If you are looking for a portable battery pack for your iPhone or iPad, here's how to find the perfect one for your needs.
The average person probably won't realize they need a battery pack or portable charger until they're on a long flight or road trip and realize that their phone or tablet is out of battery. What do they do? There's no outlets nearby!
At ZMI, we provide portable charging solutions for vacationers and business professionals alike. The next time you're out of battery, count on one of our products to get you back on track.
In this guide we will show you some of our best portable battery packs for your device. If you're not sure which device version or generation you have, go to Settings > General > About. Then look for Model Name, Model Number, or Model. You can then look up that number on a search engine to find the correct device generation.
iPhone 7, 7 Plus, & Earlier
For older iPhone's (iPhone 7, 7 Plus, and earlier), there is no need for a fast charging battery pack, because these iPhone's do not support fast charging. What you need is a charger that is reliable and affordable. If you want a larger battery pack that can charge your iPhone many times, keep in mind that it will be heavier. If you want a battery pack that is lightweight, keep in mind that it won't charge your phone as many times before running out of charge.
Here are some of our products that you should consider.
Small, lightweight, and affordable. But capacity is a bit small, good for 1 full charge of your iPhone.
Our most popular power bank. Thin, lightweight, and has enough capacity for 3-4 full charges of your iPhone.
Plenty of capacity for your iPhone, enough to last a week depending on your screen time and usage. But it's heavier and thicker than the other two.
For iPhone 8 & Newer
For iPhone's 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, XR, 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max. These all support fast charging up to 18W.
For fast charging to work, you'll need a USB-C to Lightning cable (included with 11 Pro and Pro Max). And you'll need a power bank or charger that has a USB-C port and supports USB Power Delivery (PD) fast charging to at least 18W.
Of course, if you prefer to use standard speed charging, you can use any of the three power banks we have mentioned. The exceptions are the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max; you'll need a USB to Lightning cable instead of the included USB-C to Lightning cable to do standard charging.
Here are the ZMI portable chargers we recommend that will fast charge your iPhone.
Same capacity of PowerPack 10K but with a USB-C port that can do output along with the regular USB-A port. Just a bit heavier and pricier than the 10K, but you can charge two devices at the same time.
Two USB-C ports. Relatively thin & lightweight. If you're ready to take the plunge and go all USB-C. Roughly the same capacity as the 10K, but more expensive.
Same price as the Ambi but more capacity. If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive option to charge your phone for almost a week, this is it. It does fast charging thru its USB-C port too. Only downside is that it's not as portable as the other battery packs.
For Older iPad's
For older iPad versions
- iPad Air (2nd gen and earlier)
- iPad mini (4th gen and earlier)
- iPad (6th gen and earlier)
These older iPad's don't do USB PD fast charging. Here are your options.
Small capacity for tablets, but it's lightweight and inexpensive.
Much larger capacity. It's not as portable as the 10K, but you can charge up to three devices at a time.
For Newer iPad's
For newer iPad's:
- iPad Air (3rd Generation)
- iPad mini (5th Generation)
- iPad Pro 11-inch
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd Generation)
- iPad Pro 10.5-inch
- iPad (7th Generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd Generation)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st Generation)
These iPad's are listed by Apple as supporting 18W USB PD charging. The 2018 iPad Pro's (3rd Gen) and newer have a USB-C port, so there's no need to purchase an extra cable. But for the other iPad's, you'll need to get a USB-C to Lightning cable.
Like the PowerPack 10K, but it can do USB-C output up to 18W.
Roughly same capacity as 10K USB-C and also does 18W output. 2 USB-C ports. Mainly for USB-C purists.
In terms of capacity, this charger will outlast the other two and can also charge your iPad at 18W. However, it's not as portable.
Summary
For the majority of users, we recommend looking at two chargers. The ZMI PowerPack 10K USB-C and the PowerPack Aura. These two will work regardless of which iPhone or iPad version you have.
The 10K USB-C is more affordable, more portable, and but won't charge your devices for as long before running out of battery.
The Aura is not very portable, but you can charge your devices for a longer time.