As a frequent traveler to everywhere from convention halls to Maui’s mountains (for work, I swear!), I’m often away from home and hotel rooms for extended periods, which taxes the batteries on my devices. I always carry one or two external batteries with me to make sure at least my phone doesn’t die. But thanks to Black Friday, my new favorite power bank with so much capacity that it can recharge everything I put in my travel backpack is 20% off.
I got sent a Denvix PowerX Power Bank ahead of its release in early November and I quickly became a fan of the device. With three charging ports and a wireless charging plate on top, plus a display showing charging rates and how much of its massive 25,000-mAh capacity is left, it’s a handy powerhouse that somehow doesn’t take up too much space — about the size of three smartphones stacked atop one other.
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All that capability comes at a price, but for Black Friday, you can save 20%, dropping it down to $144 (normally $180).
Admittedly, that’s a very hefty price tag compared with a lot of the external batteries we have on our best portable chargers and power banks list, many of which also get discounts during Black Friday. Heck, if you just want some capacity on the go without the bells and whistles, Mophie’s Powerstation XL offers 20,000 mAh for a third of the price (currently $42).
What the PowerX offers: MacBook recharging and more
There are a few things you get for the PowerX’s hefty price tag that are frankly superior to cheaper external batteries. The first is the wattage: each of the two USB-C ports can recharge devices by up to 140 watts, which is speedy enough that the company claims you can get your MacBook Pro recharged to 50% in just under 30 minutes. The single USB-A port charges at a rate of up to 36 watts, while the wireless charging port charges at 15 watts.
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You can recharge multiple devices simultaneously at a combined rate of up to 250 watts, meaning fast charging for potentially everything in your gadget arsenal. You can juice them up while the power bank itself is plugged in (at a reduced maximum of 200 watts). The bank uses AI to balance power demands to keep from overheating, according to the manual — in any case, I haven’t noticed the bank getting too hot.
The display is also pretty cool, as it shows how quickly each of your devices are getting juiced up and how soon they’ll reach full charge. Conversely, it also estimates how much time the power bank has left at its current rate of dispensing its own power to your myriad gadgets.
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Lastly, the device is small for its utility. It’s technically pocketable, though probably only in men’s pants, but that makes it easier to stash in a bag. It’s a smaller footprint than the pricier $200 Mophie Powerstation Pro XL (which also has 25,000 mAh). And though it brushes close to the Transportation Security Administration’s 100-watt-hour limit for external batteries (roughly equivalent to 27,000 mAh), I took the Denvix PowerX on a recent trip through three airports without a hitch. Check local transportation laws and restrictions if you’re traveling internationally, but any country with battery limits similar to the US should allow this power bank on flights.
Why the Denvix PowerX Power Bank makes a great gift
Yes, it’s a pricey external battery, but the Denvix PowerX is a compact safety net for anyone’s network of gadgets with a few bells and whistles that put it above the competition. It’s also a great backup for adventurers in the outdoors or those living in areas with finicky power grids. Heck, I’ve even enjoyed having it around the house to power phones, game system controllers, MacBooks and more that are inconveniently far from a power outlet. It’s a handy powerhouse for those who can spend a little more around the holidays.