Jackery Bolt 6000 Review

This portable battery pack finished at the top of the group, beating the runner-up — the Anker PowerCore 5000 and our Best Buy Award winner — by a handful of points. While the PowerCore 5000 is a little bit more compact, the Jackery has better capacity and is significantly more convenient to use, due to its built-in cabling.

Performance Comparison

To rank and score these portable chargers and determine which battery is truly the best, we conducted extensive analysis on a wide variety of different chargers, then bought all the best to test side-by-side. We split our testing process into four weighted testing components, with the Jackery's results discussed below.

Portability

Our portability tests account for the largest portion of the score at 40%, with the Jackery Bolt doing quite well, earning an 8 out of 10. To assess this, we compared and scored the volume and weight of each battery pack, as well as how they fit to carry in a pocket.

This rectangular power pack measures 4.25" long by 1.9" wide and is just shy of an inch (0.83") deep. This makes it one of the more compact battery packs — though there are a few that have a slightly smaller form factor.

This battery pack is also one of the lighter models, weighing in at 5.67 oz. and comparing quite favorably with the rest of the pack.

This model fits relatively well in both front and back pockets while sitting and feels quite nice while walking around. The only slight issue we had is that we found it to be a tiny bit on the thicker side, which could make it a bit more cumbersome if you have tighter cut pants.

Capacity

For our next test, we ranked and scored how much total energy we could get each pack to charge, as well as tested out any manufacturers' claims regarding the number of times a battery could charge certain devices. These account for 30% of the total score, with the Jackery receiving a 7 out of 10 for its considerable capacity.

This portable power pack has a listed capacity of 6,000 mAh and we were able to extract about 65% — 3897 mAh — of this using our dummy load. We set a discharge rate of 2.4A and the Jackery lasted about an hour and a half before turning off. We then reduced it to a 1A rate and got another 5 minutes or so before it totally died.

Jackery claims that this battery can charge an iPhone 6/7/8 up to two times or an iPhone 6/7/8 Plus up to one and a half times. We found the Jackery Bolt 6000 to exceed this claim in our testing, actually getting 2.4 charges for an iPhone and 1.45 Samsung Galaxy S8 charges.

Added Convenience

For our next set of tests, we graded and judged the various features that make it overall much easier to use these devices and more convenient to charge your devices. We scored each battery pack on if it could charge multiple devices at once, if there are integrated charging or recharging solutions, and if there is a built-in flashlight, as well as what sort of warranty each of these products has. These tests constitute 20% of the final score for each portable battery pack, with the Jackery Bolt delivering another top-notch performance and receiving a 7 out of 10 for its results — one of the best scores of the group.

The Bolt 6000 particularly impressed us by having both a built-in micro USB cable and a lightning cable. These stow conveniently into the sides of the charger to keep them out of the way when not in use. Additionally, there is also a standard USB output port if your device uses a different type of plug or if you need to charge multiple devices simultaneously.

This battery pack also has a built-in flashlight which is handy, as it can be a little more convenient to use than the flashlight on your phone.

The Jackery Bolt also includes a micro USB for recharging it, as there isn't an integrated wall plug and it comes with a 24-month limited warranty.

Recharge Time

For the remaining 10% of the final score for each portable power pack, we timed how long it took to recharge each battery pack when it was completely drained. We used the LED indicator on each pack to decide when it was completely charged and used either the integrated wall charging solution or a high-quality wall charging brick. The Jackery Bolt 6000 did very very well, earning a 9 out of 10 — comparing quite favorably with the rest of the group.

This portable charger took about three hours and fifteen minutes to charge in our test — slightly less than the four hours estimated by the manufacturer. This is one of the faster charge times overall, but it is also one of the smaller batteries, as it makes sense that the larger batteries take much more time to charge.

Value

While this is one of the top overall performers, the Jackery Bolt 6000 is also a solid value. It retails for about $30, which isn't that much more than the least expensive models in our group.

Conclusion