A Power Bank Guide for Charging Your Nintendo Switch

In 2017, Nintendo introduced its latest and greatest gaming system, the Switch. What has fans and gamers excited worldwide is the Switch’s unique versatility. Like most other consoles, when at home, you can play the Switch in full, beautiful high definition on your own television. But where Nintendo has the rest of the competition beat is in portability: when it’s time to head out, you can bring the Switch with you and keep playing the Legend of Zelda, Mario, or Splatoon 2 on the go!

The challenge, as is the case with pretty much every portable device, is battery life. According to both Nintendo and independent testing, you can expect about two to three hours of gaming on a full charge, depending on performance settings. That’s barely enough time to save the Princess. Thankfully, we at RAVPower have an easy solution – a portable power bank!

Nintedo Switch Amiibo Zelda Link TheOneInYellow Twitter Instagram
Original photo by TheOneInYellow. Follow his Instagram and Twitter.

Not All Power Banks are Equal

Not all portable chargers are suitable for every task. You need the right key for the right lock. For charging your mobile Switch, you should keep a couple features in mind when buying a power bank. First, be sure it works with USB-C, the main input on the Switch. USB-A to USB-C works as well, but charging will be considerably slower. While it’s absolutely worthwhile picking up a power bank that includes Quick Charge technology, especially if you plan on using it for other devices, it’s important to highlight that the Switch currently does not support any quick charging standards.

Second, you need to use a power bank that has more internal charge than the Switch’s 4310mAh battery, considerably more if you hope to power up the console more than once. You should aim for a unit that’s 10000mAh or higher, giving yourself plenty of gaming time. Third, be sure that the power bank charges at roughly 5V, the same input requirements as the Switch. Otherwise, you risk damaging your device.

RAVPower VAVA Switch Play Wii Headphones
Original photo by TheOneInYellow. Follow his Instagram and Twitter.

How Much Game Time Do I Get with a Power Bank?

Short answer: a lot! A number of independent test sites have tried out power banks with the Nintendo Switch and the results are really exciting. With a RAVPower 26800mAh power bank, users have reported being able to recharge their Switch at least three times! Some reviews have that recharge potential at upwards of six times, depending on screen brightness and graphics requirements. That brings your gaming time from a mere three hours to ten-twelve hours without breaking a sweat. Over a five day period, the same tests averaged between nine and eleven hours of gameplay while keeping the Switch plugged in and charging from a portable charger. That’s about a 10% battery charge per hour of gaming.
Infographic Charging Playtime Switch RAVPower 26800mAh Power Bank

Get Your Switch Ready Power Bank Today!

Like most gamers, we at RAVPower were really excited for the launch of the Switch. We braved the lines, picked up our consoles, rushed home, and hurriedly unwrapped them. We love being able to bring our Switch with us wherever we go, playing with friends and strangers alike. And now, thanks to the availability of affordable power banks, like our 26800mAh and 20100mAh, we never have to worry about battery drain in the middle of a critical quest. We’ll be sword dueling, kart racing, and splatting ink for hours and hours to come.

 

For RAVPower’s selection of portable chargers, please visit our Official Website
To connect with us on social media, visit our Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram pages

Get RAVPower’s 20100mAh USB-C Power Bank for 20% off until August 10th with code SPLATOON. Find it here.

Where’s your favorite place to play your Switch? Tell us in the comments below!

 

29 Replies to “A Power Bank Guide for Charging Your Nintendo Switch

    1. Hi Ervin, we currently don’t ship to Malaysia but you are welcome to order on amazon.com or amazon.co.jp and then ship to Malaysia with a logistic carrier. However, this could be a little expensive!

  1. I actually used my Switch, playing Splatoon 2, and a RAVPower 20100 mAh QC 3.0 battery pack a few weekends ago. I used a USB-A to USB-C cable. After about 5 – 6 hours of play, the battery pack still had about 1/3 – 1/4 charge (just went from 2 lights down to 1 when I unplugged the Switch.) Not using the USB-C cable, it didn’t charge fast enough to actually up the battery % much more than it was already at, but it did keep me playing with three other friends on a local Salmon Run spree while maintaining my current battery life that I started out with.

    Will be purchasing a USB-C cable to try that soon. Thanks RAVPower!

  2. Your advice to make sure it only provides 5v of power is bad advice. The Switch actually accepts up to 15v. However, it does appear to be true that the switch will only pull over 5v if the bank or charger is USB c to USB C and supports USB-PD. If you can get a power bank like that you’ll almost double your charging speed over just USB C to USB C and more than double over USB A to USB C.

  3. Hi, I’m close to purchasing the RavPower 26800 (via Amazon.com) for my Nintendo Switch, but I have a few questions/concerns.

    Does the RavPower 26800 come with a USB C to USB C cable or any cables? I checked the answer/question page on Amazon.com and some people are saying yes, while others are saying. I’m not sure who to believe.

    Also, what’s the best way to charge the RavPower 26800 when plugged into the wall? USB C or Micro USB?

    Here’s the purchase link:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LRQDAEI/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521641555&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=ravpower+26800+usb+c&dpPl=1&dpID=41vP8c8kESL&ref=plSrch

    Thanks,

    James Finch

  4. I’m interested in the ravpower 26800 power bank for my Switch. I’ve read on Amazon that the Switch won’t charge while outputting to hdmi. Does that mean that while I play docked, the Switch will stay at whatever percentage it is in? Or that the Switch will go down in percentage as if it wasn’t plugged into anything?

    1. Hi Andrew,
      Great question. As someone who has only played the Switch for 2 minutes (I know, so sad but hey, I still go to enjoy BotW on the Wii U), I cannot actually tell you. Does anyone know the answer?

  5. I have a portable charger that has an output of 5 volts (direct current) but it only has 6,700 mAh. It’s a Lithium Ion battery pack and I was wondering if I got a USB A to USB C cable, would it be safe to charge? And would it even work?

    1. Hi Alanna,

      Complex answer incoming. So, yes, you can use a USB A to C charging cable to connect the 6700mAh power bank (5V/2.4A) and your type-C device. However, we are not 100% sure if it will work or not. For example, it will work when using the 6700 to charge a Samsung S8 (S8 supports a 5V/1A minimum to 9V/1.67A maximum input voltage and current. The max charging speed that the S8 can get is 5V/1.67A. (Please note that sometimes it can be even less, such as 5V/1.65A since the charging cable will consume a little bit of power).

      So if your type-C devices’s main input voltage is higher than 5V, then the power bank is not powerful enough to power up your device.

      Hope that’s clear. Message us if you need more help.

  6. Hi, team.

    Do RavPower do anything that can power a Docked Switch? IE: Do you have a power bank available that can power the Switch Dock without Mains Power?

  7. Hey, I am thinking of buying one of your batteries but it’s not the two you list specifically for the switch. It is the “22000mAh External Battery 22000 Power Bank 5.8A Output 3-Port Backup Battery Packs (2.4A Input, iSmart 2.0 USB Ports, Li-polymer)” (copy pasted from Amazon)… should that work?

  8. Hello,
    Can the ravpower 16750 charge the nintendo switch while playing it? Will be using the usb a to usb c cord. Thanks in advance

    1. Hi Nick,
      Yes you can, but we don’t recommend you play it while it charges. This is because your Switch and power bank will heat up, potentially leading to damage. Not long now to Smash Bros. Ultimate 😉

  9. Hello Ravpower, i just buying this power bank, i just want to ask some about it.

    1. Can i charge the Ravpower powerbank with my nintendo switch charger?

    2. How many hours is need to full charge the power bank when using nintendo switch charger.

    3. What sign if the powerbank is fully charge?

    Thank you so much, hope u answer it 🙂

  10. Hi RavPower,

    I have RP-PB095 (20100 mah) and use this for my Nintendo. I have some questions regarding the powerbank as per below :

    1. What is the indicator if the powerbank is fully charged?
    2. I use type C to C cable (RP-CB047) and wall charger (RP-PC082), how long it would take to get fully charge?
    3. I am only able to charge the Nintendo for 2 times starting from 15% battery percentage (I did not use the Nintendo) and 1 time only if I use nintendo while charging? Is it normal? Because the capacity of Nintendo battery is 4300mah. I assume at least I can charge the Nintendo 4x
    4. How can I know if my powerback is the original product? Is there a way to check it?

    Thank you so much and looking forward to hearing from you

    1. 1. After a full charge the four LED lights will light up.
      2. It will take about 3hrs to fully charge.
      3. The calculation of charging times is wrong. 20000MAH capacity battery cells, 5V output up to 12000MAH, plus data line and other losses, charging times are basically normal.
      4. if you provide an SN code we can confirm if the product is real.

      Any other questions please email us at support@ravpower.com

  11. I want to buy a powerbank which can turn the switch to TV mode/docked mode like the a original ac adapter of the switch does. Will the Powerbank RAVPower RP-PB095 do it? Best regards!

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