I am constantly in a fight to manage my battery capacity. You would think as a tech reviewer, I would have enough powerbanks to power my home. Alas I lose them as fast as I get them. When the Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-Port Laptop Power Bank 20K showed up on my desk, I was ready to put a ring on it.
The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-Port Laptop Power Bank 20K (to be referred to as the Laptop Powerbank going forward) is Belkin’s most powerful power bank to date. I had wondered when Belkin would come to the party with a power bank capable of powering a laptop. When I asked Stephanie Caulfield, Managing Director for Belkin Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) back in June 2024, all I got was that they are always working on something.
First Impressions
The Laptop Powerbank departs from the standard Belkin powerbanks with the presence of a full-colour digital display, which is a glossy part on the front of the device. The power bank also sports a glossy decorative strip on either side, adding to its premium look.
The 20k capacity unit comes with two USB-C and one USB-A port to deliver power to your gadgets. A single button on the right side fires up the display to give you all the important details, including the power rating of 65W, which is clearly marked.
In Use
I packed the Laptop Powerbank with me this past weekend while manning a store at the Sunday market. With a review deadline looming, I estimated I had about five hours to write, roughly three hours more than my laptop battery could handle on its own.
The power distribution of the Laptop Powerbank is 65W maximum across all three ports. Which means I can power my laptop and nothing else at the same time. Alternatively you can power two devices, with 45W out of USB-C and 15W out of USB-A at the same time.
At least that is what is stated in the literature. However in actual use, the USB-A port reports back a maximum of 18W.
One of my favourite features is the digital display, which clearly indicates battery percentage, estimated remaining usage time and discharge status. Alternatively, when you are charging the Laptop Powerbank, it shows the charging status and estimated time to full charge.
While using it with my laptop, I noticed the estimated remaining time fluctuated between three hours and nine minutes and two hours and forty-eight minutes, likely due to varying power draw depending on my workload. As always, take the estimates with a grain of salt and don’t take the largest value as gospel.
In total I managed to squeeze out four hours and fifteen minutes of laptop use by fully depleting my laptop’s internal battery, then relying on the Laptop Powerbank, which powered and also mostly recharged my laptop in two hours and fifteen minutes and still had 35% charge left. Later in the day, it also managed to boost my Pixel 8 Pro from 33% to 91% before finally running dry.
Aside from the pretty simplistic but useful graphics, I discovered a little later by toggling the power button, you can print up a display of each port, their maximum power draw and real-time power draw. This was a nice little find as I was going to say it was a bit of a waste to not provide that data.
Other Features
Belkin continues on their sustainability efforts, with the Laptop Powerbank being made from a minimum of 72% postconsumer recycled plastic for the product housing (excluding cable).
It also comes with a 2-year warranty and $2,500 Connected Equipment Warranty.
Bugs
It seems I am a magnet to finding ways to brings the gadgets I test. At least in this case, I found a potential bug.
If you have connected something to charge off the USB-A port, that port does not switch off automatically once you disconnect. That means your USB-C ports are rate limited to 45W only which is a problem for powering my laptop.
This status can be reset by plugging in a USB-C cable from a power source to recharge the Laptop Powerbank, even just briefly. Or you can ride out the time out on the powerbank itself until it turns itself off after a few minutes.
You can tell when the Laptop Powerbank is waking up from shutdown when the Belkin name comes up on the screen instead of immediately displaying the device status.
Gripes
There is no MagSafe connection on it which is understandable. Just pointing it out for sake of completeness.
The screen is not the brightest around. It can be a struggle to read it under direct daylight but is perfectly fine indoors. Also it is not a phone, you are not going to sit there reading the display for extended periods and draw power unnecessarily.
We all know this one by now, shiny finish are fingerprint magnets.
Risks & Airline Considerations
The Laptop Powerbank’s 74Wh capacity is well below the 100Wh airline restriction, making it safe for travel. However, following the 84 reported lithium-ion-related incidents in 2024 by the Federal Aviation Authority, some airlines are re-evaluating their rules. If you frequently fly, it’s worth keeping an eye on changing regulations.
Conclusions
The Belkin BoostCharge Pro 3-Port Laptop Power Bank 20K is not the highest-capacity or most powerful laptop power bank available, but it strikes a good balance of portability, power output, and versatility. It is compact enough to slip into a bag and has enough juice to keep your laptop and other devices running on the go.
Unlike smaller MagSafe power banks, this one requires carrying cables, and Belkin includes a 60cm USB-C to USB-C 60W cable in the package. At A$159.95, it offers good value for those needing a reliable, travel-friendly power bank.
DRN would like to thank Belkin for providing the review unit.
Key Features
- Power Delivery up to 65W from a single USB-C port to recharge your MacBook or laptop
- 20K battery supports charging a laptop and two other devices simultaneously
- Provides up to 16 hours of video playback on Apple TV app
- USB-C and USB-A ports for universal compatibility
- Full-colour digital display shows battery status
- Charge two USB-C devices and one USB-A device at the same time with up to 65W (45W from USB-C and 15W from USB-A)
Package Includes
- 3-Port Laptop Power Bank 20K
- 0.6m black USB-C to USB-C cable 60W
