Ugreen 48000mAh Portable Power Bank review: More power and ports than the average battery pack

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating
ProsHuge battery capacity140W (PD 3.1) charging powerPortable with handleConsLarger than mostOur VerdictThe Ugreen 48000mAh Power Bank has the largest battery capacity we’ve seen outside of a prepper’s portable power station and boasts more ports, as well as beating all comers with its maximum 300W simultaneous power output.

The Ugreen 48,000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank (300W) boasts a larger capacity battery than any other power bank we have tested. At 48000mAh it is built like the missing link between a laptop power bank and a full-scale portable power station.

It’s small and portable enough to be designated a personal power bank, but has the miniature look of something you might connect with your solar panels and keep in the garage.

With its 140W PD 3.1 USB-C port, it’s a nice fit with Apple’s top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro, which can be fast-charged at 140W using Apple’s USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable.

Power bank tech specs

Battery capacity: 99.56Wh

Fastest Power Output: 140W

Total Power Output: 300W

Power Input: 140W

USB ports: 1x USB-C (140W PD 3.1); 2x USB-C (100W PD 3.0); 2x USB-A (22.5W)

Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.7 x 3 inches (16 x 14.5 x 7.6cm)

Weight: 3.6lb (1.65kg)

Performance power

We managed to recharge our test 14-inch M2 MacBook Pro 1.8 times, so we’d expect it to recharge a MacBook Air at least twice over. With the Pro, we got from 5% charge to 90% in an hour, which is impressive.

Once we’d run the MacBook down to 5% again, the power bank’s display showed 43% of its own battery charge remaining, but this oddly dropped quickly to around 22% when we plugged it back into the laptop.

Batteries do charge in a non-linear fashion. Rather than taking in energy at a constant, predictable rate, the rate a battery is charged changes due to many variables—most importantly, how much charge is already in the battery. The fuller the battery, the slower it absorbs energy.

We still got from 5% to 80% on that reduced charge, so it looked like an initial display error. The most important thing is that the power bank kept charging for so long.

With its 140W USB-C port, this power bank is best suited to the top-end 16-inch MacBook Pro as it can be fast-charged—although Apple requires you use its USB-C to MagSafe 3 Cable rather than a standard USB-C to USB-C charging cable. The charging cable that ships with the power bank is capable of 240W, but Apple insists you use its cable for 140W fast charging.

While the 140W USB-C is great news for owners of Apple’s top-end laptop, the Ugreen 48000mAh battery pack is a powerful solution for all MacBook models as it has such a high capacity and more ports than we’ve seen from the competition.

See our list of MacBook battery capacities for more details on the whole range of Apple laptops.

It is perfectly safe to charge even the 5W Apple AirPods charging case using a 140W port, so don’t worry that you are over-supplying power. This is regulated by the device receiving the charge. That said, this power bank can be set to Trickle Charging Mode that provides a constant, low-level charge for devices that require minimal wattage to charge. To enable this mode, press and hold the power button for three seconds.








Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry


Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

More USB ports than most

While its primary function is for charging laptops, the Ugreen 48000mAh Power Bank can simultaneously charge up to five devices. You could charge a MacBook at the same time as one or two iPhones, iPads, AirPods or Apple Watch.

The first USB-C port is rated at 140W, and the other two each at 100W. A couple of 22.5W USB-A ports are there for legacy devices.

Maximum power output is 300W—again a high in all our laptop power bank reviews—so you can’t use all three USB-C ports at full power, but there are many options using the five ports.

For example, you could charge three MacBooks each at 100W using all the USB-C ports at the same time. Or power a 16-inch MacBook Pro at 140W and another MacBook at 100W, with the other ports spare for other less power-hungry devices.

Between the two USB-A ports there’s a simple-to-use power button so you can halt recharging without having to unplug cables from ports.








Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry


Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

High camp capacity

The number of ports and that generous 300W total power output, plus the sheer size of the battery capacity gives you lots of options. This power bank looks like a great choice for camping trips where you might need to use it just to charge an iPhone 15 Pro ten times over.

While its 153W battery capacity is just within the maximum permissible in-flight limit of 160Wh (if approved by the airline), it’s unlikely you’d need all that power even on a long-haul flight. There are more portable but still high-capacity power banks better suited to air travel, such as Ugreen’s own Nexode 20000mAh Power Bank.

It is better suited to travel in a car, or possibly kept charged at home or in the office in case of local power outages. Preppers might prefer something with a colossal battery capacity. Again, just choosing from Ugreen’s own range, we point preppers at the PowerRoam 2400W 2048Wh Battery Backup, which is so large it requires its own set of wheels.

Charging the power bank

Of course, once spent the power bank itself needs charging. It takes about an hour and a half to recharge using the 140W USB-C port.

You can see the remaining charge on the power bank’s central smart display.








Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry


Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Big but still portable

It’s slightly insulting to call the Ugreen 48000mAh power bank “big”. It’s actually quite compact for such a large battery, but compared to other laptop power banks, it is on the chunky side. It’s more like a small handbag compared to the suitcase-like portable power stations.

It weighs over 3.5 pounds (1.65kg), compared to other laptop power banks that weigh around 20oz (550g).

But with its handle it’s easy enough to carry around the house. It is certainly not pocketable, and would sit rather heavily in a standard backpack.

It looks cool in its gun-metal gray, although it does pick up greasy finger marks quite easily—so stick to using the handle.








Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry


Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The display on the front of the power bank shows a large Remaining Battery percentage, and below that at either side are readings for Total Input Power and Total Output Power.

While not as colorful as some laptop power bank smart displays, it is easy to read even in bright light.

Price

The Ugreen 48000mAh Portable Power Bank is priced at $199.99 / £199.99. Check our real-time price comparison above for the best prices in your region.

Rival laptop power bank, the 27650mAh Anker Prime has a smaller battery capacity in a more compact form and two fewer ports, but costs just $20/ £20 less.

To be fair, it’s a different proposition being much more portable, but if you are looking for power/price ratio it’s hard to beat the Ugreen 48000mAh Power Bank.

Should I buy the Ugreen 48000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank?

The Ugreen 48000mAh 300W Portable Power Bank is larger than most laptop power banks but is still remarkably compact for such a high-capacity battery pack. It has the largest battery capacity we’ve seen outside of a prepper’s portable power station, and boasts more ports, as well as beating all comers with its maximum 300W simultaneous power output.

Hide it away for emergencies or take it on a camping trip, where it will keep several devices charged for a long weekend.

It is particularly well suited to owners of the 16-inch MacBook Pro that can take advantage of its 140W PD 3.1 charging and full battery capacity, but MacBook Air owners will be able to charge their laptops and other devices more than once using this neat power bank.

Accessories, Laptop Accessories, Mac, Power