Buying guidesPower and adaptors
Best power banks you can fly with from Australia
By Ben Hartley Published 10 November 2026
A power bank has to fly in your cabin bag, and the limit airlines set is in watt-hours, a measure of how much energy the battery holds. It should be printed on the case, though it's often in tiny writing next to the bigger mAh number. All three of our picks sit well under 100 watt-hours, a size Qantas and Air New Zealand both let you carry on without asking first. So the real question is what you need to charge, and how much weight you're happy to carry for it.
Best overall
UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 100W
- Charges a USB-C laptop as well as your phone
- Rated at 72Wh, well under 100Wh
The heaviest of the three at 420 g
Best lightweight
UGREEN Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh 20W
- The lightest of the three at 220 g
- Snaps onto the back of an iPhone 12 or later (not the 16e)
Holds about half as much as the other two
Best value
VRURC 20000mAh Power Bank with 4 Built-in Cables
- Four cables built in, so there are no separate cables to pack
- The cheapest of the three
Takes about five and a half hours to recharge
How they compare
| Feature | Best overallUGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 100W | Best lightweightUGREEN Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh 20W | Best valueVRURC 20000mAh Power Bank with 4 Built-in Cables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watt-hours | 72Wh | 37Wh | 74Wh |
| Weight | 420 g | 220 g | 300 g |
| Size | 13.9 × 8 × 2.65 cm | 10.6 × 6.9 × 1.9 cm | 9.5 × 8.9 × 2.6 cm |
| Ports | 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A | 1 USB-C, plus wireless charging on the back | 3 built-in cables and 1 USB-A port to charge your devices; recharges through its USB-C cable, its USB-C port or its USB-A cable |
| Price | Check price | Check price | Check price |
Which one is for you
- You're bringing a laptop and want one bank for everythingUGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 100W
- You carry an iPhone 12 or later (not the 16e) and want the lightest bank for days outUGREEN Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh 20W
- You'd like the cables built in so there's nothing to forgetVRURC 20000mAh Power Bank with 4 Built-in Cables
- Your phone is the main thing you charge and you want the most for your moneyVRURC 20000mAh Power Bank with 4 Built-in Cables
What decides it: watt-hours, how many and what you charge
Four things to sort out before you buy a power bank for a trip.
Watt-hours, not mAh
Airlines set their limits in watt-hours (Wh), but the big number on most boxes is milliamp-hours (mAh). Look for the Wh figure on the case, or work it out from the mAh.
How many you can take
Qantas allows two power banks, each up to 160Wh, and anything over 100Wh needs its approval first. Air New Zealand also allows two. Other airlines set their own numbers, so check yours.
Using it on the plane
On Qantas you can’t use or charge a power bank in flight, and it goes in the seat pocket or under the seat in front. See what other airlines allow.
What you need to charge
For a phone alone, a smaller and lighter bank does the job. A laptop needs a bigger bank with a strong USB-C port, so first check that your laptop charges over USB-C.
The picks
Why we chose each one, and who it suits best.
Best overallUGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 100W
For a long trip we’d take this bank, because it charges nearly everything you’re likely to carry. It’s rated at 72Wh, comfortably under 100Wh, so on Qantas or Air New Zealand it goes in your cabin bag with no approval needed.
One of its two USB-C ports is strong enough for a laptop that charges over USB-C, such as a MacBook Air. You can charge a phone and earbuds from the other ports at the same time. A small screen shows how much charge is left.
The catch is the weight. At 420 g it’s the heaviest of the three, about the same as a can of baked beans, and you’ll notice it in a small day bag. If you don’t travel with a laptop, the VRURC holds about as much for less money and weighs less, though it charges more slowly.
What we like
- Charges a USB-C laptop as well as your phone
- Rated at 72Wh, well under 100Wh
Worth knowing
- The heaviest of the three at 420 g
Best lightweightUGREEN Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh 20W
At 220 g this is the lightest of the three, and it snaps onto the back of an iPhone 12 or later, or a MagSafe case, so you can keep using your phone while it charges. That’s handy on a long day in a new city, when maps and the camera are draining your battery by lunchtime. The iPhone 16e is the exception: it doesn’t have MagSafe, so it won’t snap on. There’s a USB-C port for anything that doesn’t charge wirelessly, and a little screen shows what’s left.
It’s rated at 37Wh, about half what the other two hold, so it’s best as a phone top-up on a day out. Charging through the back is slower than plugging in a cable, so use the USB-C port when you’re in a hurry. If your phone isn’t an iPhone, you’ll mostly be charging through the USB-C port anyway.
If a laptop’s coming on the trip too, the Nexode is the one built for that job. For a phone and a pair of earbuds, this magnetic bank is light enough that you’ll barely notice it in your bag.
What we like
- The lightest of the three at 220 g
- Snaps onto the back of an iPhone 12 or later (not the 16e)
Worth knowing
- Holds about half as much as the other two
Best valueVRURC 20000mAh Power Bank with 4 Built-in Cables
The VRURC costs the least of the three, and at 74Wh it holds about as much as the Nexode, while still sitting well under 100Wh. It has three charging cables built in: one for iPhones, one USB-C and one Micro-USB. A fourth built-in cable has a USB-A plug and recharges the bank. You can also recharge it through the built-in USB-C cable or the USB-C port. So there are no separate cables to pack, though you’ll still need a wall charger to fill it up.
At 300 g it sits between the other two on weight, and it’s about the size of a drink coaster, a bit under 3 cm thick. A small screen shows the charge left as a percentage.
Where it loses is speed. Its fastest port is slower than the Nexode’s, so it’s made for phones, earbuds and tablets rather than a laptop. Recharging takes about five and a half hours through USB-C, or about 11 hours through the USB-A cable, so plug it in the night before you fly. For a phone-only trip on a budget, it’s the one we’d buy.
What we like
- Four cables built in, so there are no separate cables to pack
- The cheapest of the three
Worth knowing
- Takes about five and a half hours to recharge
Final thoughts
Before you buy, find the watt-hours on the case and check your airline's page for its limit and how many power banks it lets you carry. Pack it in your cabin bag, never your checked bag, and keep it at your seat rather than in the overhead locker.
The Nexode suits anyone travelling with a laptop, or who wants one bank for everything. The UGREEN magnetic bank is the light one for iPhone owners who mostly need a top-up on a day out. And if your phone is the main thing you're charging, the VRURC holds about as much as the Nexode for the least money.
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