Expert Insights on the ChargeTech 27000mAh Portable Charger – Unveiled

3.5

ChargeTech 27000mAh Portable AC Battery Pack

Lifewire / Gannon Burgett

What We Like

• High capacity
• Two 2.4A USB ports
• TSA approved for checked luggage

What We Don’t Like

• Pricey for the capacity
• Requires additional power adapter
• Too expensive

The ChargeTech battery pack isn’t going to wow you in any regard, but it offers a solid amount of battery power in a relatively small package, especially when you consider there’s an integrated AC plugin.

View On Amazon View On Chargetech.com

3.5

ChargeTech 27000mAh Portable AC Battery Pack

Lifewire / Gannon Burgett

View On Amazon View On Chargetech.com

in this article

Expand

• Design
• Setup Process
• Charging Speed and Battery
• Price
• Competition
• Final Verdict
• Specs

We purchased ChargeTech 27000mAh Battery Pack so our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and assess it. Keep reading for our full product review.

The battery life of laptops is continuously improving with each new generation, but no matter how many hours of battery your laptop has there always comes a time when you need those few extra hours when you’re away from an outlet. Thankfully, there are battery packs out there that can do just that like the ChargeTech 27000mAh battery pack, a TSA approved power bank not much larger than your standard paperback book that has a built-in AC outlet and twoUSB ports to boot.

To see just how well it works and whether or not it lives up to its hype—and price tag—we put the ChargeTech through the wringer to see just how well it performs.

Design: Sleek and slim

The ChargeTech 27000mAh battery pack looks as unassuming as you’d expect. It’s effectively a beefed-up smartphone battery pack that happens to sneak a full-sized AC outlet into it. The rectangular device features tapered sides, which helps add to its slim profile, as well as a satin matte black finish, which we’ll elaborate on more in a minute.

Lifewire / Gannon Burgett

On the top of the ChargeTech 27000mAh is a single power button that serves dual-purpose as the battery life indicator thanks to four LED lights (each of which represents a 25% charge). The various plugins on the device are all located on one edge, save for the input cable, which sits alone on an adjacent side.

The battery pack relies on an entirely separate charger that will take up even more space than a spare smartphone or two.

The output ports onboard include two 5V/2.4A USB ports and a full AC plugin, which is turned on and off with a dedicated slider. All three can be used simultaneously if need be, but they also work independently if only one device needs to be charged.

We enjoyed the satin matte black finish of the ChargeTech battery pack as it makes it easy to hold onto without fear of dropping it, but it also holds onto fingerprints. This wasn’t a huge deal-breaker for us, but if you prefer your gadgets to be free of fingerprints, it’s something to keep in mind.

Setup Process: Yet another power adapter

Upon taking the ChargeTech 27000mAh out of its case, the first thing we noticed is the included accessories. In addition to the battery pack itself, ChargeTech includes a dedicated charger as well as an international traveladapter and accompanying case to carry it all in.

Lifewire / Gannon Burgett

When it arrived, the battery pack was roughly 50% charged according to the onboard battery life indicator. So, as we do with all battery packs we test, we drained it completely and charged it.

While on the topic of charging, it’s worth noting the power input is a dedicated plugin that uses the included charger. It would’ve been nice to see ChargeTech use aUSB Type-C input, but that isn’t the case. Instead, the battery pack relies on an entirely separate charger that will take up even more space than a spare smartphone or two.

Charging Speed and Battery: Plenty of power at decent speeds

As mentioned above, we started the testing process by draining the ChargeTech 27000mAh entirely and charging it up. Over the course of the first charge and seven subsequent charges throughout testing, the battery pack averaged a charge time of approximately four and a half hours using the included charger.

For testing the ChargeTech 27000mAh, we used an iPhone XS and Samsung Galaxy S8 Active formobile devices and a 2016 MacBook Pro 15-inch as the laptop of choice. With each device, we fully charged the battery pack and subsequently charged each device as many times as possible with a fully charged ChargeTech, making sure to drain the mobile device to zero before plugging it back in.

Lifewire / Gannon Burgett

The iPhone XS managed six and a half full charges with an average charge time of an hour and a half. The Samsung Galaxy S8 Active charged seven and a half times with an average charge time of an hour and a half as well. ChargeTech doesn’t provide guidelines on charge estimates, but the numbers line up with other testing we’ve done and reviews left on the Amazon product page.

As for the laptop, the ChargeTech battery pack charged our 2016 MacBook Pro 15-inch to nearly 95% with an average charge time of four and a half hours over the course of four charge cycles. This is on par with the Jackery PowerBar 77 in terms of times, but outperforms it, as the PowerBar 77 only ever achieved a 75% charge.

If capacity is your priority in a charger that also has an integrated AC plugin, the ChargeTech 27,000 will get the job done.

Something to keep in mind is charge times will vary greatly depending on how many devices are plugged in, the temperature, and whether or not you’re using devices while they’re charging.

Price: A little bit up there

The ChargeTech 27000mAh battery pack retails for $199. Considering its capacity and included AC plugin, that’s a reasonable price. Not to mention it was nice to know we had a full laptop charge on the go, because carrying around the large power adapter isn’t exactly convenient.

Competition: Just that little bit extra

The ChargeTech’s competition can be narrowed down to two main devices, theJackery PowerBar 77 and the Omars battery pack. All three devices include an integrated AC plugin and all three devices are within 5,000mAh of battery capacity.

The Omars battery pack retails for $69.99, a full $130 less than the ChargeTech. However, it only has two USB ports onboard (not 2.4A) and its manufacturer specifically mentions it’s not compatible with Apple’s MacBook Pro 15-inch because its charging output is capped at 80W and the MacBook Pro draws 87W.

The PowerBar 77 retails for $129.99, a full $70 less than the ChargeTech. But, as mentioned above, it only charged our 2016 MacBook Pro 15-inch to 75% when completely dead compared to the ChargeTech’s 95% charge. The one area the Jackery has the ChargeTech beat is its USB Type-C charging port. Rather than carrying around a dedicated power adapter, the Jackery works with a cord you likely have in your bag already, which is a time and space saver.

Want to take a look at some other options? See our guide to thebest portable laptop battery chargers .

Final Verdict

Blending into the background for better or worse.

In summary, if capacity is your priority in a charger that also has an integrated AC plugin, the ChargeTech 27,000 will get the job done. But it won’t do it fast and it won’t impress you along the way. In our testing, it kind of just hummed along, charging at an adequate pace with a standard feature set. The additional power adapter was a pain and something well worth considering if portability is a concern of yours.

Similar Products We’ve Reviewed

• MaxOak 185Wh/50000mAh Battery Pack
• Anker PowerCore+ 26800 Battery Pack Bundle
• JETSUN 16750mAh Solar Power Bank

Specs

• Product Name 27000mAh Portable AC Battery Pack
• Product Brand ChargeTech
• Price $209.00
• Release Date June 2015
• Weight 1.56 lbs.
• Product Dimensions 7.5 x 5.2 x 1 in.
• Color Black
• Removable Cables Yes, included
• Controls AC power button
• Inputs/Outputs AC outlet, two 2.4A USB ports
• Warranty One year
• Compatibility Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux