The best Steam Deck power banks

In an perfect reality, powerfulness banks for the Steam Deck would not exist, and we’d each beryllium capable to play our portable PCs uninterrupted from sunrise to sunset. World peace, I imagine, would travel soon thereafter. For now, however, determination are plentifulness of games that volition chopped a Steam Deck and/or Steam Deck OLED’s artillery beingness to a mates of hours oregon less, truthful it’s worthy getting them immoderate assistance – particularly for lengthy travels that would contradict you the usage of their ain chargers.

Having bought respective with my ain currency – cipher puts RPS successful the pouch of Big Power Bank – I tested them against immoderate others I had to hand, eliminating the naughty ones that didn’t unrecorded up to their charging velocity promises, and ended up with the recommendations you’ll find below. Even if they’re not outright Steam Deck essentials similar a microSD card, oregon tin unfastened up caller functionality similar a bully docking presumption can, immoderate of these powerfulness banks would inactive marque a bully summation to your accessories pile: abbreviated artillery beingness is arguably the astir wide shared weakness among handheld PCs, and these volition code that shortcoming directly.

Best Steam Deck powerfulness banks

• Ugreen Nexode Retractable – The champion Steam Deck powerfulness slope overall
• JSAUX 20000mAh 65W PD Portable Powerbank – The champion Steam Deck powerfulness slope for charging speed
• AsperX 65W 20000mAh Power Bank – The champion inexpensive Steam Deck powerfulness bank
• Iniu 65W 20000mAh Portable Charger – The champion compact Steam Deck powerfulness bank
• SiWiQU 20000mAh Power Bank for Steam Deck – The champion Steam Deck powerfulness slope for mounting

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

Technically, immoderate portable charger that isn’t immoderate sub-45W stinker could adequately refuel the Steam Deck. But the Ugreen Nexode Retractable is the champion due to the fact that retired of each the models I’ve used, it’s the 1 that slightest encroaches connected the mean Deck-playing experience. To that end, it’s got a monolithic (but light) 60cm USB-C cablegram that lets you pat on portion the Nexode itself sits connected immoderate distant array oregon neighbouring seat. No other value to hold, and nary short-leashing yourself. Lovely. Then, erstwhile you’re charged, said cablegram coils backmost up wrong the slope and magnetically clips down, truthful it’s a small easier to transportation astir oregon food retired of a packed container arsenic well.

This besides has the champion show of the bunch, with a wide wide complaint percent readout and wattage info for each 3 of its imaginable connections, and though the solid connected excavation has picked up immoderate tiny scratches it’s inactive a solidly built portion overall. Its 165W charging velocity is overkill for the Deck’s 45W limit, truthful this inactive lone recharges astir arsenic rapidly arsenic the different powerfulness banks connected this list, but past you could ever enactment it to enactment topping up a laptop erstwhile you’ve nary contiguous request of much Steam Deck power.

What we like:
✔️ Long, light, self-tidying cable
✔️ Great display
✔️ High physique quality

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

The JSAUX 20000mAh 65W PD Portable Powerbank was the archetypal that I regularly paired with my ain handheld, having travel bundled with the JSAUX ModCase – 1 of my astir favouritest Steam Deck cases. While I’ve present replaced it with Ugreen Nexode Retractable, this is inactive a deserving companion, what with its durable physique and flexible integrated cable. Because the portion tin basal upright by itself, I recovered this works good for playing the Deck portion the Portable Powerbank rests down it connected a table oregon plane/train spot table.

Also, and with the caveat that we’re talking tiny percent differences here, it does look to recharge the Steam Deck precise somewhat faster than the others I’ve tested. After an hr of refuelling a switched-off LCD Deck, the Portable Powerbank had it up from zero to 61% charged – narrowly beating the 59% and 60% results that each the others managed. It’s not much. But adjacent 1% much could bargain you precious seconds to implicit that jumping puzzle/boss fight/diamond phallus operation that mightiness different person been mislaid to a premature shutdown.

What we like:
✔️ Speedy charging
✔️ Hard-wearing design
✔️ Integrated cable

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

Truly budget-priced powerfulness banks typically don’t connection the meaty capableness oregon flowing complaint speeds that they'd request to support up with the Steam Deck’s powerfulness demands. The AsperX 65W 20000mAh Power Bank is 1 precise invited exception: it tin foodstuff up a Deck conscionable arsenic accelerated arsenic a Ugreen Nexode Retractable, and lucifer its reserves size astatine 20000mAh, each for little than fractional the cash. It adjacent has an arsenic generous 60cm cable.

There are tradeoffs, mind. AsperX’s powerfulness slope is wider, heavier, and made of cheaper-feeling integrative than astir of the others here. And that cablegram doesn’t retract oregon different tuck distant anywhere, truthful beryllium prepared for tangling if you support it escaped successful a satchel. Still, its charging prowess means it performs wherever it counts the most, and if the escaped ligament is simply a concern, you could ever usage the wealth you’ve saved to bargain a rubber set to necktie it with. Plus respective 1000 spares.

What we like:
✔️ Dirt cheap
✔️ Long cable
✔️ No compromise connected performance

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

N’awww, lookaddit. The Iniu 65W 20000mAh Portable Charger is hardly 10cm gangly (and weighs a bully 100g little than the JSAUX and AsperX powerfulness banks),and yet it hits the aforesaid 20000mAh saccharine spot arsenic its chunkier rivals, frankincense sacrificing perfectly thing successful presumption of handheld-powering usefulness.

It mightiness beryllium worthy packing a abstracted cable, arsenic the 1 included – portion rather cute successful disguising itself arsenic a carrying strap – is abbreviated capable to bounds your movements erstwhile playing and recharging astatine the aforesaid time. That’s not a immense problem, though, arsenic the Iniu won’t bare your pockets immoderate quicker than it volition capable them, contempt besides offering the convenience of a surface and the comfortableness of an unexpectedly robust-feeling design. The matte, astir rubbery decorativeness is the benignant of lightly reinforcing interaction you’d spot from a high-end outer SSD – awesome stuff.

What we like:
✔️ Easily pocketable
✔️ Lightweight
✔️ Nicely textured

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

To debar trailing cables, the neatest solution is to physically conjoin your powerfulness slope to your Steam Deck and question them astir arsenic one. Assuming you don’t privation Sellotape wrapping the screen, this is champion done with a dedicated mounting kit, similar that of the SiWiQU 20000mAh Power Bank for Steam Deck.

God, these names. Anyway, SIWIQU’s kit is each purpose-built, snaps onto the Deck easy but securely, and tin capable an bare artillery to 60% successful an hour, much oregon little matching its unmounted peers connected complaint speed. All bully showings, adjacent if it does marque the Steam Deck considerably heavier. On that note, the JSAUX powerfulness slope (above) is simply a tad lighter and tin beryllium likewise mounted by installing the JSAUX ModCase with its silicone strap attachment; SIWIQU’s, however, is cheaper all-in, and I personally similar however it sits astir flush with the Steam Deck’s backmost panel, alternatively of half-dangling wrong a strap similar successful the JSAUX setup.

What we like:
✔️ Viable alternate to escaped powerfulness banks
✔️ Good capableness and charging speed
✔️ Mounting kit affixes securely

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

The champion Steam Deck powerfulness banks: FAQ

What charging velocity bash I need?

Both the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED are constricted to drafting powerfulness astatine 45W; OLED models tin present much of those watts towards the artillery reserves, allowing it to recharge somewhat faster, but the maximum gully is the aforesaid crossed both.

This whitethorn marque it look similar the aggregate 65W (or higher) powerfulness banks I’ve recommended are going to drench the Steam Deck successful much foodstuff than it tin drink, arsenic the handheld’s ain bounds prevents them gaining immoderate velocity benefits implicit a 45W charger. Which isn’t untrue, but past 65W powerfulness banks aren’t consistently much costly than 45W powerfulness banks, and it’s perfectly harmless to link a faster slope to a slower device, truthful there’s nary existent drawback to going implicit the bounds either.

Conversely, you should perfectly debar powerfulness banks that spell under the 45W level. While some switched connected and recharging, a Steam Deck needs astir fractional of those watts to support itself running, and the different fractional to complaint the artillery faster than it tin drain. Thus, trying to skimp with a 25W oregon 15W charger would mean you’d ever request to halt playing and power disconnected earlier attempting to refill. And adjacent then, low-wattage powerfulness banks volition inactive recharge slower than a 45W model. For reference, my tests determined maxing retired that bounds volition capable an bare artillery to astir 60% aft 1 hour, provided it remains switched disconnected oregon successful slumber mode.

What capableness should I get?

Again, don’t purpose excessively debased with this, arsenic the smaller the capacity, the shorter the effectual uptime it volition supply your Deck. 20000mAh (milliampere hours) is some a precise communal size, and a omniscient choice: it’s much than capable for a 100% recharge of some the archetypal Deck and Steam Deck OLED, portion being tiny capable to debar falling foul of hose restrictions connected portable artillery capacities (usually up to 27000mAh, depending connected the company).

If you’re not going to beryllium taking your Deck up successful the skies, there’s small stopping you from going bigger, and powerfulness banks of 30000mAh oregon much aren’t uncommon astatine all. They bash thin to beryllium physically bulkier, though, truthful portability remains a concern. Good luck fitting a 60000mAh charger successful a brace of skinny jeans, is each I’m saying.

Will these enactment connected different handheld PCs?

Yes, successful the consciousness that they tin each funnel powerfulness into a USB-C port. Charging times and due capacities volition alteration though, arsenic not each handhelds stock the 45W bounds of the Steam Deck family. The Asus ROG Ally X, for example, tin refill astatine 65W, and tin adjacent instrumentality vantage of 100W speeds connected high-end USB-PD chargers. As tin the Lenovo Legion Go S, travel to notation it, though 65W is good for that arsenic well.