The power bank feature is creeping out of control

There was a time not so long ago when buying a power bank was as easy as choosing the cheapest portable battery that could charge your phone and quickly putting it in your pocket, purse, or backpack. The hardest part was deciding if it was time to get rid of the USB-A ports.

However, recently, brands have begun to load up on features, many of which are unnecessary, in an attempt to stand out from the commodity pack and justify higher price points. It’s especially popular among larger power banks that can also charge laptops, those up to the “airline-friendly” size limit of 99Wh (about 27,650mAh).

At CES 2026, we’re seeing a trend toward power banks with built-in cables, which is very convenient. But the similar trend of putting large, energy-efficient screens on these portable batteries is just ridiculous. This is just the beginning of the horrors of recent months.

The power bank that pushed things over the edge for me is the $270 Ecoflow Rapid Pro X Power Bank 27kg Which I received for review. Here’s my review: It’s bad. He does. no. He buys. As a power bank, it tries too hard to do too much, which makes it too expensive, too big, too slow, and too heavy.

The decorative faceplates are easy to install, and the Apple Watch charger’s magnetic modules and retractable USB-C cable are very easy to misplace.

The giant EcoFlow display scratches easily and is too dim to be easily read outdoors. The Rapid Pro No one needs a screen that takes 30 seconds to wake up from and displays swirling graphics and flashing eyeballs when they wake up, slowly draining the power reserves of the power bank. The fact that it has a screensaver tells me that the product team has completely lost the plot.

Anker is also guilty Put large screens on their power banks. Most people don’t need more than four dots to show remaining capacity, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to buy a power bank without a color LCD display. In the 20,000 mAh range, Anker doesn’t list a screenless model anymore. I, like many others edge Readers love seeing the wattage pumping in and out of those outlets — but the vast majority of people don’t need that.

Anker, like EcoFlow, also offers Power banks with special pogo-pin connectorsThe two companies use those connectors to entice owners into buying expensive desktop chargers that don’t work with anything else. These super-fast charging speeds are unlikely to justify the high cost for most people.

Most people, even tech experts edge Readers, you don’t even need a power bank that can output 140W of USB-C Power Delivery. The majority of gaming laptops require 65 watts or less. And most people’s primary computing device — a phone — only requires about 20 watts.

We certainly don’t need power banks with built-in hotspots when they’re already built into our Android and iOS phones. Baseus made one anyway.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity have become a common feature in some leading power banks. I’m all for remotely monitoring the massive power plants used to power off-grid homes and camps, but not the portable power bank that charges the phone in your hand or plugs into a nearby wall outlet.

We also don’t need built-in light bulbs. Why Random brand from AmazonWhy?

All of these extra “features” only add weight, size, and cost to power banks. They also increase the risk of something going wrong on a device that’s supposed to always be with you and working when you need it. And you don’t need power banks any additional Helps justification I remember.

One way power bank I He can Get behind with built-in cables like the retractable version found on the EcoFlow Rapid Power Bank Pro 27K (Note there is no “X” in the name.) Always having a properly selected cable that matches the maximum input and output of the device is very convenient. I like it Kuxiu’s S3 MagSafe Power BankFor example, it wraps the cable neatly around the chassis to connect to a hidden USB-C socket. This way the cable can be replaced if it is damaged or broken.

I’m also a fan of adding stands to MagSafe power banks that prop the phones up at your preferred angle for extended viewing or recording. More importantly, a few companies are now adopting semi-solid-state chemistries that make their power banks less susceptible to thermal runaway, which was the industry epidemic in 2025. They cost more to buy, but are cheaper to own over their long life.

I can’t help but enjoy her look Charge 3 in 1 Retractable Power Bankthough the built-in wall outlet and disappointing specs for a battery pack of this size and price undermine my entire argument. I’m a fan of Braun’s designPardon me!

There are still basic power banks available for charging phones and even laptops without a lot of feature creep and trying to sell them. If all you want is to charge your phone, there’s the trusty $26 Anker Power core 10 kg Or, if you’re feeling fancy, the Nitecore is $65 NB10000 Gen 3 Ultra-Slim USB-C Power Bank. If you also want to charge laptops, you might consider the cheerfully named INIU Cougar P64-E1 Fastest 140W 25000mAh Power Bank for $90, or even the more capable Belkin price of $150 UltraCharge Pro laptop power bank with a capacity of 27 kilograms Coming in March.

Faster, more powerful power banks with lots of cool features often generate headlines for pushing what’s possible. But the “best” power bank may not be the best one for you, when basic affordability is all you really need.