The portable power station is an incredible piece of modern technology. Just plug your electronics into these big batteries and watch the magic happen. As the name implies, portable power stations are meant to be light enough to take out the door with you or put in the car.
These power stations can be fun to use -- and let you take some of the comforts of home with you on your adventures -- but they're not always the most fun to look at. Most portable power stations you'll see follow the "generic gray box" aesthetic. And hey, if that's your vibe, then that's perfectly fine. But if you're looking for something with a bolder design, we've got you covered too.
We've rounded up a few portable power stations and power banks that feature some of the cutest designs we've seen. Each battery on this list weighs under 10 pounds and costs under $300, making them fun and functional gifts for outdoor enthusiasts or frequent travelers.
Of course, while these look cool, they aren't the best performing power stations that money can buy. If you're interested in which power stations will get you the most bang for your buck, check out CNET's ranking of the best portable power stations.
Most of Jackery's portable power stations fall into the boring gray box territory. And while the Jackery Explorer 100 Plus also follows this grayish color palette, it gets a pass for one reason only: It's just so tiny and adorable. This itty-bitty power bank fits right in the palm of your hand and only weighs about two pounds, making it perfect to toss in a backpack or purse. It's also just small enough to make it through TSA. It comes with two USB-C ports and one USB-A port -- great for charging your phone, laptop or tablet.
The Explorer 100 Plus is a 99 watt-hour battery. This should give you enough juice for a few phone charges. It's not exactly a powerhouse, but it serves its purpose well. When it's time to charge it up, you can plug it into a standard AC outlet in your home. Or you can recharge it with solar power if you have portable solar panels.
Duracell has one of the most creative (and self-aware) portable power station designs we've seen. It looks like a giant AA battery. The Duracell M250 is a 219Wh power station with five ports in total. You've got your two USB-C and USB-A ports for charging your personal devices or small USB-powered items. And you've got an AC power port, functioning like a standard AC outlet you might see in your home. Just keep in mind that the output is 250 watts, so it likely won't be able to handle larger household items like your coffee maker or vacuum cleaner.
It might look a little bulky, but the Duracell M250 is actually very lightweight, weighing only 4.5 pounds. It also features wireless charging. All you've got to do is plop your phone on top of the battery. When you're ready to recharge the M250, just set it on its charging dock. Make sure the dock is plugged into a wall outlet.
If compact and colorful are two distinct features you want, this portable power station might be a good option for you. It's small, neon green and weighs only a little over a pound. And if bright neon green isn't your style, there are blue and black color options as well. This Powkey power station has 88.8Wh of energy storage capacity and quite a few options for power ports.
You'll get one standard AC port, two USB ports and a 15-volt DC port. There's also a 12-volt input port for your car charger adapter. Like most of the other entries on this list, this Powkey power station isn't made to power anything too large. It's best suited for smaller electronics and personal devices.
When you're ready to charge up your little Powkey, you have three options. You can plug it into a standard AC wall outlet, charge up with portable solar panels or plug it into your car's charging port. You should be able to recharge in around 4 hours or less.
You don't need to lug around a big, expensive power station to keep your devices charged up when you go camping. The Anker 548 PowerCore is more than capable of keeping your phone charged up and a light or two on. It's designed to function like a sort of lantern that you can plug things into, making it a great little camping buddy. The top pops up to reveal a bright light, and there are two brightness settings for the light, as well as an SOS mode for emergency power scenarios. It weighs a little over five pounds and has a strap-like handle for an easy carry.
The Anker 548 has 192Wh of energy storage capacity and 60-watt output. It's not made to handle much more than charging your personal devices or plugging in a lamp or two. You get four power ports with the Anker 548: two USB-A ports and two USB-C ports. When you need to recharge the power station, you either plug it into a standard AC wall outlet or plug in some portable solar panels.