The Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5, and while you’ll obviously be able to take it on the go, Nintendo is only claiming a minimum of “2 hours” of battery life in intense games. That’s definitely enough for a morning commute, but if you want your Nintendo Switch 2 to last through longer flights or even just away from a wall outlet, you’re going to need a solid power bank.
While the Switch 2 does include plenty of new hardware features, it’s still just a mobile device that charges via USB-C. That means pretty much any existing power bank is going to be perfect for the portable console. Power banks that are specially designed for the Switch 2 will definitely be coming out over the next few months. Genki, for instance, has a magnetic power bank that attaches to a special Nintendo Switch 2 case to keep your Switch charged without needing to run a cable from your pocket to the console. There are similar solutions out there for the original Switch, but because of the Switch 2’s bigger dimensions, they won’t be compatible with the upcoming handheld.
1. Anker Nano Power Bank
The Best Power Bank
The Anker Nano 3-in-1 has a built-in USB-C cable, but you’re not limited to it. Right under the included cable is an extra USB-C port to plug in a second charging cable. This is awesome, as it not only allows you to charge two devices at the same time, but if the built-in cable dies on you, you don’t have to throw out the entire unit.
The Anker Nano also has a built-in wall plug, which makes it easy to just plug into a wall when you need to charge it without using an adapter. Don’t worry about it poking into your leg, though; it folds up and away when not charging.
While the Anker Nano is, like the name implies, a tiny little thing, it can charge the Switch 2 pretty quickly. This power bank is rated for 30W of output, and while that’s probably not enough to match the Switch 2’s power brick output, it’s still enough to charge it up fairly quickly. Not bad for such a tiny and convenient power bank, if you ask me.
2. Belkin Boost Plus 10K
The Most Portable Power Bank
The Belkin Boost Plus has been one of my favorite power banks for a while, mostly because it has all the cables sorted out to begin with. The unit has two cables built in, one USB-C and one Lightning. What’s more, they also stow nicely in little cutouts in the side of the power bank, making for clean storage. The Belkin Boost Plus’s Lightning cable is essentially useless for anyone with a Switch 2, though.
The only thing that really holds it back is that it doesn’t have any ports for other cables. This isn’t a huge deal most of the time, but if the built-in cables die, you’re basically screwed. At the end of the day you’re trading the flexibility of using your own cables for the convenience of built-in ones. That’s more than worth it for me, but your mileage may vary there.
With just 23W of charging output, this power bank will likely be a little slower than the included power adapter, but it’s sleek and easy to carry around. That’s worth it as far as I’m concerned. You’re not going to find many super-portable high-speed chargers, after all.
3. Anker Power Core 24K
An Absolutely Overkill Power Bank
For most people, trading off portability for the ability to charge your Switch 2 is enough, even if it’s slower than charging off the wall. But if you completely lack patience, as I do, you can just use a laptop charger. The Anker Power Core 24K is rated for 45W of output, which is enough to charge a MacBook pretty quickly, so it’s more than enough to at least match the presumed 39W charger bundled with the Switch 2.
There are a couple caveats to this, obviously. The original Switch didn’t really play nicely with fast charging. Not that high-wattage chargers harmed the Switch, they just didn’t charge it any faster than the dock would. I won’t know how well the Switch 2 gets along with powerful chargers until the system actually launches, but even if it has the same behavior as its predecessor, going a bit overkill on the power bank is at the very least not going to hurt anything.
The Power Core 24K also has a much higher power capacity than the other power banks on this list, with 24,000mAh. That’s a little over four times the capacity of the internal Switch 2 battery, for reference. Now, some of that power is going to be lost in the process of charging the Switch 2, but it’s still enough to charge the device at least three and a half times on a single charge.
Of course with all this extra oomph, the Anker Power Core 24K is both more expensive and bulkier than the other power banks on this list. This thing weighs 1.1lbs on its own, which is admittedly heavier than the Switch 2 itself. But hey, these are just the sacrifices you have to make sometimes, right?
Power Banks for Switch 2 FAQ
How powerful of a power bank does the Switch 2 require?
If the Switch 2 power adapter is anything like the original console – and there’s not much reason to think it won’t be – the console will feature a 39W charger. That means in order to match the charging speed of the wall charger, you’re going to need a beefy power bank. Most mainstream power banks have anywhere between 20-30W of output, so charging the system with a portable battery will be sacrificing a little bit of speed for portability.
Is a 10,000mAh power bank enough for the Switch 2?
Yes. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 5,220mAh battery, which means a 10,000mAh power bank will have enough juice to fully charge the Switch 2 at least once, with enough left over to keep it charged for a little while longer.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra
