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The hidden hero behind all our favorite tech devices is the power bank. Power banks charge our devices while on the go, whether you're camping, traveling, or just away from a power source for a few hours. While some have handy features like different port options, or a slimmer or more durable build, or safety precautions, the thing that really matters most is how fast a power bank charges.

We compared 10 power banks from popular brands like Anker, Baseus, and UGREEN, based on our gadget reviewer Adrian Kingsley-Hughes' recommendations from his real-world testing, as well as the products we've tested in our Louisville-based lab. Our goal was to measure power banks' energy data rather than manufacturer specifications or onboard charge indicators to determine the approximate charge-completion times.

Based on our data-driven comparison process of how quickly each unit reached charge milestones of 50%, 80%, and 100%, the power bank that charged the fastest was the Cuktech 15 Air.