Samsung 45W 20,000mAh Battery Pack review: All-in on USB-C

There are many things to consider when choosing a power bank. Capacity and output speed need to be balanced against size and weight. Samsung makes a selection of battery packs designed to work seamlessly with its devices, like the Galaxy Z Fold 6. The Samsung 20,000mAh 45W portable battery might be the right charger because it combines a travel-friendly size with excellent specs.

If you’re a Samsung user, this power bank could be a no-brainer, but is it also good enough for other devices?

Price, availability, and specs

The Samsung 20,000mAh 45W Power Bank is available from Samsung and retailers like Best Buy for $55. It does see discounts on occasion, though, with Best Buy slashing the price as low as $44. This battery pack has a 20,000mAh cell that can output up to 45W while also accepting 45W when recharging. You can see a full breakdown of the specs below.

What’s good about the Samsung 20K 45W Power Bank?

Excellent build-quality

The Samsung 20,000mAh 45W Power Bank is a standard battery pack, but that’s not bad. It nails the fundamentals and provides a well-rounded experience. The casing is made from recycled plastic but feels solid. The speckled pattern looks good, and, overall, it reminds me of a soap bar. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you.

The 20,000mAh cell could fully recharge my S24 Ultra twice, which is pretty good for something this small. That charging was at full speed, too. This power bank can output up to 45W, the same max speed as the S24 Ultra, so charging my phone never took long. In my experience, 30 to 85% took around twenty minutes. Remember, though, that while each USB-C port can output 45W, they can’t do that all at once. 45W is the maximum overall output, so that will be divided between whichever ports you’re using.

This power bank supports various charging standards, from Samsung’s Super Fast Charging 2.0 to USB Power Delivery 3.0 and PPS. So, while this was made with Samsung products in mind, you can charge most devices at 45W if they support it.

The Samsung 20,000mAh 45W Power Bank also excels in portability. In the photo above, the Baseus 65W Power Bank is only 10,000mAh. Sure, its shape lends itself to laptop sleeves, but in other bags, it’s awkward. The Anker 737, also pictured above, has slightly more capacity than the Samsung, at 24,000mAh, and can output an impressive 140W of power. Still, it’s significantly thicker than the Samsung and is 285g heavier.

What’s bad about the Samsung 20,000mAh 45W Power Bank?

USB-Ay?

I don’t have many complaints with this power bank other than about the price. The $55 price tag is reasonable, but Amazon does have alternatives for around the same price that offer faster 65W charging and a screen that provides more detailed info than the four LEDs on Samsung’s product.

This power bank also only has USB-C. That’s probably not a big deal to most, but having a USB-A port can still be handy. My Sony A6300, for example, still uses Micro-USB to charge, so there was no way to use this power bank to recharge the camera. Most battery packs still provide at least one USB-A port, which would’ve been a win here.

The charging cable is also relatively short, only 0.3m, although it does come in a complementary color, which keeps everything looking nice. This is a fine power bank; it’s just missing some features, like higher output and a display, compared to its peers that share the same price bracket.

Should you buy it?

If you want something small and light that you can easily carry around in a pocket or bag, then sure. The 20,000mAh cell is more than capable enough, and 45W is more than most of you will need unless you’re trying to recharge a high-end laptop. Remember that if you’re willing to go for a third-party accessory, you can get similarly priced power banks that charge faster and have a more diverse port selection.