UGREEN PB720 20000mAh two-way fast charging power bank review: A godsend for frequent flyers

Power banks are in a weird spot at the moment. After a boom around the halcyon days of Pokemon Go, they undoubtedly have a place in the modern tech user's world, but phone batteries are lasting longer and longer these days - particularly when it comes to flagships.

As a result, power banks have become big enough, and powerful enough, for not only charging your phone, but also your smartwatch, tablet, and even your laptop if you want them to. One of the frontrunners in this wave is UGREEN, and it's done it again with its 20000mAh two-way fast charging power bank.

While it's not the catchiest name, it's a fantastic gadget that I can't see myself leaving home without.

Power in the palm of your hand

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I'm just going to call it the Ugreen PB720 for the duration of this review so I don't drive myself mad with its full name, but it really does do what it says on the tin.

Small enough to slip into a bag, the charger is fairly dense in terms of weight. That's because it's packing, as the name suggests, a 20,000mAh battery in a package that's shorter on its longest side than a standard iPhone.

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The grey shell looks great, and try as I might, I couldn't get it to pick up too many fingerprints. While one side holds the all-important ports (more on those in a sec), one of the sides features a silver button to give an instant battery level readout from 1-100.

It's a very welcome change from a no-name power bank I have been using on recent travels which uses a series of LED lights, and the ports are nice and solid, too - my no-name alternative has had a loose one since day one.

Juice for days

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The fast charging on offer here is, as the box suggests, primarily for Samsung Phones, but I found it would juice up my iPhone 15 Pro Max pretty rapidly, too. That's thanks to 100W of output, but the more you plug in the more that'll drop.

That means you can expect 100W for one device, down to 65W with 20W from the other two ports. Those outputs are two USB-C and one USB-A port, which is nice - as much as many of us have embraced the USB-C future, it doesn't hurt to have a USB-A for stragglers, too.

One of my favourite features is the option to hold the button on the charger to activate or deactivate low-current mode. If you're just charging something like AirPods and don't need all 100W or 65W, it's a great way to conserve battery.

Heaven sent

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I would argue that I'm an ideal test case for something like the Ugreen PB720. When I travel for work, I tend to do so with a MacBook Pro (2021), my iPhone, and sometimes, because I like to have an extra display option, an iPad Pro.

Collecting these things together to charge (disregarding my AirPods Pro, too) can be a nuisance, particularly in hotel rooms where outlets come at a premium. With the passthrough charging here, I can connect a USB-C charger to the mains, charging the UGREEN while it dishes out power to my laptop and iPad or iPhone. It's meant I no longer need to lug a travel plug around either, something I'm super grateful for - even more so with the PB720 slipping straight into the smaller pockets of my backpack.

The Verdict

The UGREEN PB720 is the best portable charger I've ever used and has become a staple of my travel bag for both work and pleasure.

Between the slick display and forward-thinking features like low-current mode, it's an easy gadget to recommend.

5/5

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