The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.The Insider Pick:You never have to run out of battery again if you carry an external battery pack with you. We've tested dozens of them over the years, and theJackery Bolt 6,000mAh Ultra-Compact External Battery Chargeris the best for most people with its built-in cables and big capacity.There's nothing worse than being caught with a dead phone. Sadly, most phones can barely last a day before they need to be juiced up again and outlets are few and far between. Instead of popping a heavy battery case on your phone for all eternity, you should carry around an external battery pack. Portable battery packs are the perfect solution to your charging woes. They come in all different shapes and sizes, and some of them even do double duty as a flashlight or car jump starter.We've used dozens of battery packs over the years, and it's hard to narrow down the best ones because there are so many great ones. The battery packs we've chosen are the cream of the crop in terms of functionality, style, and price.How to choose a battery pack for your needsThe first thing you need to know is what charger your phone uses. Every battery pack that has a USB-A outputcan be used to charge up any phone whether it's a lighting-based iPhone, a Micro USB Android phone, or a USB-C Android phone. All you need is the charging cable for your phone that can plug into a USB-A outlet adapter. Some USB-C cords have USB-C on both ends, in which case you need a battery pack with a USB-C output. There are also battery packs with integrated cables built in, but we'll discuss that further below.Here are all the factors you should consider when buying a battery pack:Portability and capacity: There are two kinds of people ' those who buy giant battery packs with a very high capacity and those who buy skinny ones with very little capacity. Giant ones are obviously less portable and heavier to carry, but you don't have to charge them up as often. Small battery packs can fit in your wallet, purse, or pocket with ease, but you will have to juice them up after one or two uses.Integrated cables or no cables:Some battery packs come with integrated cables so you don't have to remember to bring your chargingcable and your battery pack with you at the same time. I personally love integrated cables and think every battery pack should have them, but they do have a downside ' you're limited to that one cable type. So you're in trouble if you want to share the pack's power with a friend whose phone charges with a different cable than your phone or if you switch phones and the charging standard changes. If you don't want an included cable, many battery packs have no integrated cables, so you have to bring your own.Quick Charging:Many Android phones offer some version of Quick Charge technology, so if your phone does juice up quickly, you should look for a batterypack that supports Quick Charge 2.0 or 3.0. That way, you won't have to wait 3-4 hours for a full battery.USB-C ports: The new port on many phones, the Nintendo Switch, and the 2016 MacBookPro is USB-C. If your device supports USB-C, you need a battery pack with the new port. Some USB-C battery packs come with cables, but they're few and far between at this point. That'll change over the course of 2017 and 2018 as more and more devices get USB-C charging.Extra features:Some battery packs have special features like being solar powered, offering flashlights, or even adding jumper cables for your car. If you're a driver or someone who lives in remote areas, these special batterypacks might be more your style.Although theJackery Bolt 6,000mAh Ultra-Compact External Battery Chargeris our top pick, for various reasons laid out in the slides below, you should also consider the following battery packs:4,000mAh Flux Portable ChargerAUKEY 30,000mAh Portable Charger with Quick Charge 3.0Custom 6,000mAh Power Bank by CarvedSamsung Fast Charge 25W Battery Pack USB-CAnker PowerCore 20,000mAhandAnker PowerCore Speed 10,000mAhReeljuice 5X Portable Power BankBESTEK 600A Peak 10,000mAh Car Battery Charger Jump StarterSEE ALSO:The best USB-C cables for your Android phone or laptopDON'T MISS:The best lightning cables you can buy for your iPhoneSEE ALSO:The best Micro USB cables you can buyThe best battery pack overallWhy you'll love it: The Jackery Bolt 6,000mAh Ultra-Compact External Battery Charger can juice up any device twice, and it has built-in lightning and Micro USB cables.If you have an iPhone or an Android phone with a Micro USB port, theJackery Bolt 6,000 mAh External Battery Charger with Built-in lightning and Micro USB Cablesis the best external battery pack you can buy.The Jackery Bolt has two cables integrated into its design, so you can charge either typeof device at the same time. It also has a USB-A port, so you can plug in a third device to charge with its own cable, whether it be lightning, Micro USB, or USB-C. It also has a built-in flashlight. In other words, this battery pack does it all.It comes in two different capacities, so you can choose between a 6,000mAh pack that can fully chargean iPhone 7 twice or charge a Galaxy S8 1.5 times and a 10,050mAh pack that can fully chargean iPhone 7 four times or charge a Galaxy S8 three times.The battery pack supports Quick Charge tech, too, with up to 2.4A output, so it should charge compatible phones very quickly. The battery packs themselves juice up with a Micro USB cable, which is included in the box.Jackery offers an 18-month warranty and 24/7 customer service. User reviews on Amazon are positive, and The Wirecutter declared the Jackery Bolt its winner for best everyday use.It's great that the Jackery comes with two integrated cables and the option to charge a third device with your own cable. In the future, we'd love to see Jackery add a USB-C cable to this battery pack, but we appreciate that you can still charge a USB-C device with it so long as you have a USB-C to USB-A cable.Overall, the Jackery Bolt is our top pick because it's a versatile battery pack that will suit almost every type of user, and it's less expensive than other highly rated battery packs with multiple integrated charging cables.Pros:Comes with lightning and Micro USB cables, charges your phone more than once, it's relatively slim,it's and more affordable than the competitionCons:No USB-C support, not super slim, and not super giantBuy the Jackery Bolt 6,000mAh External Battery Charger with Built-in Lightning and Micro USB Cables on Amazon for $26.99[You save $43.00]Buy the Jackery Bolt 10,050mAh External Battery Charger with Built-in Lightning and Micro USB Cables on Amazon for $35.99[You save $54.00]The best slim battery packWhy you'll love it: The 4,000mAh Flux Portable Charger packs lightning and Micro USB cables into a super slim body that'll charge your phone fully at least once.Some people don't want to carry around a bulky battery packeven if it means getting only one extra charge out of it. If you prioritize slimness over capacity, the4,000mAh Flux Portable Chargeris the best one for you.Although it's super slim at a mere 7.8mm, the Flux battery pack holds 4,000mAh of power inside. There are also two cables integrated into the battery pack's design: a lightning cable for your iPhone and a Micro USB for your Android friends. Unfortunately, there's no support for USB-C devices yet, but in the future, Flux is likely to make USB-C battery packs, too.It will charge most phones at least once, and some may get 1.5 charges out of itthat's not bad for such a slim battery pack. The four tiny LED lights illuminate to tell you how much power you have left inside.If you need more capacity, Flux also makes a 10,000mAh battery pack that's very slim. The larger Flux battery pack also includes two USB-A ports, so you can charge any device with its own cable, including USB-C devices.The Flux doesn't support Quick Charge tech, so it will take longer to juice up your devices, but it should charge smaller phones reasonablyquickly.Most user reviews on Amazon are positive, and several tech sites love it, including Digital TrendsandPC Advisor.Pros:It's as slim as your smartphone, includes lighting and Micro USB cables, fits anywhere, lightweight, and it'll charge your phone at least onceCons:No USB-C support on the 4,000mAh packBuy the4,000mAh Flux Portable Chargeron Amazon for $29.95Buy the 10,000mAh Flux Portable Charger on Amazon for $59.95The best giant battery packWhy you'll love it: TheAUKEY 30,000mAh Portable Charger with Quick Charge 3.0 can charge any of your devices, and it can juicethem up more than once.Sometimes you just need a ton of power.TheAUKEY 30,000mAh Portable Charger with Quick Charge 3.0fits the bill with its giant capacity and ability to charge all your devices quickly multiple times.AUKEYsays it can fully charge your iPhone 7 10 times or a 9.7-inch iPad Pro 2.5 times, which is absolutely crazy. You can also charge multiple devices at the same time, and it has ports for every device. There are two USB-A ports for charging with any USB-A to Micro USB, lightning, or USB-C cables.For those of you with USB-C devices, there's a USB-C charging port, too. AUKEY also includes a USB-A to USB-C cable to help ease the transition for you. When you finally run out of juice, the AUKEYcharges up with either a Micro USBor a USB-C cable.Thebattery pack comes with a 24-month warranty, too, in case something goes wrong.Buyers on Amazon love the giant battery pack, and many seem to use it for traveling. TechRadar and Best Products highly recommend AUKEY's giant battery packs for people who need tons of extra juice.Larger battery packs like this one are also very helpful if you live in an area where you may lose power from snowstorms or extreme weather. You can easily recharge all your devices with the AUKEYand have battery left to spare. It's available for a decent price, too.Pros:Supports Quick Charge 3.0, has a huge capacity, supports USB-C, compatible with Micro USB, and works with lightning cables for the iPhoneCons:It's huge, heavy, and expensiveBuy the AUKEY 30,000mAh Portable Charger with Quick Charge 3.0on Amazon for $59.99[You save $15.00]See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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