The best solutions available to charge your laptop battery from anywhere
With laptops becoming an integral part of most people's lives for both work and play, consumers are no longer looking for the many and varied features that manufacturers focus on, such as better-resolution and larger displays, faster-than-ever storage solutions, or even more sophisticated designs and higher levels of performance.
Although it is a useful thing, most users of this type of computer care more about battery life, which is something that has not evolved as much as other aspects.
It has become difficult to find a laptop that can last a full day of use without having to plug it into the charger or activate the battery saving mode, which in turn reduces the device's capabilities.
Therefore, many people face the problem of using laptops away from home. But of course, there are many solutions that can be adopted to overcome this.
One of the most effective solutions is to use a portable charger or a power bank. These are not only for smartphones, but are also available for laptops, whether equipped with a USB port or any other port.
So, when you plan to use your laptop outside the home for any reason, take this portable charger with you to have some backup power when needed. Below are the available options and their prices for charging your laptop battery from anywhere.
Use portable chargers with a USB-C plug.
Many modern laptops today come with a USB-C connector for charging the battery, just like smartphones. For example, Apple's latest MacBooks charge via a USB-C cable.
This is also becoming common in new laptops, especially models with a thin and lightweight design.
So, if your laptop can charge via USB-C, you can buy a portable charger that has a USB-C socket and charge the battery through it.
But you can't just use any portable charger: you'll need one that offers enough charging speed (in watts) and enough energy storage capacity (in mAh) to power the battery to keep your laptop running.
This means that you cannot use power banks designed for smartphones as they are smaller and do not meet the standards for charging laptop batteries.
Also, portable power banks designed to charge laptops may be a bit heavier, but they are still convenient enough to fit nicely in a laptop bag or backpack and take with you wherever you go. A good example of this type of power bank is the imuto 45W PD Power Bank available on Amazon for $60, which comes with a sleek design, is lightweight, and supports charging all types of portable devices that support a USB-C port, in addition to having two USB 2.0 ports for charging smartphones.
But before you buy, keep in mind that not every laptop can be charged with a portable charger. So, the only way to know if a power bank is right for your device is to try it out first. Or you may want to read reviews that show whether the charger you’re looking to buy will work with your laptop — or buy one from a store that offers a reliable return policy.
Use portable chargers with an AC outlet.
If you have a laptop that doesn't have a USB-C connector - and let's be honest, most laptops people use these days don't use this advanced port - then you can buy an AC-capable power bank, which is basically a giant portable battery that has a regular AC outlet, allowing you to plug your basic laptop charger (no matter what shape or type of port it is) into the power supply as you normally would at home.
However, these portable chargers may not work with most laptops, as they cannot provide as much power as the wall outlet you have at home. In other words, they may not be able to charge gaming laptops, which are usually power hungry. So, it is always best to check the charger’s specifications and what the battery needs to be powered efficiently.
On the flip side, these chargers are more expensive, larger, and heavier than regular USB-C chargers. However, they’re also more flexible – you can plug almost any charger into an AC outlet to power the battery. In short, it’s a power bank that works on a variety of devices in a variety of situations and scenarios.
For its part, the popular product review site Wirecutter recommends the Mophie Powerstation AC portable charger , which has a 22,000mAh battery and 100W power output, in addition to its sleek design and slim thickness that is convenient to carry around, but it costs about $200.
But of course, this is just one option, you will find many portable chargers for laptops and other power banks that provide an AC socket in online stores and local electronics stores. In general, as we mentioned, they are relatively expensive compared to portable chargers for smartphones and devices that support the USB-C port for charging.
See also: Why is the laptop battery life never estimated correctly?
Purchase a second spare battery (if the battery is removable)
Laptops with removable batteries, like old phones, aren't very common these days. But if you have a laptop that does have this capability, you can get a second battery and use it as a "backup battery" when your laptop runs out of power while you're out and about.
Compared to the previous solutions, this method is not the best in terms of practicality, as you will have to turn off the laptop to replace the main battery with the second backup battery. Replacing the battery is often inconvenient and unfamiliar for some as well. However, it is still a convenient and worth trying solution if you have a laptop with an easily removable battery.
While laptops are better than desktops in that they can work from anywhere without being tied to a specific environment, they don’t have large batteries that can last a long time without being plugged in. However, the solutions discussed in this article should help you improve your laptop experience away from home, while still being able to charge the battery from anywhere.