit into your backpack or carry on luggage. Besides the AC outlets, there are 2 high-speed USB ports and 1 USB-C port.
Overall, the Chargetech is a great power bank, and if 42000mAh is not enough for your needs, there is Pro version with a whopping 50000mAh capacity. This version is, however, banned from planes.