You're at the mall, your phone hits 4% battery, and panic sets in. You duck into a Five Below, hoping for a miracle. There they are: rows of neon-colored plastic bricks promising to save your digital life for roughly the price of a fancy latte. But let’s be real for a second. Can a five and below portable charger actually keep your iPhone 16 from dying, or are you just buying a colorful paperweight?
I’ve spent way too much time testing budget tech, and the truth about these ultra-cheap power banks is... complicated. It's not just about whether they work. It's about what you’re actually getting for seven bucks in a world where a "good" charger usually costs thirty.
The Reality of the Five and Below Portable Charger
First off, we need to address the elephant in the room: the price. Five Below isn't strictly "five below" anymore. Most of their decent tech lives in the "Five Beyond" section, meaning you're usually looking at $5.55 to $10.00 for a power bank.
If you find a charger for literally $5 or less, it’s probably a single-use "emergency" cell or a very low-capacity 2000mAh lipstick-style charger. Honestly? Those are barely worth the plastic they're wrapped in. They might give an iPhone a 15% boost before they give up the ghost.
But the $7 to $10 units? That’s where things get interesting. You’ll see brands like Wicked, Bytech, or Phone Zone on the shelves. They usually boast capacities like 5,000mAh or even 10,000mAh. On paper, a 10,000mAh bank should charge a modern smartphone twice. In reality, these budget cells are rarely that efficient.
What the Specs Actually Mean (and What They Hide)
When you pick up a five and below portable charger with a 5,000mAh label, you aren't getting 5,000mAh of usable power delivered to your phone. There is an "efficiency tax."
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Power is lost as heat during the transfer. With premium brands like Anker or Belkin, you might get 80-90% efficiency. With a Five Below special? You're lucky if you hit 60%. I’ve seen some of these "5,000mAh" banks struggle to fully top off a 3,300mAh battery.
Then there is the speed. Or lack thereof.
Most Five Below chargers output at 5V/1A or maybe 5V/2.1A. In 2026, that is agonizingly slow. While a modern PD (Power Delivery) charger can juice your phone to 50% in half an hour, these budget bricks will take two hours to do the same thing. It’s a "slow and steady" situation, which isn't great if you’re trying to use your phone while it charges.
A Quick Look at Common Models
- The 5,000mAh Slim Solid: Usually $7. It has USB-A and USB-C ports, but don't be fooled—the USB-C is often just for charging the bank itself, not for outputting power to your phone.
- The 10,000mAh Mesh Power Bank: Often priced at $10. This is the "heavy hitter." It’s bulky, but it actually has enough juice to be useful for a long flight.
- The 3,600mAh "Trendy" Chargers: These come in shapes like pickles or lightning bolts. They are purely for the aesthetic. If you actually need a charge, skip the pickle.
Safety and the "Explosion" Myth
People always ask: "Is this thing going to blow up in my pocket?"
Strictly speaking, any lithium-ion battery has a non-zero risk. However, the stuff sold at major US retailers like Five Below has to meet basic safety standards. You aren't buying a black-market battery from a street corner.
That said, the build quality is definitely lower. The "Battery Management System" (BMS)—the tiny brain that prevents the battery from overcharging or overheating—is much cheaper in a five and below portable charger.
California’s P65 warnings are standard on these boxes, often mentioning BPA or Phthalates. That's pretty common for cheap plastics. The real risk is physical durability. Drop one of these on a sidewalk, and the internal casing might crack or the ports might jiggle loose. Once those ports start wobbling, stop using it. A short circuit is how you end up with a fire.
Why These Chargers Still Matter
If they're slow, inefficient, and potentially flimsy, why do people keep buying them?
Because they are accessible.
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Sometimes you don't need a $50 Magsafe charger that lasts five years. You need to get through a music festival. You need a "just in case" battery for your kid’s backpack. Or maybe you're like me and you constantly lose things. Losing a $7 charger feels a lot better than losing a $40 one.
There is also the "e-waste" factor to consider. These cheap chargers don't have a long lifespan. After 50 or 100 charge cycles, the capacity starts to tank. They aren't meant to be your primary power source for years. They are bridge devices.
How to Get the Most Out of a Cheap Power Bank
If you do decide to grab a five and below portable charger, don't just plug it in and hope for the best. There are ways to make it suck less.
First, use your own high-quality cable. The little 6-inch micro-USB cable that comes in the box is usually trash. It’s thin, poorly shielded, and contributes to the slow charging speed. Use a genuine Apple or Samsung cable, or at least a decent braided one.
Second, don't leave it in your car. Extreme heat is the natural enemy of cheap lithium cells. If you leave a $7 power bank in a glove box during a 95-degree July day, you are asking for the battery to swell. Once it looks "puffy," it’s a fire hazard. Throw it away at a proper battery recycling center (don't just toss it in the trash).
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Third, don't expect it to charge your laptop or a Steam Deck. These ports don't have the "oomph" (wattage) to handle high-drain devices. Stick to phones, wireless earbuds, or maybe a Kindle.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Buy
Stop looking for the cheapest thing on the shelf and look for the one with the most certifications. Look for a "UL" or "ETL" logo on the back of the packaging. Even at Five Below, some brands go the extra mile for testing.
If you have $10 to spend, I’d actually suggest checking the clearance aisle at Target or Walmart first. Sometimes you can snag an Onn or Belkin brand charger that has better internals for the same price as the "Five Beyond" stuff.
But if you’re stuck at Five Below, go for the simplest design. The flashy ones with built-in lights or weird shapes have more points of failure. A plain, rectangular 5,000mAh block is usually your safest bet for a reliable emergency boost.
Check the ports before you leave the store. I’ve seen boxes where the USB port was literally soldered on crooked. If it looks janky through the plastic window, it probably is. Grab the next one.
Ultimately, these chargers are a "get what you pay for" product. They aren't tech miracles, but as an emergency tool to keep your GPS running while you find your way home, they’re worth the seven bucks. Just don't expect them to be your forever charger.