While there are smaller portable USB chargers out there, few others, big or small, have as much capacity as the Aleratec 8000mah External Battery Charger. Its 8000mAh lithium ion battery is more or less what you’d find in large tablets like the Apple iPad Air. Considering even some of the largest smartphones usually only have 3,000mAh batteries, that’s a lot of power to work with for charging your USB-based mobile devices.

The charger‘s case, which is available in white and choice of three accent colors (blue (reviewed), orange, or pink) is sleek and rugged, with dimensions of 4.4 in (112 mm) x 2.91 in (74 mm) x 0.9 in (23 mm). The top of the device features two full-size USB ports, with one side providing 5V 2.1A and the other 5V 1A; an LED light (press the Power button twice to use this as a portable flashlight!); and a micro-USB port for charging the device with either the included cable or any other compatible cable that might be handy. An LCD display on the front of the device shows internal battery level (as a percentage, up to 100%) and input/output indicators.

In my testing, it had no issue with charging my Apple iPhone 6 Plus. In fact, it’s smart enough to know to turn itself off once your device or devices are fully charged.

This is one charger that’s definitely bag worthy, not only for its power, but also for the convenience of being able to charge two devices at the same time (honorable mention goes to the flashlight feature). Even with the increased size over some other USB chargers, the fact that you’d typically need three or more of those smaller chargers to equal the capacity of this single unit makes the trade-off in portability worth it.

Thanks to Aleratec, Inc., for the review unit.