Energy banks can accomplish that rather more than cost your telephone

Batteries are boring. Whereas a vital part within the overwhelming majority of merchandise, lengthening of a pill, smartphone, or wearable usually is not essentially the most thrilling announcement when in comparison with a brand new design or options that change how you employ the gadget in query. That might be one motive why external batteries stay such a continuing: Corporations proceed to prioritize appears to be like over battery life.

New chargers and exterior battery packs are an everyday presence at commerce reveals just like the Consumer Electronics Show, however essentially the most fascinating fashions at this 12 months’s present all had one thing in frequent. Moreover charging, that they had some extra ability that hopefully earned them a spot in your bag or pocket. As devices proliferate and protecting them charged turns into much more vital, having a battery that is value greater than its charging capacity looks like it may grow to be the norm.

The Clicks Energy Keyboard expenses and kinds

Clicks’ new battery can act as a keyboard for different gadgets

Clicks, which entered the gadget scene in 2024 with a case that added a physical keyboard to pick iOS and Android telephones, expanded lineup at CES 2026 with a Blackberry-inspired smartphone and a brand new tackle its exterior keyboard. The Clicks Communicator is an Android telephone with a bodily keyboard (and a headphone jack) that is purported to launch later in 2026. There are causes to be skeptical a couple of startup constructing its first telephone, particularly when it is solely made equipment up till this level, however the gadget is fascinating. The Clicks Power Keyboard may find yourself being extra impactful, although.

The Clicks Energy Keyboard is a 2,150mAh exterior battery with a built-in 5W Qi charger and a bodily keyboard not in contrast to the one featured on Clicks’ instances. The thought behind the accent is that it could actually cost your telephone simply by magnetically attaching to the again of it, however while you want a extra exact, tactile typing expertise, you possibly can simply slide up the top-half of the battery and reveal the bodily keyboard beneath. As a result of the battery is barely magnetically hooked up to your telephone, you may also rotate your telephone into panorama orientation with out getting in the way in which of the keys.

The Energy Keyboard connects to smartphones over Bluetooth relatively than USB-C, which suggests it will also be used with quite a lot of different gadgets, together with streaming containers just like the Apple TV 4K, or VR headsets just like the Apple Vision Pro. It isn’t the biggest or quickest exterior battery, however its keyboard makes it value protecting round.

The Xreal Neo makes any gadget a supply to your AR glasses

Xreal’s dock and exterior battery has a built-in stand

Xreal, an augmented actuality glasses maker and Google partner on Android XR, took a special strategy with its new Xreal Neo. The cell dock and exterior battery make it attainable to attach the corporate’s glasses to quite a lot of completely different consoles, handheld PCs, telephones, and tablets, whereas protecting them charged on the similar time. Historically, Xreal’s glasses require adapters to make all of these connections attainable, however the Neo features a built-in cable, stand, and wi-fi charging pad, so you possibly can convert your connection and even prop up no matter you are charging whereas it is displaying content material in your glasses. The Neo itself has a ten,000mAh battery and weighs round 245g, which additionally makes it simply gentle sufficient to nonetheless carry while you connect it to a different gadget.

The Xreal Neo remains to be extra awkward than a direct connection between a smartphone and a pair of AR glasses, however as a result of it is capable of hold that gadget charged (and even work as an exterior battery while you’re not utilizing Xreal’s glasses) it extra simply justifies its place in your pocket or carry-on. Just like the Clicks Energy Keyboard, attempting to do extra than simply charging provides it extra of a motive to exist. Even one thing like Belkin’s UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring, which mixes an exterior battery, stand, and MagSafe connector so you possibly can hold your gadget charged with out giving up your favourite MagSafe accessories, tries to be greater than a supply of additional battery life.

Exterior batteries are extra crucial than ever

Nearly everybody owns a telephone and devices that may hook up with it.

The quantity of people that personal smartphones continues to extend, according to Pew Research, and based mostly on recent data from IDC, the variety of wearables and equipment that hook up with smartphones can be going up. The extra electronics folks personal, the extra helpful an exterior battery shall be to assist hold all of them charged. Working in the wrong way is the renewed curiosity in thinner, extra compact gadgets. Foldables and slim smartphones just like the iPhone Air or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, hand over battery area for a sleeker look. In addition they rely on exterior batteries to get by means of the day.

These two causes make batteries and different charging gadgets important, but in addition put extra strain on them to earn their spot on the again of your telephone or plugged into your pill. I feel the Clicks Energy Keyboard and the Xreal Neo are simply two examples of how exterior battery packs may change to higher meet this second. Or on the very least, make lugging round an additional battery really feel helpful, relatively than crucial.