Ugreen's Latest 25,000 mAh Portable Charger Is Ideal for Weekend Getaways

I’m my friend group’s dedicated tech needs person, which involves a portable speaker, usually a Polaroid camera, and most importantly, a power bank. For day or night outs, a 10,000 mAh portable charger is enough. But I prefer at least 20,000 mAh or more for short trips or weekend getaways since there’s no point in carrying a spare battery on the go if it needs to be tethered to a socket every few hours. Ugreen released a $100 25,000 mAh beast back in April, and out of some of the best power banks I’ve tested so far, this one stood out enough to be a travel staple for me.

See at Amazon

This is Ugreen’s latest big-capacity power bank, totaling a max output of 140 W, PD 3.1, and a 25,000 mAh total capacity with Nexode tech. Nexode is Ugreen’s proprietary name for GaN technology. GaN, or Gallium Nitride, is the new, cool power bank tech that all portable charger companies have lately been boasting on their products. It is a semiconductor material that has multiple advantages over standard silicon-based chargers. These include a more compact size, faster charging, less heat production, and safer in terms of avoiding short circuits or other hazards related to over-charging, among a few others.

Ugreen’s latest 25K mAh power bank sports three output ports, with one of the three (the 140 W Type-C) doubling as an input port. The three ports include two Type-C (140 W and 65 W) and one Type-A (22.5 W). However, to get the maximum 140 W out of this device, your cable must support PD 3.1, and the device you’re charging should facilitate both PD 3.1 and 140 W charging.

There’s a little LED display showing the portable charger’s battery percentage, so you’re well aware of how much longer it can survive before it needs to be replenished. The display lives next to a button that can be pressed to show or hide the battery status. There’s no magnetic charging or kickstand on the device, both of which are more common features on smaller 5,000 to 10,000 mAh power banks and usually not found on ones this large.

This beast of a device can charge my fully dead iPhone 12 Pro Max to 100% in one hour and 15 minutes. The best part is that it only goes down by roughly 15% to replenish my phone completely. This means it holds enough juice to recharge my phone around four to five times. This is because, due to power losses, a portable charger doesn’t deliver the full rated capacity. The company claims it can charge an iPhone 16 5.2 times (which makes sense because a Pro Max model has a larger battery), a Nintendo Switch 4.1 times, and a MacBook Pro once. I used it with my Lenovo Slim 7i laptop, and it was able to recharge once fully, with 12% juice remaining. The huge 25,000 mAh capacity means it can handle all your devices without recharge, and the whopping 140 W output will ensure a speedy recharge, too.

The 505-gram weight of this power bank may sound like a lot, but you’re looking at roughly the same weight with any portable charger that offers more than 20,000 mAh simply because it needs that space and heft to fit a large enough battery inside. At 1.1 inches, it’s quite slim compared to other chunkier and stubbier power banks I have come across. It can easily slide into a jacket’s pocket and boasts a solid, robust look with a subtle silver finish that makes its $100 price worth it. Ugreen’s latest 25K mAh power bank also meets the TSA’s (Transportation Security Administration) requirements and can safely be taken on a plane.

See at Amazon

Battery chargerBattery LifeCharging stationwireless charging

Get the best tech, science, and culture news in your inbox daily.

News from the future, delivered to your present.

Please select your desired newsletters and submit your email to upgrade your inbox.

It looks slick, but it's still light on details.

It can also charge up to three devices at once.

Join me down the rabbit hole of energy storage's future.

The Cybertruck owner drove just 35 miles after picking up the new truck before it broke down during charging.

Some people are losing jobs while others are getting in trouble for being cheaters.

So many of us are "perma-charging" our laptops, but it's a performance myth that shortens your computer's lifespan.

Gizmodo’s Best of 2024 Awards ➜