The lust for power is insatiable. No not that power, the stuff you use to keep your phone going. Or your watch. Or camera. You get what we mean. We need power on the go, and boy do we need it. If we earned a dollar for every iPhone we saw sitting on 10% juice at mid-day, we’d be running for US President. Or something. Anyway, we’ve found a portable power block which has a humungous 26800 mAh on tap, which should be enough for even the biggest power yeti.
The Anker PowerCore+ 26800 portable battery charger is a solid, impeccably constructed portable power bank which has enough juice on tap to charge up your phone around 6 times, and your tablet around 3 times. Which means it has a huge capacity. Not only that, it’s also ridiculously small, which means that it’s very pocket friendly. Heavy yes, but still the right size to pop into your jacket for a weekend of mains free joy. Check out our video below to get an idea of how it looks.
First impressions
The main thing you notice about all Anker products is how well they’re made, and how well packaged they are. This new PowerCore+ is no exception. It comes in a click blue and white box, along with a user guide, a nifty carrying bag, microUSB charge cable and … well not a lot else. What else do you need? There’s no wasted flim-flam, because you don’t need it. It just works, right?
In use
And it just works. Right? One of the key things about Anker is the use of IQ charging intelligence, which means that the unit detects which type of device you have plugged in, and charges it at the optimum speed. That typically means very fast, if it’s a later model phone or tablet. We plugged a Nexus 6P into it when it was on something like 56% charge, and within the space of around 10 minutes, it was up to 63%, and another 15 minutes up to 75%. No sluggard here.
Of course if you’re charging it at 90%, then the final 10 % will be very slow, which makes it weird why we tried to do that on the video. Oh well, we claim brain fade. It happens. There are no fancy bits like LED lamps on this baby, it’s there to do one thing. Charge your stuff. And charge it. And then again.
As you can tell from the photo above, it’s also not huge. The PowerGorilla from a few years back is 21000 mAh, as is the previous generation Anker unit on the right. The PowerCore+ sits at the top of the power scale but definitely at the top of the portability chart. Mind you, it’s heavy at 590g, but hey you can’t have everything. The unit also sports a QC socket (the green one) which means super duper ultra fast charging if you plug in a Qualcomm compatible QC device (phone, tablet etc, such as Samsung Galaxy S6 et al).
The downside of having all the power on tap, is the fact that you’ll need a good overnight charge to get it full again after a busy weekend. But that’s not so bad, and we love the fact that the charge can be done using a standard old microUSB cable. No special proprietary power block here. Huzzah!
Conclusion
This is the power block for power block maniacs. It’s got a huge capacity, charges so fast your socks melt, and is small enough to fit into the most elegant handbag. Although you might walk with a limp for a while until you get used to the weight. What else is there to say. We love the smooth sleek design, the power indicator on the button is perfect for judging how much power you have left, and the build quality makes us very happy indeed. If you’re looking for a monster charge block, this is the one to get if you can afford it.
Specifications:
* Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0: Using Qualcomm’s advanced Quick Charge 2.0 technology, PowerCore+ allows compatible devices to charge 75% faster. Recharges itself 2X as fast with the included wall charger.
* Fast-Charging Technology: Exclusive to Anker, PowerIQ and VoltageBoost technologies combine to provide universal full speed charging for non-Quick Charge devices, up to 2.4 amps per port.
* Ultra-High Capacity: PowerCore+ 26800 is the world’s highest capacity portable charger with Quick Charge 2.0 technology. It charges the iPhone 6s ten times, the Galaxy S6 over seven times or the 2015 MacBook more than three times.
* What You Get: Anker PowerCore+ 26800, PowerPort+ 1 with Quick Charge 3.0, Micro USB cable, travel pouch, welcome guide, our 18-month worry-free warranty and friendly customer service.
