Tested: Anker’s new 250W USB-C Prime Power Bank is the ultimate MacBook battery pack

December 12, 2023

6 min read

Anker launched its most capable personal power banks yet earlier in the year with the new Prime lineup. These hefty portable chargers fully embraced GaN tech in order to serve as the ultimate way to refuel your entire Apple kit away from home – and yes, even your shiny new M3 MacBook Pro. I’ve been so improved by the 27,650mAh model with its 250W power output and companion charging dock.

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Anker has been on a roll with its portable power banks this year. A new collection hit store shelves in the fall to go alongside the iPhone 15, and I have written quite fondly about a few of them at this point. But as much as I love those, they’re really only suitable for smartphones. The new Anker Prime Power Banks on the other hand are capable of handling any kind of personal charging needs, no matter what kind of gear you need to refuel.

The lineup is headlined by the 250W portable charger that has a 27,650mAh internal battery, but there’s also two other models with 130W and 200W outputs respectively. The whole collection is largely the same, just with some different capacity batteries and those different charging capability tiers. Then there’s the companion charging base, which you can add on to improve the experience of any Anker Prime Power Bank model. It isn’t a must for actually refueling the power bank, but really delivers one of my favorite charging experiences out there – not to spoil the rest of this review.

Here’s a closer look at the spec sheet:

Powered by the latest PD 3.1 technology, the power bank comes with 2 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A port to deliver up to 250W of power.
Use the Anker app to quickly locate your power bank with sound alerts, access real-time stats, and optimize device battery life with smart charging.
The power bank is the size of a soda can with a capacity of 27,650mAh and can charge all your gear.
Recharge your power bank at lightning speed with the convenience of dual 170W USB-C ports.

Buy the Anker 250W Prime Power Station

Buy the Anker 100W Charging Base

9to5Toys’ Take

Last year, I fell in love with Anker’s PowerCore 24K power bank. I talked about it a lot through the final months of the year, and it even earned the honor of being one of our Favorite Things in 2022. So when Anker announced its new Prime Power Banks earlier in the year, you better believe my interest was piqued. After all, it was effectively a successor to the portable battery I had already fallen in love with. So to make sure that it’s actually just not residual love for the original, I’ve been putting it to the test over the past couple of months alongside the companion charging base.

But let’s stick with the Anker Prime Power Bank to start. Like I said above, I’ve been rocking the 250W model, which is the most capable one from the lineup at $180. It features a sturdy plastic shell with a shiny black front panel and a matte finish on the other three sides. Much like the other, smaller models that it shares a name with, this version has a built-in display on the front to show off charging speeds, remaining capacity, and other stats about the battery. The portable charger has been the centerpiece of my portable setup for awhile now and it has just completely changed how I get work done.

It powered me through entire days of shooting and editing photos in the field back at Overwatch League Grand Finals (which I covered here). The power bank doesn’t even break a sweat handling remote work days in the city where a wall outlet always ends up eluding me no matter what coffee shop I work out, let alone the days where I just want to work somewhere different at home and don’t feel like dragging the MagSafe cable away from my desk. All of that prowess is thanks to the Anker Prime Power Bank’s internal 27,650mAh battery and the dual USB-C port design. It can handle 250W of output at once, but it realistically means pumping out up to 170W to a MacBook Pro.

As for the charging base, I couldn’t be more sold. At first the idea of paying an extra $70 for what is effectively an add-on to a $180 charger was a bit of a tough sell. But I really am here to tell you that it’s worth the extra cost – if not just fro the convenience alone. The charger has a set of pins on the top that refuel the power banks just by coming in contact with it.

I’ve had it on the side table right when you come into my apartment, and that experience has been impossible to beat. Just being able to come in the door and drop down the power bank after unpacking my gear is so convenient, not to even mention the two built-in USB-C ports on the side that are a permanent place to top off gadgets. I never have to worry about if it’s going to be recharged or not, because refueling it really is as easy as just setting it down. There’s also a USB-A port, too.

And if the idea of spending $250 on a complete package is far too much, Anker at least has you covered with some smaller models. Each one is compatible with that charging dock, with the 200W model running you $130 and the 130W model clocking in at $90. These are certainly going to be more capable products than most of the company’s other releases, but if your workflow pulls you away from an outlet, the Anker Prime Power Banks are easily worth the cash.

I know that these are pricy, but I would buy the setup all over again right now. If there’s one power bank and wall adapter that you could have in your arsenal going into 2024, it’s definitely the Prime power bank and Anker’s charging base.