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The reason I like Nimble best is because of its environmental efforts. The 10,000-mAh capacity has enough juice to charge an iPad, and it can keep my phone running for almost a week. I've been using this one for several months and rarely leave home without it. It's smaller than a deck of cards and can charge two devices at once, one via USB-C, one via USB-A. At 6.4 ounces, it's one of the lightest on the market, and you'll hardly notice it in your backpack.
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Nimble's Champ strikes the best balance between power when I need it, weight, and price.
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That said, one brand of battery chargers rose to the top during my testing. The best charger for your phone may be useless if you need to charge a laptop. There really isn't a best overall battery charger, because what's best depends on what needs recharging.
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External battery charger portable#
Even if you're not living in an off-grid solar setup, a portable battery-powered charger will come in handy. I had a proper 12-V battery bank in the bus, but since I was out and about much of the time, portable power was more flexible and let me take energy where I needed it rather than needing to be beside a plug. That experience taught me that the key to solar power is good batteries. This obsession started when I lived off-grid in a vintage RV, powered primarily by solar panels. To help, I've spent almost three years working my way through them all. There are hundreds of portable battery packs out there, and picking one can be confusing. If you keep a battery-powered charger handy, all those situations are a thing of the past. You can find more information at the Consumer Products Safety Commission, as well as Amazon’s own recall site.Portable devices have a Murphy's law-like ability to run out of power at the least convenient moment: as you step on the bus, right in the middle of an important meeting, or just as you get comfortable on the couch and press play. Amazon has received 53 reports of the affected models-B00LRK8EVO, B00LRK8HJ8, B00LRK8I7O, B00LRK8IV0, B00LRK8JDC or B00ZQ4JQAA-overheating, and in one case causing chemical burns. In this case, be advised: Amazon has voluntarily recalled several models because of potential overheating. You may also be considering simply buying Amazon’s AmazonBasic charger, as a way of saving money.
External battery charger update#
We will continue to review and update this article as we test more battery packs.
External battery charger full#
The faster the input, the faster your battery pack rechargers, the faster you’re ready to hit the road.Ĭlick on the links below to read the full reviews of all the products we tested for this roundup.