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Pocket-sized power banks, with which you can charge your phone, are lifesavers when you’re out and about on a long day downtown (or even hiking) and need to top off your phone without access to a power outlet.
The game changes when you’re stuck working in a café all day that doesn’t have any power outlets handy. And it changes again when you’re on a cross-country or transoceanic flight and working from your laptop, and the USB charging port is busted (I’m looking at you, United). And again when you’re working from home on your deck, if you’re lucky enough to have a deck.
Your laptop needs juice, and the piddly portable power bank isn’t going to quench its thirst for energy. That’s where this not-very-creatively named Anker Laptop Power Bank steps in. Right now it’s $95, which is $40 off its retail price and cheaper than it’s been at any point since April.
monster energy
If you’d normally charge it from a wall outlet, you can probably charge it through the Anker Laptop Power Bank. Smartwatches, fitness trackers, VR headsets, tablets, phones, headphones, and of course, laptops.
Anker says that you can charge a 16″ MacBook Pro M3 or MacBook Air M3 from zero to 50% in 33 minutes with the power bank. Curiously, it says it’ll charge an iPhone 16 or Samsung Galaxy S24 to 50% in 25 and 28 minutes, respectively, even though their batteries are far smaller.
There are three USB-C ports. Each is capable of delivering up to 100W of power to a connected device, and you can use them simultaneously, but don’t expect to flow 100W from all of them at the same time.
The power bank itself is rated for 100W, meaning that it’ll flow up to 100W total when you add together all the devices you’re charging from it. There’s also a USB-A port. That’s the big, chunky-looking port that USB-C has largely replaced. It’s good to have the one, because some devices still use the old USB-A.
The Anker comes with two USB-C cables. One is 2.3 feet, which is fine for connecting to a power bank. If it were going to a wall adapter I’d say it’s way too short, but it’s actually a plus to have a cable this length when connected to a power bank that’s closer to you than any wall outlet. The last thing you need is six unnecessary feet of cable spooled up on your airplane tray table.
The other cable is just shy of a foot long, and it doubles as a carry strap if you’re not using it. That’s a clever trick on Anker’s part. The fancy display that shows how much battery charge the power bank itself retains is overly complicated for my taste, but most of my Anker stuff has lasted years and years without issue.
I’d be remiss not to mention that certain Anker devices have been in the hot seat lately for product recalls. It does warrant a slap on their wrist, but tons of Ankers have been sold over recent years, and it’s not enough to make me warn people away from the brand at large.
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