One of the things I have to be concerned with due to being on the transplant list, is making sure I always have power for my phone, regardless of battery life. Otherwise I could miss my call, or delay in getting back to them. We have ridiculously bad electrical here as it seems like branches, squirrels, and the very air molecules themselves damage the nearby substation. I thought I would look for a good external battery thing that could hold a charge for a long time, and would equally have enough power to charge my phone several times. Or let me use my phone while plugged into it when I inevitably make a mistake and let it run out. Something that’s not too huge I could take it with me if I found myself in a situation where my phone is nearly dead and I’m out doing stuff.
Sorry for the very long explanation of what I need. Do any of you have suggestions for what might work well?
There are a few to choose from, guess you’re wanting to choose for yourself between price, mAh and size. I think most reasonably slim power banks are about 10,000 mAh and a phone battery is typically around 3,000 mAh. So like, 3 full charges. Anker and Belkin are known brands.
I just bought this to power my, uh, heated scarf my wife bought me for Christmas (not knowing any better, she got a low-cost version that didn’t include a battery pack). From the description it can be used to power a phone. It comes with a USB to mini-USB cable so if you have an iPhone you’d need to supply a lightning cable.
One of the features I like is a digital readout of the charge percentage, so there’s no doubt as to how charged the battery is.
I’ve used it a few times and it seems perfectly good. There may be lower cost alternatives though.
There are a couple different factors that go into a battery – size, weight, form factor, etc.
I’ve gotten partial to batteries that are roughly the same form factor as a phone, but plug directly into the wall to charge (and charge pretty quickly). They also have built in cables (although you can also attach your own USB) which is convenient.
There are two/three routes to go. One is an external power bank, which is a brick with USB ports built in so you can cable your phone to it. Upside: Very, very inexpensive, if you watch Woot or Slickdeals or Meh.com, you can get perfectly cromulent units for 10 bucks a brick, and they work well. Make sure you get one with the 2.4?V charging option, the lesser USB standard takes for-ever to charge.
Second is a phone case that is also a power bank. More expensive, phone specific in many cases, but instead of having two things and a cord you have either a phone or a bulkier phone.
Third, depending on your phone, is to go hard into wireless charging pads everywhere you use the phone so it is always at 100%. I’m starting to lean this way, if I keep my phone on the first level of battery saver then a 100% charge will last at least two days, maybe three, depending on use of course. If I had to do it and be triple sure, I would combine #2 and #3. If I was being more reasonable, 1 and 2. If I was more inclined to save and deal with some hassle, #1.
Wireless charging is a waste: slower charging and more heat. Just get a battery pack or 2 along with a multiport desktop charger. It’s what I did for my monthlong stay in hospital in April.
I too am doing the tests to get on the transplant list.
I have had good luck with Anker and RAVPower brands. Make sure you have a couple of cables with different plugs for all your devices, phone, tablet, Nintendo Switch, earbuds, GPS, maybe your laptop if it’s USBC PD. Multiple outputs can be handy, and make sure what charging speed you will get. 5-12Ah size are easier to keep with you, but I like the larger 20Ah ones. Some of the newer ones have a wall charger built in, which saves having to bring it separately.
@jpinard What kind of phone do you have? iPhones for the last few years have a neat magnetic connection on the back that they make extra batteries to connect to.
I picked up something like this when i was in Japan. Only 5,000mah, but that’s a bonus because i wanted something very small and portable just in case of emergency. I think i picked up for about $15.
USB-a to lightning: normal charging, normal battery aging
USB-c to lightning: usb-pd power delivery fast charging 0-80% (50% faster), battery ages faster, generates a little more heat
Wireless: slow, most inefficient, generates even more wasted heat, equal to usb-a wired charging at fastest or slightly faster. MagSafe battery is even more of a waste of time.
Get something like this form factor:
Since the 12 came with a lightning-c cable, you can use usb-pd so whatever bank you get make sure it supports usb-pd.
I also brought one of these to charge directly at the hospital when a power outlet is nearby, a 1-2 port for you may be enough:
I have both one that has prongs on it without a cord but those may be too heavy/big for some hospital outlets. One with a cord ensures you can run it out a little ways.
The most compact one is a 2 plug one, in two c or one c and one a. One an and 3-4 c is enough to charge my blood glucose meter, Switch, laptop, tablet, phone and watch for my hospital bugout bag.
