UGREEN 145W 25000mAh Power Bank review: A power socket for your pocket

With technologies like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch, it’s never been easier to take full-fledged AAA games with you on the go. The problem is, that running games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Fallout 4 on portable hardware can drain those batteries at an alarming rate, providing a maximum of a couple of hours of playtime before needing to hunt for a wall socket.

UGREEN is well known for its quality charging products, and its 145W 25000mAh offering is no different. After just a week with this monster of a power bank, I’m left wondering how on earth I lived without it. From powering up my work laptop in a pinch to letting me play Diablo 4 on the sofa for eight hours straight, I never want to leave the house without it ever again.

Let’s talk specs

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It’s hard to hype up a piece of hardware that essentially just stores electric charge, but the spec sheet of this device from UGREEN does all the talking for me. With 25000mAh of charge, that’s more than enough to charge an iPhone 15 Pro Max five times over, or a Steam Deck OLED thrice.

What’s more, the 145W output means that it doesn’t just charge those devices multiple times, but it does so at an alarming rate. The primary USB C port was capable of charging up my MacBook Air M2 from dead to 100% in a little over an hour, which saved me on a day when I set out to work in a cafe only to forget to stick it on charge the night before.

This massive output means there’s plenty of scope for divvying it out across multiple devices at once, too. A laptop, Steam Deck, and mobile device can all charge at once using this, with the two secondary ports falling back to still relatively speedy 20w charge. If there’s one charging device I’d want to fall back on as my go-to portable charger, it’s this one - especially since it’s rated as safe to travel on aircraft with.

Built like a tank

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You can be safe in the knowledge that this device isn’t going to break down on you, too. Although constructed with a plastic shell, the soft-touch materials feel extremely premium in the hand. That’s complemented by the hefty weight of this thing, which sits at just over 500g. With an almost rubberised texture on the bottom, you can be confident that this thing isn’t going to slide around when sat on a desk or cafe table.

The device remains remarkably cool, too - even when outputting charge at the highest rate. Granted, it’s currently April in the UK, so the climate is still relatively mild. However, I’d be confident that this thing isn’t going to overheat unless it’s in the most extreme of conditions.

Moving around the sides of the device, you can find a single metallic button which reveals the percentage charge that’s left in the tank when pressed. This flashes on for a few seconds, so it doesn’t waste any unnecessary charge. I also appreciated how specific the percentage shown is - I always find myself second-guessing power banks that denote their remaining charge with four LED lights. With this one, you can be sure you know exactly how much charge is left to use.

This was especially useful when I took this UGREEN charging device on a recent camping trip. I was sure that I’d charged it up to full before leaving, only to remember at the last minute that I’d used a fair chunk of the charge to play Diablo 4 on my Steam Deck for several hours the night before. After checking the exact charge left in the device, I was able to get it back up to 100% in less than two hours thanks to the huge 100w input that the charger is capable of.

I was only away for one night, but the device kept me well topped up and safe for a night of wild camping in the Scottish Borders. Keeping both my and my partner's phones topped up so we could check maps, and even rejuvenating my headtorch in the middle of the night, we finished the trip with 77% of the charge left in the battery. We were confident we could have stayed off-grid for several days if we wanted to, which was a pleasant feeling.

Ideal for portable gamers

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I adore my Steam Deck OLED. It’s helped me fit video games back into my life where I previously had very little time for them. Especially since I travel a lot, both personally and for work, I’m constantly away from home, and being able to spend time in airport lounges while playing Inscryption or catching up on an RPG from a hotel room has been a dream come true.

However, despite owning the OLED model with a beefier battery, I still catch myself having battery anxiety when playing anything remotely more intensive than basic 2D graphics. I’d love to be able to keep up to date with my Diablo 4 Seasonal Journey remotely, but the idea of burning through all of the Deck’s battery in a single blow means I’m unlikely to do so.

That’s all changed with this charger from UGREEN. With the 145w of output, I’m easily able to keep the Deck topped up while I’m playing something more intensive. On a recent three-hour train journey, I was catching up on the first Alan Wake in preparation for a playthrough through of the sequel. It’s not overly taxing on the Deck, drawing around 16-17w and averaging a battery life of 4-5 hours, but I wanted to be sure I had charge left over for the next leg of the journey.

Plugging in the 145w charger for the entire journey, I alighted the train with my Deck at 100% and over 50% of the UGREEN device locked and loaded for my next top-up. If the Steam Deck has finally made it so I can bring a desktop equivalent with me anywhere, the UGREEN charger is like I’ve brought the wall socket along for the ride, too.

The Verdict

As someone who thrives on being able to work and play from pretty much anywhere, the UGREEN 145w 25000mAh has been a game changer in my daily life. Whether it’s keeping my topped up in a cafe where all the charging points have been taken, or keeping my Steam Deck going on long-haul flights, it’s quickly become a device that I couldn’t manage living without.

The cost may put off some buyers, coming in at a hefty £109.99 RRP. However, if you’re serious about a digital nomad lifestyle and want the utmost peace of mind and portability for all your trips to come, I can’t think of another product that could usurp this one.

5/5

Review unit provided by the manufacturer.