Best power banks

The UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 130W is the best power bank for most UK buyers in September 2026. The UGREEN Nexode stores 72 Wh, pushes 100 W through a single USB-C port and costs £49.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026), which makes it the cheapest route to a bank that can fast-charge a phone and a laptop. The Anker Prime Power Bank 26K 300W is the pick for heavier laptops, the Anker MagGo Power Bank 10K is the magnetic option for iPhone, the Anker Nano Power Bank 10K 30W is the one to keep in a jacket pocket, and the INIU 10,000 mAh 22.5W is the budget pick.

This guide covers wired power banks and magnetic battery packs. For charging pads, stands and MagSafe docks, see Best wireless charger UK 2026, and for the plug that refills your power bank, see Best fast charger UK 2026.

How much of a power bank's capacity can you actually use?

Expect roughly 65% of a power bank's rated capacity to reach your device. The mAh figure on the box describes the internal lithium cells at their nominal voltage, usually 3.6 to 3.85 V. A phone or laptop charges at 5, 9, 15 or 20 V over USB-C, so the power bank has to boost the voltage, and the phone then steps it down again to fill its own battery. Each conversion loses energy as heat, and the cable loses a little more.

That is why Compare Electronic compares power banks in watt-hours (Wh) rather than mAh. Watt-hours already account for cell voltage, so a 10,000 mAh bank at 3.85 V (38.5 Wh) and a 10,000 mAh bank at 3.6 V (36 Wh) are not the same size. The conversion is simple: mAh multiplied by volts, divided by 1,000.

Wireless charging is less efficient again, so a magnetic power bank used over Qi2 lands below these figures. Treat every charge count in this guide as an estimate, not a guarantee.

1. UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 130W - best overall

The UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 130W is the best all-round power bank Compare Electronic tracks in September 2026. UGREEN rates the Nexode at 20,000 mAh, or 72 Wh, with two USB-C ports and one USB-A port. The first USB-C port delivers up to 100 W on its own, and the two USB-C ports share 130 W when a laptop and a phone charge together.

100 W from one port matters more than the headline 130 W. Apple says the 13-inch MacBook Air fast-charges from any USB PD source of 70 W or more, and the UGREEN Nexode clears that with room to spare. Using Compare Electronic's method, the UGREEN Nexode's 72 Wh translates to about 47 Wh of usable energy: roughly 3.0 iPhone 18 Pro charges or 0.87 of a MacBook Air charge.

The colour display shows remaining charge and live input and output wattage, which is the easiest way to confirm a laptop is actually drawing fast-charge power. UGREEN rates the recharge input at 65 W, so a 65 W wall charger refills the bank in around two hours. The catch is bulk: at about 420 g and roughly the size of a drinks can, the UGREEN Nexode belongs in a bag, not a pocket.

2. Anker Prime Power Bank 26K 300W - best for laptops

The Anker Prime Power Bank 26K 300W is the power bank to buy for a MacBook Pro, a gaming handheld or a Windows laptop that draws more than 65 W. Anker rates the Anker Prime at 26,250 mAh, or 99.75 Wh, which sits 0.25 Wh under the 100 Wh line that UK flights allow without airline approval. That is as large as a power bank can practically get before travel becomes complicated.

Both USB-C ports deliver up to 140 W each using the 28 V levels of USB PD 3.1, and the Anker Prime supplies 300 W in total across its three ports. Recharging is equally quick: Anker quotes 50% in 13 minutes and 80% in 40 minutes when both USB-C ports take a combined 250 W. On Compare Electronic's estimate, the Anker Prime delivers about 65 Wh of usable energy, or 1.2 MacBook Air charges and about 4.1 iPhone 18 Pro charges.

At £179.00 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026), the Anker Prime costs more than three times the UGREEN Nexode and weighs 600 g. The extra money buys 40 W more per port, 28 Wh more capacity and a recharge that fits inside a coffee stop. Buyers with a MacBook Air or a 65 W Windows ultrabook do not need it.

3. Anker MagGo Power Bank 10K - best magnetic (MagSafe and Qi2)

The Anker MagGo Power Bank 10K is the best magnetic power bank for iPhone owners who want to top up without a cable. The Anker MagGo is Qi2 certified, so it snaps onto any iPhone from the iPhone 12 onwards, including the iPhone 18 Pro, and aligns its charging coil automatically. Anker rates it at 10,000 mAh, or 38.5 Wh, with 15 W wireless output and 27 W from the USB-C port.

The trade-off is speed and efficiency. The iPhone 18 Pro accepts up to 25 W over Qi2.2, so the Anker MagGo's 15 W is a steady rather than rapid top-up. Wireless charging also turns more energy into heat than a cable, so the 1.6 iPhone 18 Pro charges from Compare Electronic's wired formula is an upper bound. Plugging a USB-C cable into the MagGo gets closer to that figure.

The smart display and fold-out stand are genuinely useful: the stand props the iPhone up in landscape for video while it charges. At 250 g the Anker MagGo adds noticeable weight to a phone. Buyers who want the full 25 W can step up to Anker's MagGo Power Bank 2 Pro, which adds Qi2 25 W and a cooling fan for roughly twice the price. Magnetic docks and chargers that stay at home are covered in Best wireless charger UK 2026.

4. Anker Nano Power Bank 10K 30W - best small

The Anker Nano Power Bank 10K 30W is the best small power bank because the cable is part of the product. A USB-C cable is built into the body and doubles as a strap, so there is no separate lead to forget. Anker rates the Anker Nano at 10,000 mAh with up to 30 W from the built-in cable or the separate USB-C port, plus 22.5 W from a USB-A port.

The Anker Nano weighs 215 g and measures 104 x 52.3 x 26 mm, small enough for a jacket pocket. 30 W covers the Pixel 11 Pro's 30 W wired maximum and charges an iPhone 18 Pro quickly, though not at its 60 W peak. On Compare Electronic's estimate the Anker Nano delivers about 1.5 iPhone 18 Pro charges. The same 30 W works in reverse, so the bank itself recharges at 30 W.

5. INIU 10,000 mAh 22.5W - best budget

The INIU 10,000 mAh 22.5W is the best budget power bank at £14.97 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). The INIU stores 37 Wh, the same class as the Anker Nano, for well under half the price. At about 62p per usable watt-hour, the INIU is the cheapest energy per pound on Compare Electronic's shortlist.

The compromises are speed and polish. The USB-C port delivers 20 W over Power Delivery and the USB-A ports reach 22.5 W with Quick Charge, which is fine for overnight top-ups and slow for an iPhone 18 Pro that can take 60 W. There is no built-in cable, and 20 W cannot charge a laptop meaningfully. For an emergency bank that lives in a bag or a glovebox, those compromises do not matter.

Best power bank UK 2026 spec sheet

Which power bank gives the most charge for the money?

The INIU 10,000 mAh 22.5W gives the most usable energy per pound, at about 62p per usable watt-hour, and the UGREEN Nexode 130W is the best value among banks that can charge a laptop, at about £1.07. Compare Electronic's price-per-usable-Wh breakdown multiplies each manufacturer's rated Wh by 0.65, divides the Amazon UK price at the time of writing (September 2026) by the result, then divides usable Wh by the iPhone 18 Pro's 15.7 Wh and the 13-inch MacBook Air's 53.8 Wh to estimate full charges.

Two patterns stand out. First, capacity per pound falls sharply once a power bank adds laptop-class output: the Anker Prime costs £2.76 per usable Wh, more than four times the INIU, because 140 W ports, a 250 W recharge and a 99.75 Wh cell pack cost real money. Second, the charge counts are estimates, not promises. The Anker MagGo 10K figure assumes a cable; charging an iPhone 18 Pro wirelessly loses more energy, and a warm phone or a cold day lowers every number in the table. The MacBook Air column only applies to banks that can supply Apple's 30 W minimum, which rules out the Anker MagGo and the INIU in practice.

Can you take a power bank on a plane in the UK?

Yes, but only in hand luggage, and the rules tightened in 2026. The UK Civil Aviation Authority's passenger provisions, effective from 27 March 2026, set these limits:

• Up to 100 Wh: allowed without airline approval.
• 100 Wh to 160 Wh: needs the airline's approval before travel.
• Above 160 Wh: not permitted as ordinary passenger baggage.
• Two per person: a maximum of two power banks per passenger.
• Protected: each power bank must be individually protected when not in use, for example in a pouch or with the ports covered.
• No recharging on board: power banks must not be recharged on the aircraft, and should not be used to charge other devices during the flight.

Every power bank on this list is under 100 Wh, so none needs airline approval. The Anker Prime 26K, at 99.75 Wh, is the largest a UK traveller can carry without asking. Individual airlines can set stricter limits, so check the carrier's own page before flying. The practical change for 2026 is that a power bank is now for the airport and the destination, not for topping up a phone at 35,000 feet.

If the label shows only mAh, calculate Wh by multiplying the mAh by the cell voltage (usually printed as 3.6 V, 3.7 V or 3.85 V) and dividing by 1,000. A 26,800 mAh bank at 3.7 V is 99.2 Wh; a 30,000 mAh bank at 3.7 V is 111 Wh and needs approval.

Can a power bank charge a laptop?

Yes, if the power bank supplies USB-C Power Delivery at the wattage the laptop asks for. Apple says the 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 needs at least 30 W and fast-charges from 70 W or more. Lenovo ships the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 with a 65 W USB-C adapter and quotes 80% in one hour with it. A power bank that delivers 100 W from one port, like the UGREEN Nexode, covers both at full speed.

Capacity is the second limit. A 72 Wh bank delivers roughly 47 Wh on Compare Electronic's estimate, which is 0.87 of a MacBook Air 13 (53.8 Wh) and 0.82 of a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 (57 Wh). Only the Anker Prime 26K, at about 65 Wh usable, gets past one full laptop charge. For laptop recommendations, see Best laptop UK 2026.

What capacity power bank do you need?

A 10,000 mAh power bank suits a single phone for a day out, and a 20,000 mAh bank suits a weekend or a laptop top-up.

• Daily carry, one phone: 10,000 mAh (36 to 38.5 Wh), about 1.5 iPhone 18 Pro charges. The Anker Nano 10K or INIU.
• iPhone, no cables: the Anker MagGo 10K, accepting fewer effective charges over Qi2.
• Weekend away or phone plus tablet: 20,000 mAh (about 72 Wh), roughly 3 iPhone 18 Pro charges. The UGREEN Nexode 130W.
• Laptop users and long-haul travellers: just under 100 Wh with 100 W or more per port. The Anker Prime 26K.

Phones with bigger batteries shift the maths. The Galaxy S26 Ultra carries a 5,000 mAh battery, about 23% more than the iPhone 18 Pro, so expect proportionally fewer charges. Phones that last longer between charges are ranked in Longest battery life smartphones 2026.

Verdict: the best power bank to buy

The UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 130W is the best power bank in the UK in September 2026: 72 Wh, 100 W from one port and a live display for £49.99, with about three iPhone 18 Pro charges on Compare Electronic's estimate. The Anker Prime Power Bank 26K 300W is the laptop pick at the 100 Wh flight limit, the Anker MagGo Power Bank 10K is the magnetic pick for iPhone, the Anker Nano Power Bank 10K 30W is the smallest sensible carry, and the INIU 10,000 mAh 22.5W is the budget choice at about 62p per usable Wh. Whichever bank you buy, carry it in hand luggage and keep it switched off in the air.