Power Bank Lifespan: How Many Charges Will You Get?

“Almost half a million power banks were recalled after Charmast (power bank brand) received several reports of injuries,” according to a story from last month by Gray News. None of us would want that to happen, but it’s a real possibility if you don’t have a quality power bank and good charging habits.

Finding the right power bank can be tough, but it’s worth the effort. Plus, isn’t it super annoying to replace your power bank after just a few months? Just adopting some simple charging habits like keeping your power bank between 50-80% and not charging your device and power bank at the same time will give you an extra 1 to 3 years.

So how long do power banks last?

If you want the quick answer, it’s about 2-5 years for a good quality charger. However, this highly depends on the quality and capacity of the charger. Not to mention the way you store it, how you use it etc.

However, for good quality chargers, capacity is a good metric to make an estimate of your power banks lifespan. So here’s a table by Anker that shows how long your power bank will last relative to it’s capacity:

Capacity	Estimated Lifespan (Cycles)	Estimated Lifespan (Years)	Estimated Charging Times
5000 mAh	300-500	2-3 years	1 full charge
10000 mAh	300-1000	3-4 years	2 full charges
20000 mAh	1000+ cycles	4-5 years	4-5 full chagers

This shows that a longer capacity equals a longer lifespan. This is according to Anker because: ”[they have] more energy stored in them and can withstand more charging cycles”. Simply put, power banks with a higher capacity can last more charging cycles than power banks with less capacity

What effects a power banks lifespan?

There are a ton of things that affect a power banks lifespan, however there are a few that you should look at for. They’re the most common causes of premature deaths for power banks (R.I.P.). These are:

• The capacity of the power bank. As I showed earlier, the more capacity a power bank has, the longer it will live. This is because they can store more energy which makes them able to withstand more charging cycles.
• The quality of the components, this is of course extremely obvious but still worth keeping in mind. Quality components often come at a higher price, but they’re worth it in the long run if you can get more out of them.
• How you use your power bank. Yes, if you use your power bank incorrectly, it can damage it’s battery life significantly. I’ll leave some more information about how to use your power bank correctly later in this article. But these are the basics to get you started: keep between 50-80%, avoid draining to 0% and avoid using your power bank while charging.

”According to research, excessive heat is the main cause of battery deterioration, particularly for lithium-ion batteries.” From an article by gp.batteries.com.

But there are a lot more things that effect a power banks lifespan like: environmental factors, for example in a story from 2023 by the Thai Newsroom where a power bank exploded due to the extreme heat in Thailand. But also damage, or even the humidity and altitude can cause power banks to overheat or corrode.

What can you do to increase lifespan?

So what can you actually do? Well there are a few things that you can do right now to improve your power banks lifespan. Applying these will give you an extra 1-2 years of lifespan.

Here’s a list of 4 things you can do right now:

1. Get a high-quality power bank, investing in a high-quality power bank is going to be worth the money. Especially if you have a really bad quality one right now. This can not only improve it’s lifespan, but also ensures your safety.
2. Don’t go to 100% or 0%, if you want your power bank to live longer, neither of these extremes are good. So instead, keep your power bank between 50-80%, this is recommended by experts because it reduces the voltage stress and avoids damaging the internal chemistry.
3. Keeping firmware updated, staying updated is always a good idea when trying to increase lifespan. Because firmware updates enhance battery management, fixes bugs, and reduces strain.
4. Avoid using the power bank while charging, doing this can create excess heat, which in turn will damage the power banks components.

Do all these things and you’re bound to get an extra year or two out of your precious power bank.

When to replace your power bank

If you notice that your beloved power bank isn’t how it used to be, you should maybe consider replacing it. Here’s a checklist of 3 of the main things you should look out for:

Of course, a little bit of slower charging after a year or 2 of frequent use is bound to happen. But, if it’s really getting to an annoyingly high amount, then you should swap it our for a new one.

Conclusion – How Long Do Power Banks Last

In conclusion, getting a high-quality power bank and some good charging habits will heavily increase your power banks lifespan, and in turn save you a lot of cash. Just doing the basics like updating firmware and not using your power banks while charging, will already be super beneficial and give you an extra few years.