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As a photographer, power on location is important. When editing on the go in coffee shops, airports, or on train journeys, you can use supplied power outlets, but what if you are on location somewhere that doesn’t have power outlets? This article takes a look at using a power bank designed with laptops in mind to keep the post-shoot workflow going no matter where you decide to work.
Once upon a time, we had no other option than wired desktop computers. Then laptops came along, providing us with more freedom, yet still requiring regular connection to power outlets, which meant that workspaces were still confined. Pairing a power bank with your laptop widens the possibilities of where you can work, whether that be editing, creating social media content, or catching up on your email.
Sitting at the park while your kids play, stopping during a walk in nature, or maybe just out in your garden—wouldn’t it be nice to remove the confines of working at a desk to get a better work/life balance? That’s where the CUKTECH 15 Ultra Power Bank comes in, and I’ve been putting it through its paces to see if it can keep up with my photography workflow.
The power bank I am using here is the CUKTECH 15 Ultra Power Bank P-Series. Running power-hungry programs such as Final Cut Pro or Photoshop causes the built-in battery on my MacBook Pro to quickly diminish, meaning that I can’t stray from a power outlet for too long. Lately, I have been prioritizing being out in nature, whether that be down at the bottom of my garden, by a stream, or in a park. In order to avoid interrupting a creative workflow by finding the nearest power outlet to plug in the MacBook, this power bank gives me the time I need to finish projects.
A little bit of background noise can be good for productivity, but who says that background noise needs to be an office or home environment? Why can’t it be the sound of a nearby stream, or the sound of kids playing in the park?
Taking It for a Spin
I took the CUKTECH 15 Ultra out for a real-world test. Picture this: I’m sat down at the bottom of my garden, taking advantage of the last of the day’s sunshine after a long day working indoors. The battery on my MacBook Pro is down to 15%, and there’s not an outlet in sight. Normally, my only option would be to head back inside the house, but instead I plug in the power bank via its USB-C cable, and it’s pushing out 140 W of power, which is plenty to charge up my MacBook. In about 45 minutes while I have been busy working, I’m back to 60%, with the power bank still showing 50% capacity on its slick little TFT color screen. That 25,000 mAh (90 Wh) capacity means I can almost fully charge my MacBook’s battery.
The screen on the CUKTECH 15 Ultra is a nice touch. It shows battery percentage, wattage, and how long it’ll last, so I’m not guessing how much power I’ve got left while I’m editing layer after layer on Photoshop. No outlets, no problem! The power bank kept my laptop going for hours, which meant I could finish what I was working on. I even charged my iPhone from 10% to 55% in 30 minutes. It handled the scenario well, though charging multiple devices slowed things down a bit, as you can imagine.
Tethered Shooting
This power bank is useful earlier in your workflow too, such as powering a laptop on location during tethered shooting. Imagine your laptop battery dying halfway through a location session. Anyone who shoots tethered will need a laptop or tablet. This power bank will keep your equipment powered up through the whole session. With there being two USB-C and one USB-A ports on the power bank, it’s a lifesaver for keeping your whole setup running and offering a boost in power to your phone to ensure plenty of behind-the-scenes footage can be shot too.
Built for Creators on the Move
In terms of portability, at just under 1.4 pounds and about the size of a small water bottle, its not tiny, but then again, it’s not a “phone power bank.” The CUKTECH 15 Ultra Power Bank should be viewed as a part of your photographic equipment and something vital to pack along with your laptop. It fits snugly in the front pocket of my laptop sleeve next to my SSD drives. The power bank feels robust, with a cool semi-transparent titanium gray look, and in terms of stability, the rubberized ends keep it from sliding around on surfaces. If you really want to use this on the go, it’s TSA-compliant at 90 Wh, so adding this into your carry-on luggage when flying is no problem at all.
I can’t find fault with this power bank at all. Hailed as being the battery pack which will keep your laptop powered up on the go, it does just that, and it works as you would expect it to. Priced at £99.99 here in the UK, it feels well-priced among competitors, and I can’t see a reason to pick any other dedicated laptop power bank over this one.
What I Liked
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The CUKTECH 15 Ultra Power Bank delivers enough power (up to 140 W) to charge a MacBook Pro quickly and efficiently, making it ideal for editing-intensive programs like Final Cut Pro and Photoshop.
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Its 25,000 mAh (90 Wh) capacity is impressive—it brought my MacBook from 15% to 60% in about 45 minutes and still had 50% left.
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The built-in TFT color screen is a nice touch, showing real-time data like battery percentage, wattage, and estimated runtime.
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The power bank’s design feels robust and thoughtfully engineered. The semi-transparent titanium gray finish and rubberized ends give it a professional and durable feel.
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Its compact form factor (under 1.4 pounds) and TSA-compliant battery size make it travel-friendly.
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It fits easily in a laptop sleeve pocket alongside SSDs—ideal for mobile workflows.
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It supported tethered shooting, a crucial advantage for photographers working on location.
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It can charge multiple devices, including a smartphone, making it more versatile than most standard power banks.
What I Didn’t Like
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Charging multiple devices simultaneously slowed things down, which is understandable but still a trade-off.
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While portable, it’s not small enough to carry around like a standard “phone power bank.”
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It doesn’t fully eliminate the need for careful power management if you’re working for extended periods with multiple devices.