Best Battery Backup for Your Nintendo Switch 2021

Best Battery Backup for Nintendo Switch iMore 2021

• Best Overall: AUKEY Power Bank
• Best Runner-Up: Mophie Powerstation XXL
• Best for Travel: ZeroLemon Battery Charger Case
• Best for Handheld Charging: Marval Power GuliKit Battery Master
• Best Official Pick: Anker PowerCore 20100 Nintendo Switch Edition

Best Overall: AUKEY Power Bank

It's a great battery for road trips, extended flights, or just keeping in the car to top off when you need it. You can use the additional USB ports while you are charging your Switch, which means you can also use this to charge your phone, tablet, controller, or anything else you can think of. It's not a cheap battery, but it'll keep you playing your Switch for quite a while.

This battery can charge up to three devices at once with a USB-A and two USB-C ports. One of the USB-C ports supports Quick Charge 3.0 and can charge your devices up to four times faster than typical charging and 38% quicker than Quick Charge 2.0. Adaptive charging technology will match output to optimize speeds while also keeping your devices safe.

The battery doesn't come with a wall adapter, and you'll want to have one that can take both a micro USB and a USB-C to power up your battery as fast as possible. It should take about eight hours when charging from both. LED lights on the power bank will let you know how full the battery is, so you'll know when it's running low or ready to use again.

Best Runner-Up: Mophie Powerstation XXL

Not everyone wants a big-honkin' battery. Sometimes, all you want is something you can slide into your pocket or clip onto the back, so it's all one piece with the Switch. These alternatives not only exist, but they're pretty good.

You can buy giant batteries to power your Switch multiple times over, but you may not be super happy about carrying it around places. These batteries are often heavy or oddly shaped, making them difficult to fit in a pocket or small carrying case for your console. The Powerstation XXL is pretty darn big, but it's smaller than most batteries in its category. It's capable of charging up your Switch with an additional 14 hours of use, but like many USB-C battery backups, it'll only keep it from going dead if you're trying to play and charge at the same time.

Best for Travel: ZeroLemon Battery Charger Case

If you don't want to worry about cables, this is your best bet for a Switch battery. It's like a charging case for your Switch. It clips onto the back of the device and has a USB-C plug that sends the juice to your Switch. It also has a little compartment on the back, so you can take two additional game cards with you. It has a long kickstand on the back, instead of that awkward and unbalanced design the Switch comes with. The four-light status LEDs on the side will let you know when the charger needs its own charge.

It has a 10000mAh battery, so you're going to get 10+ hours of additional gameplay out of it. When you're just going to need a little extra power while you shred games in the car, you'll get through a few additional hours of leveling before you need to re-up. Plus, that helpful stand makes it a lot easier to play multiplayer games in tabletop mode.

Best for Handheld Charging: Marval Power GuliKit Battery Master

If you don't see yourself using a kickstand while playing your Nintendo Switch on the go, then this battery attachment will be the perfect fit for you. Unlike other batteries that attach directly to the unit, this one isn't nearly as bulky, so your fingers won't get extended further while you're grasping the Switch in your hands. However, it does make the Switch weigh more, so you need to be prepared for that.

It offers 10000mAh, which gives you 10-plus hours of additional battery life. There are multiple ports on the side of the battery, so you can charge more than one device at a time. That makes it a helpful unit for charging your smartphone when on the go.

Best Official Pick: Anker PowerCore 20,100 Nintendo Switch Edition

This is the official Nintendo-licensed power bank on the market, so it will charge your Nintendo Switch while you play.

Nintendo officially licenses this PowerCore battery pack from Anker, so you know it will work properly with your Switch. It packs in 20100mAh of power (slightly less than the PowerCore+ 26800 PD) but also has Power Delivery, so you can keep on playing and actually get your juice back to 100%. Anker makes a solid quality battery. Considering it packs a hefty juice box, it's pretty sleek. Its biggest downfall is that it's a tad overpriced, likely because of official licensing.

Bottom Line

When you combine power output, price, and design, the AUKEY Power Bank battery quickly becomes the best Nintendo Switch battery pack for just about every situation. Not only is the AUKEY Power Bank huge with its 30,000mAh capacity, but it can also push out that energy quickly so you can get back to playing Mario Kart 8. At the price, you get the biggest bang for your buck. That's why we recommend it above any other Nintendo Switch battery pack: It will keep you going longer than anything else on this list.

While your Switch will charge fastest when you're just plugging one device into the AUKEY Power Bank, you can also use it to simultaneously charge two other devices such as an iPhone or iPad. Just make sure to keep an eye on the LED lights to let you know how fast the battery is draining.

Of course, sometimes all you want is the official product backed by Nintendo to run perfectly on your Switch. In that case, the licensed by Nintendo Anker PowerCore 20100 is a great choice, and it's almost the same as the one we recommend. You know it will work and work well because Nintendo says so. So do we.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide