Power banks have quickly become must-have accessories for anyone who needs charging power on the go. Breakthroughs in technology and miniaturization have made power banks more convenient and more powerful than ever before, and as people do more work on the go, including smartphone use and laptop use, power banks have emerged as necessities that no one can do without.

While power banks are at their core pretty easy to use – plug your phone, laptop, headlamp, or portable fan into one of the power bank’s USB outlets and let the power bank go to work – you can get more functionality out of your power bank if you know how to charge it properly.

This blog will teach you more about power banks and how to properly charge them.

How Do I Know When the Power Bank is Completely Charged?

Knowing when your portable charger is completely charged is typically pretty simple. Most power banks will have a small line of LED light indicators – probably four of them. When being used, the number of LED lights that are lit will indicate how much of a charge the power bank has left – four lights mean a full charge while one light means that about 25 percent of the battery is left.

When you plug your power bank in to charge it, the lights will indicate how much of a charge the unit has received. Two lit LED lights and a third blinking LED light mean the power bank has a 50 percent charge and is on its way to reaching a 75 percent charge. All four LED lights lit will mean the power bank has a full 100 percent charge.

What Kinds of Devices Can an AUKEY Power Bank Charge?

An AUKEY battery pack will charge almost any device you throw at it. Does your device receive its charge from a USB cable? If so, you can plug it into your AUKEY power bank to receive a charge. Some of the electronic items you can charge with an AUKEY power bank include:

• Cell phones
• Smartphones
• Laptop computers
• Tablets
• Smartwatches
• Flashlights and headlamps
• Portable speakers and wireless headphones
• Camping lanterns
• Small portable fans
• UV light water purifiers
• Portable electronic readers
• Bike lights
• Outdoor party lights
• Holiday lights
• And more

How Should I Use My Power Bank for the First Time?

Using your power bank for the first time could not be any easier – assuming it has some charge, simply remove it from the box, unwrap any packaging, plug in the device or devices that you want to charge, and let the charging begin. You do not need to fully charge your power bank before its first use, and it is not necessary to fully deplete the battery first before charging it.

How Do I Charge My Phone Faster?

Do you want to charge your phone faster? The best way to charge your phone faster is to ensure that the portable battery charger you are using to charge it with has a USB-C charging port. USB-C charging paired with a high-quality cable and high-quality power bank will get your phone charged the fastest.

Other tips for charging your phone more quickly include turning your phone off while charging it or at least not using it or switching the phone to airplane mode while it is plugged in and charging. Further, ensuring your phone is in an environment where the temperature is optima will help speed the charging – in general, phones charge much more slowly when the ambient air temperature is below about 40 degrees F and above about 110 degrees F. In very cold or very hot weather the phone may not charge at all.

What Battery Size Should I Buy?

What size power bank battery you should buy depends on what items you are charging and how many charges you need to perform in between charging the bank itself. Some devices, like wireless headphones, have tiny batteries that take little power to charge. Other devices, like laptops, require more. You will need to perform some simple math: If the device you are charging has, for example, a 3,600 mAh battery, then a 5,000 mAh power bank will charge it about one and a half times.

Top Portable Batteries from AUKEY

AUKEY has a wide range of portable batteries. These include both traditional wired as well as wireless power banks. AUKEY also sells a portable solar-charged power bank that has AC outputs and a 12-volt outlet plus plenty of USB-A and USB-C output ports. To learn more, visit AUKEY’s website.