If you have an old device that you love to use even though it is difficult due to its age, using one of the best power banks can help you extend its life.
This is something I discovered while trying to get a little more out of my iPad Pro 12.9, because while I still enjoy using it for creative and professional tasks, several years of heavy use have made it difficult to count work periods.
That is, until I use a portable charger to help me improve its performance.
take a battery
What affects a device the most over time is its battery life: constant cycles of discharging and recharging can drastically reduce its power capacity, meaning it lasts less and less when unplugged.
You may not notice it during daily use, but after several years of use, the power consumption will become noticeable. If you have an old iPhone that seems to be burning through battery percentages, you'll know what I mean.
I used to carry my iPad around for days working in cafes, spending six to eight hours on screen between walks to different cafes and breaks to do other things.
These days, though, I'll have about half that time. Having blank documents open on the screen will consume battery power, even if you are not connected to Wi-Fi and other features are also disabled.
Get into a power bank
I have several power banks (for testing purposes), but the different ones I've used all run at 20,000 mAh. This is usually the highest capacity charger you'll consider buying, because bigger and you get an absolutely massive device, but smaller and you won't get too many charges.
With this capacity, I'll be able to charge the iPad's 9.720 mAh battery twice, and have a little left over for the headphones I'm using (or to give my smartphone a little more juice).
In fact, I wouldn't max it out twice —it would give me a lot more screen time than I really need— but the versatility of having that amount of power really helps.
This amount of extra battery is useful if I have a smartphone that needs a lot of juice. It's also handy on days when I completely forget to turn on the portable charger before taking it with me; I'll know I have at least enough left to power up the iPad once.
A power bank is easy to use in a cafe because I can keep it connected to the iPad while I work. Of course, the banks actually charge at a slower rate than the iPad consumes, but if it's plugged in all the time when I'm using it, that charge isn't fast at all.
A lot of the power banks I've started using actually have built-in displays that tell me how much charge they have left, which is really helpful when trying to figure out which one to take. Most of the others have LED strips that light up based on how much power they have, which is a rudimentary but useful way of letting me decide which one to take.
My only concern is that most of the power banks I've used are powered via micro USB so they aren't too fast to power up if I find all my portable chargers run out of power before I go out of the house. También signifies that you have to listen to it, that you uncover my micro USB charger, that you also solo use it for my Kindle and the PS4 controller, and you will find the bottom of a cajón.
Operate an old appliance
If it hadn't been for my portable power bank, I probably would have given up using my iPad Pro for work on the go, as the power drain and painful joints would make it difficult to use on the go. I am always near a power outlet and charger).
The same goes for other devices – if you find your old iPhone runs out of power at lunchtime or your smartwatch needs constant power to keep going, a portable charger will be ideal for a mid-day top-up.
Of course, in this case, you won't need 20 mAh like me – 000 mAh or even just 10 mAh will suffice, and more laptops to boot.
Our list of the best power banks contains a range of different types of power banks, so if you need a large charger or a baby power bank, you'll be fine (there are also some interesting ones like solar or cordless). So if, like me, you have an older device that you want to squeeze a little more life out of, you really should check out this list.