The Best Power Banks That Can Charge a Laptop

Most power banks say they charge laptops. Most of them deliver 18 or 20 watts, which keeps a laptop from dying while you work but does not charge it. A laptop power bank worth buying delivers 65 W or more from a single USB-C port, and the best deliver 100 W and up. These four do, and they stay under the airline limit.

The two numbers that matter

Watts from a single port. A thin laptop like a MacBook Air or a 13-inch ultrabook charges at 30 to 65 W. A 14-inch pro laptop wants 65 to 100 W. A 16-inch workstation wants 100 to 140 W. If the bank’s single-port output is below what your laptop draws under load, you lose charge slowly instead of gaining it.

Watt-hours, not milliamp-hours. Capacity in mAh is quoted at the cell voltage, which makes numbers look big. Divide by about 270 to get rough watt-hours. 27,000 mAh is about 100 Wh, which is the carry-on limit on most airlines without special approval. Everything here is under it.

A 100 Wh bank will add roughly one and a half full charges to a 13-inch laptop or about one to a 16-inch, after conversion losses.

#1 Best overall

Anker Prime Power Bank (26,250 mAh, 300 W)

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• 26,250 mAh, under the 100 Wh flight limit
• Up to 140 W from one USB-C port
• Three ports, 300 W total
• Display shows live wattage

Pros

• +Charges a 16-inch workstation at full speed
• +Recharges itself very fast
• +Screen tells you exactly what is happening

Cons

• –Heavy
• –Expensive
• –Overkill for a thin laptop

Anker’s Prime 300 W bank can charge any laptop. 140 W from a single USB-C port covers every laptop on sale, including 16-inch workstations under full load. 300 W total across three ports means the laptop, a phone and a tablet all charge at once. The display shows input and output wattage live, which ends the “is it actually charging” guessing game. It recharges itself fast enough to top up over a long lunch.

It is heavy and it is not cheap. If your laptop is a thin 13-inch, you are carrying weight you will never use.

#2 Best value high-output

UGREEN Nexode 25,000 mAh 200 W

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• 25,000 mAh
• Up to 100 W per port
• Two USB-C and one USB-A
• Status display

Pros

• +100 W for a laptop and 100 W for a second device at once
• +Lower price than the Anker
• +Solid build

Cons

• –Slightly slower to recharge
• –Heavier than its size suggests

The UGREEN Nexode 200 W gives you 100 W out of each of two USB-C ports at the same time, which is enough for a laptop and a second laptop, or a laptop and a Steam Deck. It costs noticeably less than the Anker and the build is solid. The display covers the basics.

Recharging the bank itself is a bit slower and it is dense for its size. For most people with a 14-inch laptop it is the sensible pick.

#3 Best for ultrabooks and tablets

Anker Nano Power Bank (10,000 mAh, 30 W)

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• 10,000 mAh
• 30 W USB-C
• Built-in cable
• Pocket sized

Pros

• +Keeps a MacBook Air or iPad alive on a long flight
• +Fits in a jacket pocket
• +Built-in cable means one less thing to forget

Cons

• –30 W is a trickle for a laptop under load
• –Will not charge a 16-inch machine

Sometimes the job is just “get through a flight.” The Anker Nano is a pocket-sized bank with 30 W out and a cable built into the body. For a MacBook Air, an iPad or a Chromebook doing light work, 30 W keeps the battery level or gains slowly. It also fully charges a phone several times.

It will not charge a 16-inch laptop and it will not keep a 14-inch pro machine going under a build. For a thin-and-light laptop, it is small enough to pack every time.

#4 Best slim

Baseus Blade HD 20,000 mAh 100 W

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• 20,000 mAh
• 100 W USB-C
• Flat, laptop-shaped profile
• Display

Pros

• +Slides into a laptop sleeve
• +Full 100 W for most laptops
• +Easy to pack

Cons

• –Larger footprint than a brick
• –Plastic build

Baseus made a power bank shaped like a laptop so it slides into the sleeve next to one. The Blade HD is flat and wide, delivers 100 W from USB-C, and holds 20,000 mAh. If a brick-shaped bank never fits in your bag, this solves it.

The footprint is larger than a cube of the same capacity and the shell is plastic. For a laptop bag with a flat pocket, nothing else here packs as neatly.

Cables, again

A 100 W bank with a 60 W cable charges at 60 W. Check the cable is rated for at least the bank’s output. A 240 W rated USB-C cable costs little and removes the doubt. For one cable at your desk as well, see our Thunderbolt docks and chargers guide.

The short version

• Any laptop, including big ones: Anker Prime 300 W.
• 14-inch laptop, sensible money: UGREEN Nexode 200 W.
• Thin laptop or tablet, pocket sized: Anker Nano 30 W.
• Needs to fit in a laptop sleeve: Baseus Blade HD.