In New York, your phone isn’t just your phone; it’s your MetroCard.
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it → ’ → York
It’s also your Citi Bike key, your map if you get lost, and for some, it’s even your apartment key.
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it → ’ → some
It’s losing your wallet, your transit pass and the key to your place all at the same time.
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It → lose → time
For the New York Post’s Made It Here Awards, we tested eight power banks with one question: Which ones actually keep a New Yorker’s phone alive from the first swipe of the day to the moment you get home?
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you → make → moment
As a busy professional, hopping from home on Long Island to weekends in the Hudson Valley and excursions throughout the city, my iPhone gave up wall outlets for nearly two months while relying only on the best power banks money could buy.
uncertain
money → hop → banks
After eight weeks of nonstop trials, which ones passed the test and which ones ran out of juice?
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ones → pass → juice
Screen shows battery, battery health and temperature
Recharges itself fast at 45W
Cons:
17.8 millimeters thick
No built-in cable
The fan is audible up close
Top of its class price
This is the power bank we’d hand to any New Yorker, and it’s the one that does the most.
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that → show → most
It snaps on magnetically and charges at 25W, the fastest wireless speed out there.
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It → snap → 25W
It took my iPhone Air from 0 to 50% in just about 30 minutes with the fan on.
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fan → take → minutes
Plug in a cable and it puts out 45W, enough for an iPad or a small laptop, and it recharges itself at 45W, too.
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it → plug → 45W
Anker says that gets it to 80% in 52 minutes.
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that → say → minutes
On capacity, it delivered about two full charges.
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it → deliver → charges
That’s a full day of OMNY, maps and photos with plenty left over.
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That → ’ → plenty
With my phone on low power mode from 80% on (a default of mine these days, really), I survived two days without needing an outlet.
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I → survive → outlet
The fan is the reason it stays fast.
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it → stay → ?
Wireless charging makes heat, and heat makes most banks slow down.
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banks → make → heat
Anker’s fingertip-size fan keeps air moving, and Anker says the bank stays below 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
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bank → keep → Fahrenheit
The kickstand holds the phone at any angle from 0 to 80 degrees, and Anker says it’s tested for 5,000 cycles.
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it → hold → cycles
Watching something on the train or going hands-free for FaceTime at a bar counter is easy.
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Watching → watch → counter
The screen shows more than a battery percentage: battery health, temperature and charging mode, too.
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screen → show → health
What you give up: At almost 18 millimeters thick and nearly 8 ounces, it’s a tougher sell for your back pocket.
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it → give → pocket
It’s a no-brainer if you have a bag or coat pockets that can carry the “heavy” weight.
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that → ’ → weight
Also, depending on how you charge, there’s no built-in cable, though Anker includes a foot-long one.
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Anker → depend → one
Why it beat the Ugreen:
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it → beat → Ugreen
The Ugreen goes slightly longer, but the Anker has the kickstand, a quieter fan and 45W input versus 30W, so it refills faster when you’re back to grounded power.
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you → go → power
Screen shows charging power, cycles and battery level
Cons:
No kickstand
Slower 30W input
The heaviest 10K bank here, at 8.29 ounces
If your life is out from 5 a.m. to midnight more days than it’s not, this is the one for you.
Ugreen claims it gets up to 1.76 charges for an iPhone 17.
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it → show → iPhone
I was able to get two solid charges out of this for my iPhone Air, easy.
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I → get → Air
I preferred the magnetic charging option for ease and mobility.
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I → prefer → ease
It also has a wild cooling system.
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It → have → system
Ugreen’s CryoPulse system pumps liquid through the bank to pull heat away from your phone during 25W wireless charging, and a clear window lets you watch it flow.
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it → pump → charging
Ugreen says its ThermalGuard checks the temperature 200 times a second.
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ThermalGuard → say → temperature
I didn’t see much liquid moving, but that may have been because my phone never got hot enough to trigger it.
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phone → see → it
The built-in cable is the other big win.
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cable → build → ?
It’s rated for 45W and more than 10,000 bends, and it plugs into the spare port to form a loop you can hang from a bag.
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you → rat → bag
What you give up: There’s no kickstand.
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give → give → What
It recharges at 30W when using the magnet (the most attractive method in my opinion), which is slower than Anker’s 45W, so it takes longer to refill overnight.
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it → recharge → 45W
Lastly, it’s 16 millimeters thick and weighs 8.29 ounces.
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it → ’ → ounces
At $129.99, it’s only $20 more than the Anker.
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it → ’ → Anker
Pay it if you need a cord and capacity matters more than a stand.
2-year warranty plus Belkin’s $2,500 Connected Equipment Warranty
TSA carry-on compliant
Cons:
Only about one full phone charge
12 millimeters thick, slightly thicker than the BMX and Mophie
15W is slower than the 25W banks
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15W → pay → banks
This is the magnetic power bank to buy if you just need a safety in your bag at all times.
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you → buy → times
…and 80 more, not listed.
The Aporia
