The Best Portable Power Bank for iPhone and iPad

BY George Tinari

Published 17 Dec 2016

The Anker PowerCore 20100 is the perfect power bank. It has plenty of power — enough to charge an iPhone 7 nearly seven times — plus two USB outputs for simultaneously device charging and it’s lightweight and compact. It’s also a tremendous value at under $40.

Buy Anker PowerCore 20100:

Year after year, battery life on iPhones and iPads only gets incrementally better. For power users who are out of the house all day, even an iPhone 7 can rarely get you through to the night. Many look to battery cases to fix this problem, but I’ve never been in that camp. It makes the phone bulky, plus every time upgrading your iPhone means also having to upgrade the case. Instead, I prefer power banks. They’ve gotten enormously compact over the years, don’t cost too much, and hold plenty of battery power. So let’s not beat around the bush: if you’re buying a portable power bank for your devices, you should buy the Anker PowerCore 20100.

Anker PowerCore is Portable Yet Powerful

Anker has done a phenomenal job building a name for itself as the one of the most trustworthy portable power sources. Its PowerCore line is a diverse group of power banks that offer as little as one full charge to your iPhone to nine or 10. Of course, the PowerCore’s capabilities depend on how much you want to spend and how compact you want the bank to be. The smallest ones are as tiny as a lipstick.

We think the PowerCore 20100 is a happy medium. It’s just slightly taller than an iPhone 7 Plus and about two-thirds the width. It’s admittedly much thicker, but takes up the same surface area and isn’t heavy for its size. You should have no problem slipping this in almost any bag or suitcase wherever you head. It comes with a handy carrying case as well.

20,100 mAh of battery power comes in handy for either multiple charges or multiple devices. Anker says that’s enough to charge an iPhone 7 nearly seven times, an iPhone 7 Plus four-and-a-half times, an iPad Air 2 one-and-a-half times or an iPad mini 4 twice. The PowerCore 20100 also comes with two USB outputs so you can charge two devices simultaneously.

It also has four LED indicators on the top right to show you the remaining battery. A proper display would be nice, but it’s sufficient here. Even one LED light means you can still get one full charge left out of the iPhone 7 Plus.

At $39.99, the PowerCore 20100 is an absolute steal. It shows too. Out of over 7,000 ratings on Amazon, it has a 4.7 out of 5 star average.

Even if the PowerCore 20100 is a little too big for your taste, you could always drop down to something like the PowerCore 10000 which has about half of the battery power at half the size for $23.99. You also lose the additional USB for simultaneous charging though, which is a deal-breaker for us. Maybe you’re the opposite and want something even bigger — the massive Anker PowerCore 26800 has three USB outputs for $55.99.

Whatever you opt for, you can’t go wrong with something out of Anker’s PowerCore line. The PowerCore 20100 seems to be the sweet spot between portability and functionality, so it gets out pick for the overall best.

Honorable Mention: Fibonic 20,800 mAh Cell Phone Charger

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also discuss a very honorable mention especially given the tremendous price. The Fibonic 20,800 mAh cell phone charger is another tremendous power bank. It has just slightly more battery power than the PowerCore 20100 but generally you should expect the same amount of device charges out of it.

It also features three USB outputs instead of two and includes an LED display with an accurate battery reading down to the percentage. It’s not necessary, but a welcome luxury since four LED lights can be vague especially when charging multiple devices. A soft carrying case comes in the box as with Anker.

The best feature of the Fibonic is its price, exclusive only to iPhoneHacks readers. (Lucky you!) While it normally retails for $35, you can get a 30% discount code through us. That means you can snatch this excellent power bank for less than 25 bucks by the time you’re through. You’d be hard pressed to find a deal better than that.

Verdict

As a buyer of the Anker PowerCore 20100 myself, I’ve seen great success. It’s gotten me through long road trips, entire multi-day vacations, train rides and more. 7,000 Amazon reviews don’t lie either. It’s the ultimate choice. If you’re looking to take advantage of that great discount, Fibonic’s Cell Phone Charger is another fantastic option.

Buy Anker PowerCore 20100: