Pro Tip: A portable power bank can double your Chromebook usage on the go

Occasionally, I get emails from readers asking about accessories for their Chromebook. Recently, one of them asked about portable batteries. Yup, I think they’re great because a portable power bank can easily double your Chromebook usage on the go. These relatively small batteries are really handy when your Chromebook is away from an outlet. I used one daily earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show.

I’ll share the portable power bank I use, along with some tips on choosing your own, and a few that double your Chromebook usage on the go.

The portable power bank I use with my Chromebook

I use the Zendure X5 15,000mAh Power Bank and USB Hub with Power Delivery, shown above, with my Chromebooks. It’s a few years old now and Zendure doesn’t sell it any longer, although they have newer models. It has a footprint not much larger than a deck of playing cards, although it is thicker. It weighs about 12 ounces so carrying it in a bag with my Chromebook isn’t a terrible experience.

I can easily double my Chromebook usage away from an outlet with this portable power bank. Let me explain how, using the Framework Chromebook as an example.

How choose a portable power pack for your Chromebook

Before choosing any portable battery to pair with your Chromebook, you should understand the power calculations needed to make a good choice. You’ll really want as many milliamp hours (mAh) as you can afford; this is the battery capacity. Keep in mind the higher this number, the thicker, larger and/or heavier the portable battery will be. Your average phone battery has around 3,000 to 5,000mAh capacity as a frame of reference.

I’d recommend at least 15,000mAh of capacity if you’re going to use the battery to charge a Chromebook. A 10000mAh battery will still work but it may not fully recharge your Chromebook.

Also important are the various amperage outputs that a portable battery supports. You can see that my Zendure X5 has multiple output amperage levels, for example, depending on what it’s connected to. The higher the amperage, as represented by the A, the faster the external battery can pump juice into your Chromebook’s battery.

A best case scenario for my Zendure X5 is to push 2.25A of power to the Framework Chromebook, which is equal to 20V at 45W.

Using the Zendure X5 doesn’t charge the Framework Chromebook as quickly as the 60W Framework Charger and an outlet, but it doesn’t take all day either. I can use the Chromebook while the Zendure X5 recharges the battery and the battery is topped up faster than I can use it.

My suggestion would be to look at your current Chromebook charger to see its Wattage and Amperage rating. Look for a power pack that’s close to those figures if possible.

And given that the Zendure X5’s capacity is 54Wh while the Framework’s own battery is 55Wh, you can see that I’m nearly doubling my battery life. So that 6.5 hours of run-time can easily exceed 12 or 13.

Some potential portable power packs for a Chromebook

In no particular order, here are a few portable batteries that would be good candidates for pairing with a Chromebook. Note that all links are Amazon affiliate links, however, feel free to shop around and buy from the vendor of your choice.

Although it’s a chunky monkey, the $199 Zendure Super Tank 26000mAh battery can push 60W of power at up to 3A. for example. It has plenty of capacity and solid speeds to double up the battery life of most any Chromebook. It’s also on sale right now at a 35% discount, bringing the price down to $129.34.

I like that this model has two USB-C ports compared to mine. All that battery capacity comes at the cost of weight though. The Zendure Super Tank adds an extra 1.16 pounds to your carry bag.

I don’t know this brand but the Baseus Power Bank with 65W charging 20000mAh capacity is another candidate. It’s relatively cheap at $80, although a current 25% sale brings the price down to $59.99.

With a smaller capacity than the Zendure, a Chromebook with very large battery might not get fully recharged from zero. But a smaller, more entry level device? The Baseus should be have more than enough capacity and speed to get at least double your normal Chromebook usage.

If you really want to go more off-grid with your Chromebook, you can go hog wild with the the $120 HALO Bolt Wireless Laptop Power Bank. It boasts a whopping 44000mAh capacity which might be enough to re-charge your Chromebook battery two full times. It also has some special features such as a wireless charger for your phone on the top and a full-sized AC outlet. There’s even enough power, and included cables, to jump-start a car!

This is the heaviest of external batteries I came across at 1.64 pounds. It’s probably too much for most people to carry around unless you want those extra features. Additionally, Halo is another brand I’m not familiar with, unfortunately. It seems like this market is dominated by less familiar names.

I am very familiar with Anker, however, and the Anker 737 PowerBank is a nice fit for a Chromebook. It costs $149.99 although it only has a 24000mAh capacity. Compared to the lesser known brands, you’re paying more for similar or less battery capacity. However, it does support 140W fast charging.

I don’t know of any Chromebooks that can take full advantage of that output, but it should recharge most Chromebooks very quickly; or at least as fast as using the included charger and an outlet. Aside from the higher cost, you’re looking at more weight too: The Anker 737 weighs 1.39 pounds.

If less weight is high on your priority list, look to the 15000mAh options. You could even get away with a lighter 10000mAh power pack but you’re not likely to get a full Chromebook recharge out of it, depending on your model.

Do you use a portable power pack to double your Chromebook usage on the go? Let me know what accessory you bought as it might help others in their research and buying process.