The Best Power Banks in Australia

Your phone is on 9 per cent and the train hasn’t left the station yet. Or the kids’ tablets are flat two hours into a drive. That’s usually when people go looking for the best power banks in Australia, and the shelf of near-identical black and white bricks doesn’t help. For most people the answer is the Belkin BoostCharge 20K. It has enough charge for a long day or a weekend away, three ports so more than one person can plug in, and one of the strongest owner scores we found.

If you want something that fits in a pocket, get the smaller Belkin 10K. If you want to charge a laptop, skip down to the Anker.

The short answer

The best power banks in Australia

• Best overall: Belkin BoostCharge 20K (BPB028fqPK)
• Best compact power bank: Belkin BoostCharge 10K (BPB027fqPK)
• Best value 20,000mAh power bank: Cygnett Boost 20000mAh (CY4751PBCHE)
• Best power bank for laptops: Anker 25K 165W with Built-in Cables (A1695)

Product		Price
	Belkin BoostCharge 20K Power Bank with Display (BPB028fqPK)	from $89.95 at Amazon · 2 shops	$89.95 at Amazon
	Belkin BoostCharge 10K Power Bank with Display (BPB027fqPK)	from $69.95 at Amazon · 2 shops	$69.95 at Amazon
	Cygnett Boost 20000mAh Powerbank - Black (CY4751PBCHE)	from $79.00 at The Good Guys · 2 shops	$79.00 at The Good Guys
	Anker 25K 165W Power Bank with Built-in Retractable Cables (A1695)	from $159.96 at Amazon · 2 shops	$159.96 at Amazon

1. Best overall: Belkin BoostCharge 20K (BPB028fqPK)

Most people buying a power bank want one thing: to stop thinking about battery life for a day or two. The Belkin BoostCharge 20K does that. A 20,000mAh battery is enough to top up a phone several times, so you can charge it before a weekend away and stop worrying about it.

The three ports make it useful for more than one person. There are two USB-C and one USB-A, so a new phone, an older pair of earbuds and someone else’s tablet can all charge from it at once. On a family road trip that cuts the arguments over cables.

It’s also the only pick here whose maker lists pass-through charging. In practice that means you can plug the bank into the wall overnight in a hotel with your phone plugged into the bank, so both charge from one power point overnight.

JB Hi-Fi owners score it 4.88 out of 5 from 152 reviews. One thing to know: the smaller Belkin 10K below shows exactly the same score and review count, so JB Hi-Fi may be pooling reviews across the range. Read it as a strong score for Belkin’s BoostCharge line rather than for this exact model alone. Even so, it’s a lot of happy buyers.

The main objection is price. The Cygnett has the same capacity for a bit less. What you get for the extra is a second USB-C port and pass-through charging, and if your household is mostly USB-C now, that second port is worth paying for.

Our verdict: The one to buy if you want a single power bank that covers the whole household and lasts a weekend. Pay the extra over the Cygnett if your gadgets are mostly USB-C.

2. Best compact power bank: Belkin BoostCharge 10K (BPB027fqPK)

A power bank only helps if you actually have it on you, and a big one usually stays home in a drawer. If you want something that goes in your bag every day without you noticing, get the Belkin BoostCharge 10K. Belkin says it fits a pocket, handbag or clutch, and 10,000mAh is enough to get a phone through a long day out with some left over.

It keeps the parts of the 20K that you’ll use most: two USB-C ports, so your phone and earbuds can charge together, and a display that shows how much is left before you head out. What you lose is the USB-A port and about half the capacity, and Belkin doesn’t list pass-through charging for this one.

It’s the cheapest pick in this guide. It shares the 4.88 from 152 reviews at JB Hi-Fi with its bigger sibling, with the same caveat about that score possibly covering both models.

Skip it if you mainly want to charge a tablet or keep several people going on a trip. It’ll do the job, but it’ll run out sooner than you’d like.

Our verdict: Buy this if your problem is a phone that dies by late afternoon and you want something you’ll actually carry. If you’re charging for a family or a tablet, step up to the 20K.

3. Best value 20,000mAh power bank: Cygnett Boost 20000mAh (CY4751PBCHE)

If you want a big battery and you’d rather not pay for features you won’t use, the Cygnett Boost 20000mAh gets you the same capacity as our top pick for a bit less money. It’s sold at Amazon Australia and The Good Guys, and the price was about the same at both when we checked.

Cygnett says it’s good for up to 5.2 phone charges. That “up to” matters: how many you really get depends on the size of your phone’s battery, so a big phone will get fewer. Cygnett also says it charges “quickly” but doesn’t give a wattage in the listing, so if speed matters to you, check the box before you buy.

The port layout tells you who it suits. There’s one USB-C and two USB-A. That’s good for a household still full of USB-A cables, older phones and cheap earbuds. If everything you own is USB-C, the Belkin 20K’s two USB-C ports suit you better.

Owners at The Good Guys score it 4.8 out of 5 from 90 reviews. That’s a solid score from a decent number of buyers.

Our verdict: The value pick if you want a big battery and your drawer is full of USB-A cables. If you’ve mostly moved to USB-C, the Belkin 20K is worth the small step up.

4. Best power bank for laptops: Anker 25K 165W with Built-in Cables (A1695)

A phone power bank won’t keep a laptop going, and a laptop that dies halfway through a flight or a day at a client’s office is a bigger problem than a flat phone. The Anker 25K 165W is the only pick here that its maker pitches at laptops. Anker says it delivers up to 100W per USB-C output and 165W in total, so a laptop, a phone and a tablet can all charge from it at once.

The built-in cables are the feature you’ll notice day to day. There are two of them, one retractable and one that works as the carry strap, so you’re never left with the bank and no cable. Anker says the retractable one is rated for more than 20,000 pulls. That’s a big number, and it’s Anker’s number.

It’s also the biggest battery here at 25,000mAh, and Anker says it reaches 30 per cent in 20 minutes when you recharge it at 100W. That only helps if you have a charger that fast. At 90Wh it’s under the 100Wh carry-on limit, but it has to go in your cabin bag, not your checked luggage.

Now the catch. It’s the most expensive pick by a long way. It was noticeably cheaper at Amazon Australia than at JB Hi-Fi when we checked. Its owner score is 4.72 out of 5 from 74 reviews at JB Hi-Fi, the lowest score and the fewest reviews of the four. That’s still good, but there are fewer owners behind it. If you only charge phones, you’re paying for power you’ll never use.

Our verdict: Buy it if you need to keep a laptop alive away from a power point; nothing else here is built for that. If you only charge phones, save your money and get one of the Belkins.

How we chose

• What is on sale. Every pick was in stock at Amazon Australia and at one or more of JB Hi-Fi or The Good Guys when we checked.
• Owner ratings. We ranked on customer review scores published by those retailers, weighted by how many reviews sit behind each score.
• Maker specifications. Capacity, ports, output and other features come from the manufacturers’ published details and retailer listings.
• Price. We compared current prices across the retailers that stock each pick.

Prices and stock are checked automatically, and each product box shows when they were last checked.

Power bank buying guide

If your phone dies before the day ends, a 10,000mAh bank is usually enough. It’s small enough to carry every day, and the best power bank is the one you actually have with you.

If you’d like your phone propped up while it charges, Belkin also makes a 10K with a built-in stand; see our Belkin Power Bank 10K + Stand review.

If you’re charging for a family or going away for the weekend, look for 20,000mAh and three ports. More capacity means fewer recharges of the bank, and more ports mean more people can charge at once.

If you need to charge a laptop, check the output in watts, not just the capacity. Laptops need far more power than phones, and a bank made for phones will charge one slowly or not at all. Look for a USB-C port the maker rates for laptop charging.

If your cables are a mix of old and new, check the ports. Newer phones and earbuds use USB-C. Older devices and many cheap cables are USB-A. Buy a bank with ports that match what you already own.

If you mostly charge at home, a power bank isn’t the answer; a dock that charges everything in one spot is. See our guide to the best charging stations.

If you hate waking up to a flat bank and a flat phone, pass-through charging lets you charge the bank and your phone overnight from a single power point, which helps in a hotel room or at a campsite.

If you fly, power banks go in your carry-on, not your checked bag. Most airlines limit them to under 100Wh without approval, and some limit how you can use them on board. Check your airline’s rules before you go.

About the numbers on the box. A bank’s mAh figure is never all delivered to your phone, because some charge is lost along the way. “Up to” claims for the number of phone charges assume ideal conditions, so expect a bit less in real life.

Frequently asked questions

What size power bank do I need? For one phone over a day, 10,000mAh is enough. For several devices, tablets or a weekend away, go for 20,000mAh. For a laptop, you need high output in watts as well as a big battery, so look at the Anker.

Can I take a power bank on a plane in Australia? Generally yes, in your carry-on only, and usually under 100Wh. Airline rules on using them in flight vary, so check with your airline before you travel.

Why does my power bank charge my phone fewer times than the box says? Some energy is lost as heat and in converting the battery’s voltage to your phone’s. Charge-count claims are maker estimates, and the real number also depends on how big your phone’s battery is.

Is it worth paying more for a laptop power bank? Only if you’ll charge a laptop with it. Otherwise a phone-focused bank does the same job for much less.