11 Portable Batteries for Your MacBook — Best of

If you love working in a cafe or library — like me — or a co-working space with fewer power outlets, you require extra juice for your MacBook. Why? Although MacBook Pro promises “10 hours” of battery life, it’s not always the case.

The reason being: a device’s battery life depends on a few factors. Among them, the most important ones are the device’s age and its usage. For instance, a web browsing session drains less battery juice than a high-end gaming session. Then, you may work for a longer time — sometimes — if your work is piled up.

That said, it’s logical and safe to carry a portable battery (aka power bank) if you work on the go — especially if you’re not sure about power outlets at your go-to workplace. That’s why I’ve compiled the best portable batteries for MacBooks. I’m going to talk about their specs, pros and cons, and more.

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HyperJuice 130W USB-C Battery ($199.99)

HyperJuice is one of the most powerful battery packs that offer the maximum capacity of battery juice that’s allowed for air travel. What’s more? It boasts of recharging its battery from empty to full in just an hour. Amazing, right?

It can power multiple devices at a time — even two MacBook Pro! It offers three output ports: 18W USB-A, 60W USB-C, and 100W USB-C. It also features pass-through charging, letting you charge HyperJuice along with the connected devices simultaneously. Moreover, it packs in various essential safety features.

Pros

• Packs in 100Wh/27000mAh of battery juice.
• Charges MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and iPhone at a time.
• Supports pass-through charging for connected devices.
• Features Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 for mobile devices.
• Is the largest Li-ion battery safe for airlines per EASA/TSA.

Cons

• Costs a lot more than its competitors like BatPower PDE 2.

BatPower 210Wh USB-C Power Bank ($249.99)

BatPower PDE 2 is one among the battery packs that offer a humongous amount of battery juice. It almost offers double the juice as offered by HyperJuice. It features five output ports: 60W USB-C, three 30W USB-A, and 15W USB-A.

Pros

• Packs in whopping amount (210Wh/56000mAh) of juice.
• Costs a lot less per amount of juice than HyperJuice.
• Offers more number of output ports than HyperJuice.
• Supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 for smartphones.
• Supports powering multiple devices simultaneously too.

Cons

• Supports an output port of max. 60W unlike 100W by HyperJuice.
• Packs more juice than allowed by airlines, so you can’t carry it.

SuperTank USB-C Portable Charger ($191.99)

Zendure SuperTank is another high-capacity portable charger that packs in a 100W USB-C port, just like HyperJuice. It supports powering two devices at the same time while charging itself (surprisingly!), thanks to its UPS Mode. Also, it offers a Low-Power Mode, which allows charging wearable devices.

It features four ports: 15W USB-A, 18W USB-A, 60W USB-C, and 100W USB-C — which functions as both an input and an output port. Also, it has a digital display that shows the exact amount of the juice left. And it can rapid-charge two devices — even laptops or tablets — as is supported by HyperJuice and BatPower.

Pros

• Packs in 100Wh/27000mAh of juice, like HyperJuice.
• Costs a little less than HyperJuice with similar features.
• Features an LED display and Low-Power Mode, unlike others.
• Supports charging multiple devices at a time, like HyperJuice.

Cons

• Packs the maximum amount of juice allowed on airlines.
• Looks a little bulkier than the above two battery banks.

Mophie Powerstation USB-C 3XL ($199.95)

Mophie Powerstation is another high-capacity battery bank which can charge two devices at once. However, it can’t charge two MacBooks since it has just one 45W USB-C port, unlike the above devices. It has got just two output ports: 45W USB-C and 12W USB-A; and the latter only works for mobile devices.

Moreover, its priority+ charging allows powering a device while the battery bank is being charged — all at the same time. That means you can charge a device along with Powerstation and find them both charged when you wake up.

Pros

• Packs in 26000mAh juice — just a little less than SuperTank.
• Supports pass-through charging like HyperJuice and others.
• Allows charging a mobile device as well as MacBook together.

Cons

• A little costlier than SuperTank for a little less juice.
• Provides a maximum power of 45W, unlike the above devices.
• Doesn’t feature Qualcomm Quick Charge or something similar.

Omnicharge Omni-20 (USB-C) ($199)

Omni-20 is one-of-its-kind power bank with very powerful features. What’s its amazing and unique feature? It features a wall socket, allowing you to charge almost any mobile device — even if it can’t be charged using a USB cable.

It has got many output ports — 100W wall socket, 100W DC, 60W USB-C, and two 18W USB-A. It features Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 for USB-A ports and wireless charging as well. Last but important, it has an OLED display, which shows charge capacity, battery temperature, and a few more items.

Pros

• Packs in 20000mAh of battery juice.
• Features an OLED screen that shows crucial info.
• Offers AC wall socket and wireless charging, unlike others.
• Supports powering other devices while charging its battery.

Cons

• Its capacity is lower than all the above-listed power banks.
• A little costlier than the above power banks, per total juice.
• Its pass-through charging doesn’t support powering MacBook.

POWERADD Pilot Pro Power Bank ($109.99)

Pilot Pro is another high-capacity battery bank, which packs more battery juice than all the above devices except BatPower. That too for a lower price tag. Also, it hosts three ports: a DC port with adjustable V and two 5V USB-A ports.

However, it doesn’t come without its disadvantages. First and foremost, it has got no USB-C port, so you won’t be able to charge the latest devices. Also, its ports don’t support fast charging such as Power Delivery or Quick Charge.

Pros

• Comes with a high capacity (32000mAh) of battery juice.
• A lot cheaper than most devices listed in this write-up.
• Contains an LCD screen for displaying info, like Omni-20.

Cons

• No USB-C output port, unlike many devices on this list.
• No Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 or any similar feature.

RAVPower USB-C Power Bank ($65.99)

USB-C Power Bank is a cost-effective battery bank that can charge a MacBook. Also, it packs a hefty amount of battery juice; however, it has some cons too. At the least, it doesn’t offer some superb features like HyperJuice or Omni-20.

It features a proprietary technology called “iSmart Charging“, which judges the connected device and delivers the current accordingly. It has three output ports: a USB-C and two USB-A. However, it provides max. 30W output.

Pros

• Packs in 26800mAh of battery juice, similar to others.
• Costs a lot less than many other devices on this list.

Cons

• Maximum output is just 30W, unlike many competitors.
• 30W output won’t charge some of the modern laptops.
• No support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 or others.

MAXOAK Laptop Power Bank K2 ($129.99)

MAXOAK K2 is a high-capacity battery bank which offers almost twice as battery juice as offered by many devices on this list except BatPower.

It features six output ports: 3A DC, 2.5A DC, two 2.1A USB-A, and two 1A USB-A. That’s why it supports recharging multiple devices at a time; however, it can’t power two laptops simultaneously, unlike HyperJuice and Omni-20.

Pros

• Packs in a whopping amount (185Wh/50000mAh) of juice.
• Quite affordable than most competitors per amount of juice.

Cons

• No USB-C output port, unlike most of its competitors.
• No Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 or any other fast charging.
• No 60W or 100W output port, unlike HyperJuice and BatPower.
• Packs more juice than allowed by airlines, so you can’t carry it.

Anker PowerCore+ 20100 USB-C ($59.99)

PowerCore+ is an elegant battery bank with a sufficient battery juice. It features two proprietary technologies — PowerIQ and VoltageBoost — to provide fast charging support for most devices, especially via its USB-C port.

It features three output ports — 3A USB-C (which also doubles down as an input port for charging the battery bank itself) and two 2.4A USB-A ports.

Pros

• Packs in 72.36Wh/20100 mAh of battery juice.
• Affordable — similarly as most devices per the amount of juice.

Cons

• No Qualcomm Quick Charge, but features its own fast charging.
• No support for 60W or 100W output, unlike BatPower and SuperTank.

Portable MacBook Power Bank ($118.99)

With a huge capacity of 31200mAh, this versatile power bank for MacBook comes with micro USB input, LED power indicators, USB outlet, AC output (with an LED indicator), and even a small flashlight for emergency use.

Pros

• Packs in whopping amount (31200mAh) of juice.
• Costs a lot less per amount of juice than HyperJuice.
• Offers more number of output ports than HyperJuice.
• Supports powering multiple devices simultaneously too.

Cons

• Makes much noise while working.
• Packs more juice than allowed by airlines, so you can’t carry it.

ZMI PowerPack 20000 Battery Pack ($55.95)

PowerPack 2000 is an elegant and small-sized portable battery that can charge multiple devices at once. It features three ports: two 18W USB-A and one 45W USB-C. Thanks to the latter, it supports two-way fast charging as well.

It offers a unique feature named “USB Hub“, which allows the PowerPack 20000 to work as a power bank as well as a USB hub at the same time. That means you can connect it to your laptop and then connect additional devices (say a mouse and a pen drive) to it, then use them all even if your laptop has just one port.

Pros

• Packs in 72Wh/20000mAh of battery juice.
• Small and portable than others like BatteryBox.
• Affordable as much as other power banks on this list.
• Works as a USB hub, letting you connect more devices.

Cons

• No 60W or 100W output port, unlike HyperJuice or others.
• No support for Qualcomm Quick Charge or something similar.

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