Anker Prime 26K Power Bank (300W) review: Slim MacBook power bank

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Large battery capacity

140W (PD 3.1) charging power

250W input

Slim

Dedicated app

Cons

No built-in cable

Our Verdict
The Anker 26K Power Bank (300W) is a slim high-capacity laptop charging power bank that can fast-charge two 16-inch MacBook Pro at the same time, or a 14-inch MacBook Pro 1.25 times over. With multiple ports you can take it on your travels and keep all your Apple devices charged while you are on the move.

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The Anker Prime 26K Power Bank (300W) is powerful enough to fast-charge two 16-inch MacBook Pros at the same time, with an impressive battery capacity in a portable form that is still airline friendly.

While its two 140W charging points make it a fine companion for owners of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, its 26,250mAh capacity, three ports and maximum simultaneous output mean it can travel with a whole family of gadgets.

Power bank tech specs

Battery capacity: 99.75Wh

Fastest Power Output: 140W

Total Power Output: 300W

Power Input: 100W

USB ports: 2x USB-C (140W PD 3.1); 1x USB-A (22.5W)

Dimensions: 6.3 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches (16 x 6.4 x 3.8cm)

Weight: 21.1oz (599g)

Performance

Anker claims that you can fast-charge that top-end MacBook Pro up to 50% in half an hour using this power bank and Apple’s charging cable.

Looking at the 99.6Wh battery capacity of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, you’d expect this 99.75Wh power bank to fully charge it, but a certain amount of power is lost during charging and other environmental factors come into play. Anker believes that the Prime 26250mAh can charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro to around 70%.

We charged a 14-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro (69.6Wh battery capacity) to 100%, leaving 33% power remaining in the power bank that got us another near-quarter charge—a total recharge score of 123% that is actually superior to Anker’s older Prime 27650mAh Power Bank (250W) and the EcoFlow RAPID Pro Power Bank (300W) despite its slightly smaller capacity.

It charged an iPhone 16 Pro to 50% in under 25 minutes, which is a reasonable time, although the needle barely went over 20W according to the power bank’s own display. That said, it’s faster than even a Qi2 25W wireless charger could have achieved.

See our list of MacBook battery capacities for more details on the whole range of Apple laptops.




The main USB ports are positioned at the top of the power bank. At the base are Pogo Pins that can connect for cable-less charging with Anker’s separate Charging Base accessory.Simon Jary

As both USB-C ports are rated at 140W you could fast-charge two 16-inch MacBooks at the same time—although you won’t get both to 70%, of course, as the power bank’s 26K capacity is shared between the two.

With its three ports, the Anker Prime 27650mAh Power Bank can simultaneously charge other devices, such as one or two iPhones, your AirPods, or your Apple Watch.

Using all three at the same time still allows for 2x 140W and 20W from the legacy USB-A port.

Rivals such as the EcoFlow RAPID Pro 27K Power Bank have done away with USB-A altogether, offering just USB-C (in the case of the EcoFlow, you get three USB-C ports and a built-in USB-C cable). If having a spare USB-A port—say, for a Fitbit charger—is useful to you, you’ll be glad of the old-time connection still being included by Anker.

When the power bank itself will run out of juice, you’ll be interested in its input power. Using both USB-C ports it can be recharged itself at 250W. The EcoFlow RAPID Pro can use its two 140W port at the same time for a combined 280W input power, but it’s close enough.

Available separately, the $109.99 Anker 100W Charging Base allows for convenient if slightly slower wireless charging. This accessory also features two USB-C ports (one at 100W, the other 30W) and a 22.5W USB-A port. Anker claims that two paired devices can add up to a 150W max input.




Simon Jary

Laptop power bank portability

The Anker Prime 27650mAh Power Bank is a smidge taller than the iPhone Pro is long, but obviously a lot wider and deeper. It measures 6.3 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches (16 x 6.4 x 3.8cm).

It is shorter and noticeably slimmer than the 6.5 x 2.2 x 2.3 inches (16.6 x 5.5 x 5.8cm) EcoFlow RAPID Pro we mentioned earlier.

There are slimmer format 20K laptop power banks but none that we’ve tested at this high a 26K+ battery capacity and pillar shape.

Compact as it is, from a portability point of view this power bank is too big and heavy to keep in your pocket. At 1.32lbs (599g or 21.1oz) it’s lighter than the older 27K Prime Power Bank and it’s fine in your backpack for long journeys but less so your handbag.




Simon Jary

Dedicated app

The color digital display on the front of the power bank shows its remaining battery capacity, plus power input and output information for each port.

As well as that charging data, the power bank can be controlled by the Anker app, which gives real-time charging stats (remaining charging time and input and output power indicators) and can be optimized to help extend the battery life of the devices being charged as well as its own.

You can even use the app’s Find Device feature to activate a sound alert from the power bank when you need to locate it.

The power bank comes with a short 0.6m USB-C cable. Remember that you’ll need to add extra charging cables to sue all the ports at the same time. Some laptop power banks boast their own integrated USB-C cables to save you carrying one around. Anker’s own 25K Power Bank (165W) features two built-in cables. These can be very useful but also bring in points of potential failure that you might want to avoid for product security.




Simon Jary

Safety matters

Anker is an accessory manufacturer that you can trust. Batteries can be volatile and you don’t want to risk your device or even home with a cheaper no-name brand.

To ensure safe charging Anker’s ActiveShield 4.0 technology monitors the power bank’s temperature 120 times a second—which equals a quite remarkable 10 million times a day.

At 99.75Wh it is within TSA, CAA and EASA airline limits for carry-on.

Price

The Anker 300W 26K Power Bank is priced at $169.99 / £179.99 / CA$279.99. Check our real-time price comparison for the best prices in your region.

While the 27K Prime is available in an extra Champagne gold color, the 26K Prime is dressed in standard dark gray only.

Anker has other laptop power banks, and some of them are cheaper. At $139.99, there’s a stubbier 20000mAh Anker Prime Power Bank (200W) model that offers a battery not too much smaller and the same number of USB ports, plus noticeably cheaper, smaller and lighter. But max power output is 100W less than the 26K’s 300W and it’s a 100W PD 3.0 power bank rather than 140W PD 3.1.

The 27K Anker Prime is priced at $10 more and has a higher battery capacity but the 26K model performed a little better in our real-world tests.

Check out our other tested best power banks for MacBook for all the scores, features and prices.

Should I buy the Anker Prime 26K Power Bank (300W)?

The Anker 26K Power Bank (300W) is a compact, high-capacity laptop charging power bank that can fast-charge two 16-inch MacBook Pro at the same time. While that’s an unlikely scenario, in our tests it charged a 14-inch MacBook Pro 1.25 times over. With multiple ports you can take it on your travels and keep all your Apple devices charged while you are on the move.