Whereas Anker is understood for a broad array of charging equipment, the Anker Prime household options a few of the firm’s most superior expertise and have units to ship a premium expertise.
I have been testing out a number of Anker Prime journey equipment over the previous few months, together with a few of Anker’s most compact but highly effective multi-port wall chargers, a multi-port energy financial institution, and a high-end USB-C charging cable to assist preserve even Apple’s most power-hungry merchandise charged up.
Anker Prime Wall Chargers
First up are a pair of triple USB wall chargers in 67-watt and 100-watt varieties optimized for journey with folding prongs and GaN expertise to make sure probably the most compact dimension attainable. And whereas these chargers are surprisingly hefty for his or her dimension because of the density of the GaN expertise packed inside, they positively slip simply right into a bag and even a big pocket.
Every of those chargers affords a pair of USB-C ports and a USB-A port to assist preserve your entire gadgets charged up, they usually have practically equivalent designs, with the primary variations being their output energy and thus their general sizes.
The 67W model is 51% smaller than Apple’s 67-watt adapter that has include some MacBook Air and MacBook Professional fashions in recent times, measuring in at round 1.5 inches (~40 mm) sq. by 1.9 inches (50 mm) deep and weighing 4.78 ounces (135.7 grams).
It might ship as much as 67 watts of charging energy when both of its two USB-C ports is used alone, whereas the USB-A port can ship as much as 22.5 watts by itself. When utilizing two ports concurrently in any mixture, the charger will intelligently divide as much as 65 watts of energy between the 2 ports, and if all three ports are in use it should divide as much as 64.5 watts accordingly. Of the 2 USB-C ports, the higher one is labeled with a pc icon whereas the decrease one is labeled with a cellphone icon, indicating that the higher port shall be prioritized for heavier hundreds when a number of ports are in use.
Whereas 67 watts is sufficient for many Apple laptops aside from the 16-inch MacBook Professional, the truth that this can be a multi-port charger means you are in all probability shopping for it to cost a number of gadgets on the similar time. That works in case you’re solely making an attempt to cost one thing like an iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch, however something extra and it’s possible you’ll begin to bump up towards the charger’s wattage ceiling.
A MacBook Air drawing as much as 35 watts is ok if you wish to additionally cost an iPhone, for instance, however in case you’re making an attempt to cost a MacBook Professional and different gadgets concurrently, you are going to want extra energy and that is the place Anker’s 100W mannequin is available in.
The 100W mannequin is unsurprisingly a bit bigger and heavier than its sibling, measuring about 1.5 inches (39 mm) by 1.7 inches (44 mm) and about 2.3 inches (60 mm) deep and weighing 6.4 ounces (183.3 grams).
As with the 67W mannequin, the 100W mannequin contains two USB-C ports which are every able to delivering the complete wattage to a related gadget if utilized in solo mode. The USB-A port can equally ship as much as 22.5 watts by itself. In a two-device charging configuration involving each USB-C ports, the higher one will ship as much as 65 watts, whereas the decrease one will ship as much as 35 watts, ultimate for charging one thing like a MacBook and an iPad or iPhone concurrently. Utilizing both of the USB-C ports with the USB-A port will break up the ability 76 watts and 22.5 watts respectively.
If it’s good to cost three gadgets concurrently, the higher USB-C port will present as much as 46 watts and the decrease USB-C port will help as much as 30 watts, with the USB-A port providing as much as 22.5 watts.
None of those configurations will will let you quick cost a 16-inch MacBook Professional, even when it is being charged by itself, however it needs to be largely ample for many customers. Provided that you are seeking to cost a number of power-hungry gadgets will you possible need to search for one thing a bit extra highly effective, and subsequently bulkier and possibly dearer. With the big variety of chargers out there in the marketplace, it is at all times a stability of dimension/weight, energy, and value, so it is vital to rigorously weigh your priorities when contemplating a purchase order.
The 67W mannequin is generally priced at $59.99, however a $20 on-page coupon on Anker’s web site presently brings it right down to $39.99, a deal that’s additionally out there at Amazon. The beefier 100W model is presently priced at $84.99 with no reductions out there both on Anker’s web site or at Amazon, so it’s possible you’ll need to preserve your eye out for a sale if that is the one you are inquisitive about.
Anker Prime 9.6K Energy Financial institution
As a lower-power and cheaper different to the Alogic Ark Professional I just lately reviewed, Anker’s 9.6K Prime Energy Financial institution is a helpful multi-device charging resolution for on the go. Its 9,600 mAh inside battery is just a couple of third the scale of the Ark Professional’s, so you will not have the ability to come shut to completely charging one thing like a MacBook Professional and it could actually solely ship 65 watts of whole charging energy, however for smaller gadgets it might be a strong possibility for a lot of customers.
Whereas the ability financial institution is rated for 9,600 mAh of capability, Anker notes that customers ought to solely anticipate about 65% of that to finish up within the gadget being charged, attributable to numerous battery and circuitry inefficiencies. In consequence, Anker says customers ought to anticipate about 5,200 to six,700 mAh to be delivered to a related gadget, and that is about what I discovered in my testing. The ability financial institution was in a position to absolutely cost an iPhone 16 Professional Max outfitted with a 4,685 mAh battery and nonetheless have round 20% of the ability financial institution’s capability remaining.
Probably the most notable options of the Anker Prime 9.6K Energy Financial institution is its folding prongs, permitting it to be plugged straight right into a wall to recharge its inside battery, act as a wall charger by offering passthrough energy to gadgets related to its USB ports, or each. It is a easier, travel-friendly resolution than having to make use of one of many energy financial institution’s USB ports, a separate cable, and probably one other energy adapter to cost up the ability financial institution.
The Anker Prime 9.6K Energy Financial institution options two USB-C ports, with both of them in a position to ship as much as 65 watts when used by itself. If each ports are used, the decrease port will ship as much as 45 watts whereas the higher port will ship as much as 20 watts.
The ability financial institution features a helpful show to regulate charging state with a button on the aspect to activate the show solely once you want it, thus saving energy. When charging up the ability financial institution, the show stories the present battery degree and the estimated time remaining till it is absolutely charged, and if it is getting used to cost different gadgets both whereas plugged in or not, it stories the output presently going to every of the USB-C ports.
The show additionally enables you to entry a stats web page with data like battery well being, the variety of cost cycles, and present battery temperature. An extended press on the aspect button enables you to cycle by means of a number of settings for the ability financial institution together with how lengthy the show ought to keep on for as soon as activated with the button (30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or half-hour), high and low choices for the show brightness, and whether or not the decrease C1 USB-C port can be utilized solely for output or if you can even recharge the ability financial institution by means of it along with by means of the folding prongs.
Measuring round 1.7 inches (43 mm) sq. by 4.5 in chess (115 mm) excessive and weighing 10.76 ounces (305 grams), the Anker Prime 9.6K Energy Financial institution is a lot small and light-weight sufficient to toss in a bag for journey, and it offers you peace of thoughts to have the ability to cost up your gadgets both from a wall outlet or whereas on the go. A small lanyard offers you a little bit one thing further to grip or the flexibility to hold it on a carabiner or clip to maintain it accessible in or on a bigger bag, however it’s not giant sufficient to suit round a wrist. The ability financial institution additionally comes with a 1-meter Anker 333 USB-C to USB-C cable and a comfortable carrying pouch with a drawstring closure.
The brick-like profile of the ability financial institution means it will not match simply in a pocket except you may have a cumbersome coat, in order that’s one thing price contemplating in case you’re planning on carrying it in your physique. If all you are in search of is one thing to cost up a cellphone, you would possibly look to a different possibility just like the a lot slimmer and lighter Anker MagGo Energy Financial institution (10K, Slim) that may simply slide into even a pants or shirt pocket. Or for the same however barely thicker and heavier kind issue however with a show, Qi2 help, and a kickstand, there’s Anker’s newest 10K MagGo Energy Financial institution. However in case you want one thing with a little bit extra versatility and twin USB-C ports, the Anker Prime 9.6K Energy Financial institution is a strong possibility.
The Anker Prime 9.6K Energy Financial institution is generally priced at $89.99, however a $15 on-page coupon at Anker presently brings the value right down to $74.99. It is also out there at Amazon for a similar discounted worth.
Anker Prime 240W Braided USB-C to USB-C Cable
As a companion to those numerous charging choices, I’ve additionally been testing out Anker’s 3-foot Prime USB-C to USB-C braided cable with help for 240-watt charging, which affords premium specs to make sure you’re charging on the quickest attainable speeds. With gadgets just like the final couple of generations of the 16-inch MacBook Professional now supporting quick charging over USB-C, you will must ensure you have a 240-watt cable if you wish to reap the benefits of these speeds, and this Anker cable matches the invoice.
The cable has a premium really feel with a beautiful braided design that gives wonderful sturdiness. Anker says it is examined the cable to outlive over 300,000 bends and stand as much as 220 kilos of power, whereas being fabricated from recycled nylon. Anker additionally features a helpful silicone cable wrap to maintain issues tidy once you’re not utilizing the cable.
Importantly, this cable prioritizes charging pace with its means to ship as much as 240 watts of energy for supported gadgets, and thus it solely helps 480 Mbps USB 2.0 speeds for knowledge switch. That is sufficient for lower-end wants, however in case you’re seeking to transfer giant quantities of knowledge rapidly corresponding to for backups or display mirroring/video output, you will want to have a look at different choices supporting flavors of USB 3, USB 4, or Thunderbolt.
The 240W Anker Prime USB-C to USB-C cable is accessible in a 3-foot size for $29.99 or a 6-foot size for $34.99, though an on-page coupon presently out there on Anker’s web site brings these costs right down to $25.99 and $29.99 respectively. Amazon additionally presently has them out there on the discounted costs.
Word: Anker offered MacRumors with the Anker Prime charging equipment for the needs of this evaluate. No different compensation was obtained. MacRumors is an affiliate associate with Anker and Amazon. While you click on a hyperlink and make a purchase order, we could obtain a small cost, which helps us preserve the positioning operating.
