Anker 25,000mAh Laptop Power Bank Review: The Gadget That Powers All My Other Gadgets
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I bought this power bank with my own money.
I’m a gadgets guy. There’s no denying that. Throw a USB-C cable onto something, or tell me that it has its own app, and I’m in.
Think I’m joking? Oh no! Someday I’ll write about my $300 toothbrush!
Like I said… I’m a sucker for a good app. And oral hygiene!
All of these gadgets share one thing in common… they need power. Juice. Life.
Without it, they’re useless. (Honestly, even fully-powered a few of them are still useless, but that’s another story)
That’s why today’s post is all about one of my favourite purchases – the Anker 25,000mAh Laptop Power Bank.
I have a drawer filled with old charging bricks, and the tangled mess of cables that go with them.
And then I have my Anker power bank. It’s a thing of beauty. No messy cables.
There are 2 built-in cables, providing USB-C charging to 2 devices AT THE SAME TIME!
Quick verdict: if you want ONE battery that can run your laptop, your phone and whatever else you’re carrying around, this is it. No hunting for cables. No guessing which brick goes with which gadget. It just works.
So what is it, exactly?
It’s a 25,000mAh power bank. That’s a fancy way of saying it holds a LOT of juice.
But the cables are the star of the show. One pulls out to about 70 cm (2.3 feet) and zips back in when you’re done. The other is a short one, about a foot long, that doubles as a carrying strap. Clever, right?
There’s also a regular USB-C port and a USB-A port. So that’s four devices charging at once. Four! (I’ve tried. Because of course I have.)
How I use it
Every. Single. Day.
My MacBook Air charges off one of the built-in cables, and my iPhone goes on the other.
No more crawling under the desk to find the right charger. Pull the cable out, plug it in, done.
How the power is shared
Here’s where it gets a little geeky. (You knew that was coming.)
| What’s plugged in | Max power |
|---|---|
| One device | 100W |
| Two devices | 165W combined |
| Three or four devices | 130W combined |
100W from a single cable is enough for most laptops, including a MacBook Pro. So your laptop isn’t stuck crawling along at half speed.
What I like
- The built-in cables. I can’t say this enough. No cables to forget, lose or untangle.
- It charges my laptop. Most power banks tap out on phones. This one doesn’t.
- Four devices at once. For a gadget guy, this is basically a dream.
- It’s plane-friendly. At 90Wh it’s under the 100Wh limit for carry-on bags. This doesn’t matter a whole lot to me, since I don’t go anywhere, but it might be important for you if you’re a wanderer.
- Passthru charging! Too many chargers shut down providing power while they are charging themselves, but not this one. You can plug it into the wall to charge, and keep charging your devices from it.
- The cables work both ways. Plug one into a USB-C wall charger and it charges the power bank itself. No extra cable needed.
What I’d change
Nothing’s perfect. Not even my $300 toothbrush.
- It’s got some heft. It holds 25,000mAh, so it isn’t featherlight. It’s a bag thing, not a pocket thing.
- Both built-in cables are USB-C. Got an older gadget with a Lightning or micro-USB port? WHY? Regardless, you’ll need your own cable in the USB-A port.
- No wall charger in the box. You get the power bank and a manual. That’s it. That’s all. Seems to be the standard nowadays.
- I always want just a little more. It’s able to charge my laptop and my phone, but it does drain quickly. That’s not unreasonable for its size but I still wish that I could squeeze a little more out of it.
Who should buy it?
Buy it if you carry a laptop and a phone, you travel, or you’re just tired of the cable drawer of doom.
Skip it if you only ever charge a phone. A smaller, lighter power bank will do the job for less money.
FAQ
Can I bring it on a plane?
Yes. It’s 90Wh, which is under the 100Wh limit. It has to go in your carry-on, not your checked bag.
Will it charge a MacBook?
Yep. Up to 100W from one cable, which covers most laptops.
How fast does it recharge?
With a 100W charger, it gets to 30% in about 20 minutes. The charger isn’t included, though.
What’s the warranty?
Anker covers it for 18 months.
The bottom line
I’ve bought a lot of gadgets. (A LOT.) Most of them end up in that drawer with the old cables.
This one didn’t. It’s the thing that keeps all the other things running, and that makes it one of my favourite purchases. Is it the best power bank on the market? Nope. But it’s the best one I’ve purchased for my own use, and I have no problems recommending it.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
