Power banks with built-in cable

USB-C to USB-C is the norm; Lightning for iPhone 14 and earlier is a legacy option, sometimes as a second cable; a USB-A lead on some models is for charging the bank from old chargers and is input-only.

3 A (60 W) or 5 A (100 W and up); the listing rarely says, so the per-cable output in the spec table is the clue. Retractable cables run about 25–70 cm, enough to hold the phone while it charges, not to use it on a desk.

A retractable cable rewinds into the body and adds 30–60 g; a fixed one stows in a channel. Makers quote pull-cycle ratings in the tens of thousands, a maker’s claim without an independent test; user reports name the mechanism as the usual failure point.

A free USB-C or USB-A port is the fallback if the cable dies and the way to charge a second device; some banks sell the cable as the “fourth device” port.

20–30 W per port is typical for the phone class; the combined figure splits between ports. Input through the built-in cable is usually possible (USB-C in and out); check the input watts, since some built-in-cable banks recharge slower than the plain bank of the same size.

Hybrid charger-banks add foldable mains prongs: 30–65 W and 5,000–10,000 mAh only, and bulky in a socket; a 140 W, 20,000 mAh version does not exist.

5,000 mAh (18.5 Wh) to 20,000 mAh (74 Wh); all under 100 Wh, so carry-on without approval.

UL 2056 for the bank, PSE in Japan. Three models in the CPSC’s September 2025 Anker refund recall (A1647, A1681, A1689) were 22.5–30 W banks of this era; a model check, not a statement about the class.