Review: Anker\'s Latest 3-in-1 Power Bank is a Versatile On-the-Go Powerhouse

Popular accessory brand Anker has just launched a new 10K version of its 3-in-1 power bank that offers up to 30 watts of charging power, a convenient display to quickly view exact charge status, an integrated USB-C cable for both input and output, and built-in folding prongs to recharge directly from a power outlet. I've recently been testing one of these Anker power banks out, and it has become a must-have accessory for my gear bag.

Competitively priced at $44.99, the 10,000 mAh capacity means I can charge up my iPhone 15 Pro Max more than one and a half times while on the go, which is plenty for a long day out or even a weekend trip where easy access to power might be iffy. And the 30-watt charging speed means it'll charge my devices up quickly, meaning spending less time with my phone awkwardly tethered to a power bank while I'm out and about. A quick charge during a lunch or dinner is more than enough to keep my iPhone topped off for the remainder of the day.

The integrated USB-C cable is only 10 inches (0.25 meters) long, which feels just about right for hooking things up without having to deal with excess cable. And the fact it's integrated into the power bank means there's no chance of losing or forgetting the cable.

As with some other recent Anker power banks with integrated cables, the cable on this one also serves as a convenient lanyard for the power bank that cleverly uses the USB-C connector to hold things together. It will let you keep the power bank on your wrist if needed, or clipped to a bag or other item to help make it easier to find. While I do have some concerns over the long-term stress of using the USB-C cable in this way, so far in my testing on this bank and similar ones from Anker, the cable and connector have proven durable enough and Anker claims the cable has been tested to withstand at least 10,000 bends over its lifetime.

That integrated cable not only provides for rapid charging of a connected device, but it can also be used to quickly recharge the power bank itself, so if you've got a convenient USB-C power adapter or a laptop available, you can easily charge off of one of those. But even more conveniently, folding prongs allow the power bank to be recharged straight from most power outlets in the U.S., Canada, Japan, and anywhere else that uses Type A/B plugs and sockets. The folding prongs also allow the power bank to easily offer passthrough charging, recharging both the power bank and a connected device simultaneously.

In addition to the integrated USB-C cable and the folding prongs, there's a third power option on this power bank, and that's a dedicated USB-C port that can support both input and output. This of course requires you to bring along a separate cable, but it offers the ability to charge multiple devices simultaneously. Both the integrated cable and the USB-C port support up to 30 watts input and output, although that output will be split if you have multiple devices charging simultaneously.

In my testing, it took about two hours to charge the power bank to full from empty, regardless of whether I used the built-in prongs or a USB-C power source of at least 30 watts. Going in the opposite direction, the power bank took about two hours to charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max from 10% up to full, although it reached 80% within 50 minutes with the final 20% taking around 70 minutes at a slower rate to prevent overcharging. Anker's ActiveShield 2.0 temperature monitoring also helps protect devices from damage during charging.

After delivering that 90% charge to my iPhone, the power bank still had 47% of its own battery charge left, so I can get around 1.75 iPhone charges out of a fully charged power bank. With the iPhone 15 Pro Max carrying a 4,441 mAh battery and the power bank including a 10,000 mAh battery, you might think it could recharge the iPhone at least twice, but energy loss within the battery cells and circuitry and during the transfer process reduces that figure as is true of any power bank.

Anker has been integrating status displays into a number of recent charging products, and this 3-in-1 power bank is no exception. When it's off, the display is invisible below the glossy surface of the power bank, but while charging other devices, being charged itself, or at the press of a button on the side of the bank, it lights up to show the exact percentage of charge remaining in the power bank. When the power bank is charging, a green LED next to the display flashes, letting you know at a glance that power is flowing to the bank's battery. The display is easily readable indoors, but does get tougher to read outdoors in bright sunlight.

The power bank's overall design is a relatively simple plastic brick shape but with some visual interest in the form of a glossy front with some Anker branding and the display hidden beneath the surface, a matte back with a substantial amount of small regulatory and informational text, and ribbed sides.

Along those sides, you'll find the folding prongs on one side, the attachment point for the integrated cable, the USB-C port, and a button to manually activate the display on the opposite side, and a small bracket where the integrated cable loops through to create the lanyard on the top. The power bank measures approximately 4.25 x 2.0 x 1.2 inches (10.8 x 5.1 x 3.0 cm) and weighs approximately 8.8 ounces (250 grams), so it's reasonably pocketable but a bit on the thick side, so some may feel more comfortable carrying it in a bag rather than in a pocket.

The Anker 10K 3-in-1 power bank is available in five colors: Truffle Black, Pastel Pink, Ice Lake Blue, Classic White, and Lilac Purple. It's priced at $44.99 at both Amazon and Anker's own site, with a promo currently offering 15% off the purchase of two select charging accessories. A smaller 5K version featuring a similar design but with a slightly different layout of the various features is available for $39.99.

Note: Anker provided MacRumors with the 3-in-1 Power Bank for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker and Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Tag: Anker

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