RAVPower’s New 29-Watt Power Bank is the Best Option for Most People

RAVPower manages to dramatically improve its portable power banks every year. And the company’s newest offering, a pocketable 10,000 mAh 29-watt battery , feels like a leap into the future. At just under $40, I think that it’s the best portable battery for the average person.

I’d like to focus this review on the RAVPower’s charging speeds and build quality, as that’s where the device really shines. But first, I want to clarify something. People often turn their noses to 10,000 mAh batteries, but you probably don’t need any extra juice. For reference, a 10,000 mAh battery can fully charge an iPhone 11 Pro three times. The capacity of this RAVPower battery is only an issue if you’re trying to juice up multiple laptops or iPads (in case you’re wondering, the iPad has an 11,666 mAh capacity).

Now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s get right into it. This new RAVPower battery is loaded with a 29-watt USB-C PD port and an 18-watt USB-A port. That’s more than enough power for your phone, which likely charges at speeds between 15 and 25 watts. The main notable exception is the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which supports 45-watt charging speeds. Still, this RAVPower bank should fully charge the S20 Ultra’s massive 5,000 mAh battery in under two hours.

As you might expect, the RAVPower’s two charging ports can be used simultaneously. This diminishes their charging speeds to 10.5-watts each. That isn’t exceptional, but it’s useful in a pinch. Additionally, the power bank itself charges in about three hours through its USB-C port—a notable improvement from some of its older USB-C PD power banks, which charge from an extra port.

But portable batteries aren’t just a bundle of specs. They’re physical devices that, for the sake of convenience, need to be small and durable. And man, I’m not lying when I say that the 29-watt RAVPower battery is put together like a dream. It’s slightly smaller than your dad’s wallet , or about the size of two AirPods cases placed end to end . (In real terms, it’s 4.4 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 1 inch thick—that’s a little thicker than most 10,000 mAh batteries).

This RAVPower batteries is also surprisingly lightweight (8.8 ounces), but it feels pretty dense and strong. Its charge indicator button is also notable, as it feels less finicky than what I’ve seen from other power banks.

I thought that this 29-watt power bank’s small size would lead to heat issues, so I took a few hours to put it through a stress test. I completely unloaded its charge into my phone and iPad, recharged it, scrambled together a few more phones to continue the test, and didn’t notice any temperature changes along the way. This probably won’t matter to most people, but it’s a testament to the power bank’s impressive build quality.

All of these specs and build quality improvements feel other-worldly, especially for a device that costs less than $40. And unlike other batteries that I’ve reviewed, this new RAVPower fare is packaged with a USB-C to USB-C cable. Other RAVPower USB-C products, like the 500 GB mini SSD, also come packaged with USB-C to USB-C cables. It seems like a small gesture, but it makes things easier for people who don’t have the time to shop for a perfect cable.

It’s funny, this is probably the shortest product review I’ve ever written. I usually spend a few paragraphs poking at a device’s faults, but I can’t find anything bad to say about RAVPower’s 29-watt power bank. It’s small, it’s fast, it supports USB-C PD and USB-A charging, and it costs less than $40.

All I’ll say is that, if you need to charge a laptop, then RAVPower’s 60-watt battery might be a better option for you. Otherwise, buy this battery. It kicks ass.