Review: This compact power bank can completely charge a smartphone in less than an hour

The Cuktech 20 is a stylish and very powerful mobile power bank

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Consumer technology writer Gareth Butterfield tests the new Cuktech 20 Power Bank, which is currently on sale

No, I hadn't heard of Cuktech before either, until I was invited to review one of its top products, the Cuktech 20 Power Bank. And it turns out Cuktech is quite a major player in this sector.

Dating back to 2016, the Chinese firm supplies chargers to the likes of Xiaomi, LG, and Hitachi. So I was far from surprised when I opened the power bank and found it to be very impressive.

The headline figures for this thing are quite remarkable. It has a 25,000mAh battery built in, and it can pump out a combined 210 watts. And it can provide 140 of those watts from just one port.

There are three ports on the device, two for USB-C and one for good old-fashioned USB-A. They're on the "top", if you were to stand it upright, although I mostly used it laid down.

The power bank sits neatly on a desktop | Cuktech

Then there's a very bright and beautiful colour display giving you your output and input information along with some other statistics, and a really funky blue light to indicate that power is going to the outputs.

The overall design feels like a blend of futuristic and a bit old-school. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it's grown on me. I still think it looks like an old battery charger, but I really don't mind that.

It is quite heavy though. Weighing 630g, it would be a bit uncomfortable in a pocket, but it'll sit well in a small bag. I'd imagine it'll spend most of its life on desktops though, so it's not a disaster.

One thing I really like, though, is the pass-through charging. This means you can be charging the power bank up at the same time as powering a device.

It's quite heavy, but fits well in a bag | Cuktech

So let's talk about that output. Yes, it's possible to pump a frankly ridiculous 140 watts from one of its USB-C ports. To do this, you've not only got to have a gadget capable of accepting that load, but also a lead capable of conveying it. And I have neither.

That said, it powered my laptop really well, my smartphone charged up quickly through the PD port, and it's great for topping up other heavy consumers like my tablet and my Steamdeck.

Of course, Cuktech doesn't have this market all to itself. One of the obvious competitors comes from Anker, and the Cuktech stacks up favourably to the closest rival, the 737. Its display is better, there are the same number of ports, and they even weigh roughly the same.

I'd personally say the Cuktech is a little bit more stylish, but that's subjective. And the price comparison makes the choice even harder. The Anker 737 is currently £85.99, on Amazon while the Cuktech is £85.32.

However, that's thanks to some special offers at the moment, and when they expire, the Cuktech should slip back to its standard price of around £99.99, while the Anker is usually £129.99.

And given the Cuktech has a slightly bigger battery, it looks a little nicer, and the display is significantly more informative, I know which one I'd be choosing.

Unless you're a bit of a brand snob, the Cuktech, the one you've probably never heard of, is the one to pick. Quite an achievement.