Today lets look at power banks (external batteries) a more and more famous accessory these days for the iPhone 5s and 5. While you can use power banks with almost every modern smartphone we reviewed Power banks for Apples iPhone 5.

Even the newest generation of smartphones or tablets has one limitation – the battery life. Even more so with the bigger displays, fast processor and running multiple apps at the same time. What to do if your phone does not offer an exchangeable battery like the Apple products and no charger anywhere near? One options is to easily extend the lifespan of your favorite device with a portable power bank.

A power bank is essentially a external portable battery in closed case. This power bank comes with a USB cable, so to charge it you just connect it to your laptop or computer. After charging you just bring the small device with you in your backpack or bag and can use it to easily charge your smartphone full again and end all frustration with short battery life times.

Powerbanks are rated in mAH, the same like the battery in your smartphone or Tablet. They are about 70-80 % efficient, which means that only 80% of the battery energy goes into your smartphone, the rest is lost to heat. That means with a 3600 mAH power bank you wouldn’t be able to fully charge your S4 once. Even with a 4000 mAH this would be a bit short, but no worries will be talking about power banks with more mAh later.

 Powerbanks, simply called External batteries by some companies, since there is no standard name yet, have become pretty popular, so especially the truly large or small ones are interesting here for us. One of the smallest available is the Macsonic Power Bank, a 2200 mAh baby built from sleek aluminum. It will give your your iPhone 5  more then one full charge. I weights only 100 grams and is about the height and width of a debit card, so you can easily bring it everywhere you go. It is available in a lot of

Another very small device is the Power-Pond Smile 3000mAh Blue that comes in 3 fresh colors, blue, yellow and black and even has an integrated laser pointer and torch light. With the Pond Smile Power Bank you can fully charge your iPhone 5 two times.

Both of these external batteries are extremely affordable and weight only 100 gramm – which means they are light enough to carry in a pocket even when playing ball or running.

Do you want too see more power banks to load your favorite Apple Gadget? There are a lot of options in the midrange but one of my favorites is the Macsonic MPBA06, a 6000 mAh unit that comes with Dual USB ports and various adapter heads so you can charge all of your favorite devices. A LED light indicates about how much the battery is charged already and it automatically stops charging as soon as your device is fully loaded. This one I am carrying with me on long days, It can charge my iPhone 5 nearly four times fully. A great device.

At 6000 mAh a great unit is the i-Glitters Handycolor Twin USB Powerbank, that is very fashionable and comes in four fresh colors. The unit comes with 2 USB Inputs and even a mini USB input so you can charge multiple devices at the same time, also this power bank will save your device from overcharging and short circuits. I comes also with two USB Cables, and 5 external connectors so you can charge all of your favorite devices.

Now lets move up to some units that will satisfy the power junkies under you ;). Please bear in mind that the more mAh the power banks have the heavier they normally are. If you own a tablet additionally to your iPhone or smartphone you will need the extra juice. One of the greatest devices from the heavier chargers is the MY Power Bank LED Powerbank which comes with 12000 mAh.  The unit has a very classy design and comes with two different power outputs, so you can charge 2 devices at the same time, it works with most of devices and protects your favorite smartphone from overcharging too. To get back to your iPhone 5, that means that you can fully charge your iPhone 5 six to seven times while traveling just with the power of this external battery, or you just decide to charge your iPhone and iPad at the same time.

Another one of my favorite units in the same weight class is the Macsonic Portable Battery Bank, with 12000 mAh, which is available in White and Grey and a lot more colors. If you want to do a simple calculation,  this beauty power bank will be able to use your IPhone 5 up to 5-6 times fully, that means never worry about not having enough battery power anymore. It comes with two USB ports, so you can charge two devices like smartphone and your digital camera at the same time. On top of that the package includes 8 adaptor heads so you’ll be able to charge a multitude of devices with this power bank. It works with nearly all big brands like Apple, HTC, Samsung etc and can even load your digital gaming devices like PSP.

Do you need even more power? Lets look at the all time favorite the Universal Dual Port Powerbank, with full load of 20000 mAH, available in black and white. The 20000 mAH means you can charge a device like the iPhone 5 with a 1440 mAH battery 8-9 x times fully before you need to charge the Power Bank again.It comes with two USB Ports for loading simultaneously, has 8 connectors and is compatible with iPad, iPhone, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, digital cameras and much more devices. It has a blue LED indicator and prevents from overcharging.At the current price this is really clever investment in your digital future when using your favorite smartphones and tablets.

An alternative with the heavy hitters under the power banks is the i-Glitters Icon Twin USB Powerbank with 20000 mAh.The power bank has a nice and decent design and weights only 300 gramm. Like the other heavier units it comes with dual USB port for changing two devices simultaneously, protects you from overcharging your smartphone and offers a universal cable and ports to charge all of your favorite devices.

Thats it for external batteries and chargers, stay tuned for our next in depth review here from Oizoioi Malaysia.