Power Banks are one of the most important accessories for smartphone users out there. With smartphones becoming more and more powerful by the day, the average smartphone usage has gone up. The smartphone industry is still seeing rapid expansion in many developing markets. One of the ancillary markets that have benefited from growing smartphones is that of batteries and power banks.
While smartphones have become more and more powerful thanks to technological advancements and Moore’s Law, the batteries have remained more or less the same. While you may have a more powerful smartphone every year, you will more often than not find the battery life to be inadequate. Companies tried to work around this issue with removable batteries, but with features like waterproofing and thin smartphones becoming the norm, many companies are opting for non-removable batteries.
Enter Power Banks.
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To help ease the pain, companies have come out with power banks – portable devices which can be charged like a regular battery. You can then use these power banks to charge your smartphone on the go, using your regular microUSB cable bundled with your smartphone or power bank.
Thanks to their portability, power banks have becoming increasingly common. In our feature today, we talk about the acceptable/allowed capacity of power banks that you can carry with you while travelling – especially when you’re travelling by air.
Things To Remember While Carrying Power Bank During Air Travel
You can carry a power bank with you during air travel. Before we get started, you need to know a few things.
- You can carry power banks with capacity as high as 50,000 mAh provided it is decently sized. Large power banks can be an issue during security checks.
- It’s good to have a power bank with LED lights that give you an estimate of the amount of charge left in them. Most power banks these days come with these LED lights. While it’s not a requirement at all (from a travelling point of view), it assists the security guys in determining whether it is a power bank, and if it is in good working condition or not.
- Do not keep your power bank in checked in luggage. Power banks are powered by lithium ion batteries just like the batteries in our smartphones. As such, they can be risky. If you store a power bank with your checked in luggage, the chances of explosion increase due to higher temperatures. This is normally not an issue, but it is advisable to carry your power bank on you instead of your checked in luggage.
- Don’t carry too many huge (in terms of dimensions) power banks even in your carry-on luggage. Your power bank may be objected during security checks because of its size.
- Additionally, if you need multiple power banks, you can keep them in different places.
- When you are going in for security checks at airports, you should take your power banks out and place them in the tray with you. This speeds up the checking process and helps you avoid a recheck of your bags.
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Power Banks Can Explode Too
Try to carry only good quality branded power banks with you. Avoid duplicate power banks at all costs and times – whether you are travelling or not. This is an extremely important point to keep in your mind – for your own safety, others’ safety as well as the safety of your smartphone.
Conclusion
You can safely carry power banks with you while travelling. While there are risks attached to it, these risks apply to every gadget that is powered by a battery. Make sure you keep the points we have mentioned above in your mind, you will be fine.
If you have any other queries related to carrying power banks during travelling, let us know in the comments below. We will be happy to clear your doubts.
