Best cheap power banks & portable chargers

In this article, I will take a look at the best cheap power banks/cheap portable chargers. Whether you will use these for regular indoor use or you will use them on your next hiking trip, these products are amazing value for money! I have tried many power banks over the years, these are my favorite ones for people on a tight budget.

 

Best cheap power banks

1. BESTON 8000 mAh Cellphone Portable Charger

8 000 mAh – 2.1 A output – double USB port

The first option on the list is incredibly cheap. Furthermore, it’s actually pretty good as well. It might not have the greatest capacity at 8000 mAh, but at this price, you really can’t expect anything better.

On top of being super cheap it’s also safe and especially compact/lightweight – which makes it an awesome power bank for hiking or other outdoor activities. It weighs exactly 6.8 ounces (192 gram) which is one of the lightest options out there.

It comes with a double usb port which means that you can charge 2 devices at the same time. Note that charging will be slower if you decide to charge 2 devices at the same time. However, this might not really matter if you plan on charging your electronics overnight.

To give you a reference the iPhone X has 2658 mAh which means that theoretically, this charger should be able to fully charge that phone 3 times. In reality, power banks tend to store less power than what is mentioned on the box. So you should expect to charge the iPhone X maybe 2.5 times instead. Note that most smartphones have a lower capacity than the iPhone X, which means that you can probably get more charges out of it if you have another smartphone.

Depending on your needs, this power bank will be an awesome cheap option. If the capacity suits your needs and you are truly looking for a cheap portable power bank, this is the one you should get!

It’s just a simple (but decent) portable charger that is ridiculously cheap.

In case you are interested, you can usually buy this power bank for the lowest price on amazon: BESTON 8000 mAh Cellphone Portable Charger.

 

2. Metecsmart Power Bank 20000mah Portable Charger

20 000 mAh – 3 A output – double USB port

(!) Currently only available on amazon uk.

 

The next power bank is slightly more expensive, but can still be considered a cheap power bank +you do get a lot more for that money. For starters, this power bank comes with 20 000 mAh, which is awesome. Especially for those of you who are planning on not being able to charge your devices for multiple days, I would recommend to get at least 16 000 mAh. Getting slightly more than that is even better.

Having more capacity also means that the power bank will be remarkably heavier – this one weighs 12.52 ounces (355 gram).

This power bank also has the ability to charge 2 devices at the same time and with 3 A output it will charge these devices faster as well. Additionally, the power bank has fast charging on board, which means that it can charge the average smartphone from 0% to 80% within 35 minutes. This is 75% faster than a traditional power bank.

The power bank on it’s own will be fully recharged (from the wall) in around 4.5-6 hours.

So how many times could this power bank charge your iPhone X ? 7.5 times – at least that’s the theoretical number, there is always some margin/dropoff that you should anticipate.

At this price, you are getting amazing value for money. Yes, this one is a bit more expensive than the BESTON, but you really get a lot in return. My advice? Go for a higher capacity power bank – even if you don’t need it right now, you might need it in the future. Buying one that is “future proof” might save you more money in the long run.

For more information about this Power bank you should take a look on amazon: Metecsmart  Power Bank 20000mah Portable Charger.

 

3. BONAI Portable Charger 30000mAh

30 000 mAh – 5.6 A output – 4 USB ports

The BONAI portable charger is the power bank for those of you who really need a huge power storage. 30 000 mAh is truly a lot for a power bank, especially one that is as cheap as this!

Not only does this power bank has 30 000 mAh, it also has a 5.6 A output, which means it will charge your devices super fast + it comes with 4 USB ports. These are some huge upgrades for only a small additional cost.

On top of that it comes with a built-in flashlight. This might come in handy when you are out camping.

Let’s do the iPhone X comparison again. This cheap power bank has enough capacity to charge your iPhone X 11.3 times, which is absolutely crazy. Note that this is the theoretical number – in reality you are probably “only” going to get 10 full charges out of it.

But is it worth the additional money? If you need the capacity – definitely! This power bank is the best bang for the buck when it comes to high-capacity power banks – I challenge you to find a better one! If you do, please let me know 😉

The latest price of this product can be found on amazon: BONAI Portable Charger 30000mAh.

 

4. ROMOSS 10000mAh Portable Charger

10 000 mAh – 2.1 A output – 3 USB ports

The ROMOSS is another great cheap power bank. The capacity isn’t super high or anything like that, but this portable charger stand out because of its convenience and looks.

Why is this charger so convenient? Well, you don’t have to carry around any type of cable. It comes with a built in micro usb cable and with an adapter. This means that you can charge any type of device without even a separate cable. It comes with adapters for Type C, lightning and micro USB.

On top of that, this power bank doesn’t come with 2, but 3 inputs.

It comes with storage room for an adapter, but there is only room for 1 adapter. That being said, this is still by far the most versatile options on this list. It’s not that great for long distance backpacking trips – because the capacity isn’t that high. However, it’s an awesome cheap power bank for shorter trips.

This might be a personal opinion, but I also think this one looks a lot better than any other alternative on this list. I’m sure that for some of you this cheap portable charger will be the best option.

If you are interested in the latest price, you should take a look on amazon: ROMOSS 10000mAh Portable Charger.

5. Dualpow Solar Charger 30,000mAh

30 000 mAh – 2 USB ports

The Dualpow Solar Charger is a bit different from the other power banks on this list. The main difference is that this one comes with a small solar panel on its back. You can simply attach it to the back of your backpack or lay it out in the sun and let the sun recharge the power bank. Pretty cool right?

Now before you get too excited, I must say that the amount of energy the sun will give you is very limited. The size of the solar panel is simply too small to collect a lot of energy. That being said, it’s a pretty good standalone power bank anyway, with a capacity of 30 000 mAh.

Also, it comes with some cool extra features like a flashlight and a hook.

The solar charging functionality is mainly meant for emergency situations. For example you could charge it for a couple of hours and than use that electricity for a short phone call. However, you should not assume that you can keep your phone charged for weeks while hiking and backpacking.

Nevertheless, I think it’s an awesome feature – just don’t have false expectations.

You might expect the solar panel to increase the cost of the charger, but this is still a very cheap portable charger. For the latest price, simply take a look on amazon: Dualpow Solar Charger 30,000mAh.

 

6. Foxelli Dual USB Solar Charger 10W

The Foxelli Solar Charger is not really a power bank, but I still really wanted to mention it. This product is called a solar charger. You can hang it on the back of your backpack, attach it to a device or a power bank and it will start charging the device or power bank.

So how much energy can you expect to gain from this Solar Charger? Some people claim to fully charge their phone within 3-4 hours, while others claim it’s closer to 7 hours. It obviously depends a lot on the weather.

This product might be more expensive than something like the “BESTON 8000 mAh Cellphone Portable Charger” but it’s still one of the most budget-friendly options within its class. It’s a super cool and useful gadget and you don’t have to spend a fortune to own one.

As always, the latest price can be found on amazon: Foxelli Dual USB Solar Charger 10W.

 

What is the difference between a power bank and a portable charger?

Most of you probably already knew this, but there is absolutely no difference between a power bank and a portable charger in this context.

I guess a power bank is a type of portable charger – but in this context they are one and the same thing.

That being said, there is a difference between a solar charger and a power bank. A solar charger uses a solar panel in order to charge a power bank or a device. Sometimes a solar charger is built in the power bank (see Dualpow Solar Charger) and sometimes the solar charger comes as a standalone product (Foxelli Dual USB Solar Charger 10W) which you can still connect to a power bank.

 

How many mAh do you need?

I have mentioned how mAh each and every of these cheap power banks have, but some of you might not really now how many you need exactly.

I always like to think about how many times I could charge my phone with a fully charged power bank. As I already said, and iPhone X has 2658 mAh – but most smartphones have a slightly lower capacity.

If you are planning on using your power bank to charge other electronic devices, it would be a good idea to check the mAh of each of these devices. For example, when I’m out on a long distance hiking trip, I only carry 2 electronic devices, my oneplus X smartphone and a Lumix TZ100 camera. I know that my oneplus X has a capacity of 2525 mAh and the camera has a capacity of 1025 mAh.

I don’t use these devices too often (because I want to save power) and I only need to fully charge them once every 3 days. This means that I need a little less than 1200 mAh a day. So if I go on a 10 day hiking trip (where there is no opportunity to recharge devices on the wall) I should -theoretically- be set with 12 000 mAh. However, I would always go with a buffer of 25% power (at least) for two reasons:

• Theoretical numbers don’t equal the real numbers
• I simply like to have some margin as well

If you don’t really know how much you will be using your electronic devices and how often you will need to charge them, it’s pretty hard to get an accurate idea of how many mAh you will need. However, with this information you should be able to at least make a vague estimation.

 

Conclusion

Choosing the right power bank isn’t hard at all. The main thing you need to know is how much capacity (mAh) you need. Once you know that – take a look at the list and you are done!

There are plenty of cheap power banks to choose from, but these were my all time favorites – at least at the time of writing (I will try to keep this article updated).

Most of these are pretty simple (yet solid) power banks, but that is to be expected when you are shopping in the budget section. That being said, the only things that are really important in a power bank is that it works, it’s reliable and it is safe.

I mean, it’s nice to have more convenience and handy features, but it’s not an absolute must. And even among the cheap power banks there are some with awesome features. The Dualpow Solar Charger and the BONAI Portable Charger for example both have built-in flashlights.

Also, the ROMOSS 10000mAh Portable Charger comes with multiple adapters and with a convenient built-in cable.

There are plenty of awesome cheap power banks out there, you just need to know where to look!