Anker PowerCore 26800 Charger
The Anker PowerCore 26800 Charger has a power capacity of 26,800mAh. That is a lot of power and the best part is that this power bank uses Panasonic battery cells. This means energy loss during charging is kept to a minimum.
In our experience, you can expect the power bank to lose about 800mAh of its power during charging per port. The most power you can lose is 2,400mAh of power capacity as a whole. Even with that said the Anker PowerCore 26800 Charger is going to give you plenty of charges for smartphones and tablets for days to come. You will literally go days, even a whole week or more without the need to plug your device/s into a socket depending on how heavy user you are.
It is an ideal power bank for a road trip, camping or busy days where you will be constantly on the phone or browsing the web. Along with the high capacity of the power bank, it has 3 charging outputs. Those 3 charging outputs will allow you to charge 3 devices at the same time, especially as each of the ports is capable of 5V/3A charging speed. Wow, that really is awesome. With that said, though, the power bank’s overall capable output power is 6 Amps at once. This means that if you were to connect 3 iPads into the power bank, then the iPads would charge at 2.0A rather than their max charging speed of 2.4A because the power bank is only capable of outputting 6 Amps.
You have to bear in mind that even a configuration like 2 iPads and a smartphone may put the power bank over the 6 Amp output and as a result, all the charging ports may charge at 2 Amps each. Ultimately, this kind of thing really only matters if you’re going to charge more than a single iPad with the power bank. If you’re going to charge 3 smartphones with the power bank at the same time, then the default charging speed shouldn’t be a problem.
One of the best features that this power bank has is its recharge capabilities. The PowerCore 26800 has two Micro-USB Input ports that are able to recharge the power bank at 5V/2.0A charging speeds, each. This is a great feature but it was even a bigger surprise is that these micro-USB ports were two recharge ports for the power bank. This meant that the power bank is able to recharge faster as it is as if it is recharging from 2 power sources, rather than the traditional single power source. Considering its very high capacity it makes sense to implement two recharge ports. You just have to take advantage of it!
Using both ports for recharging, you can expect a full charge from this power bank within 6-7 hours from flat and we think that’s is just amazing, because if the power bank had a single Micro-USB Input then recharge time would be doubled. We recommend using a wall chargers with 2.0A output or 2.4A for better results.
The design scheme is meant to be as minimalistic and as small as possible. That’s how the PowerCore 26800 comes across, as its high charging potential is hidden underneath its low profile appearance.
The Anker PowerCore 26800 Charger power bank isn’t small but we wouldn’t even rank it as one of the largest either. It is 7 x 3.2 x 1 inch which we think is quite reasonable given its capacity. Walking about with the PowerCore isn’t the best idea, the 26,800mAh power bank is meant to be a replacement wall charger. It’s not the kind of power bank that you’re going to be taking on your morning runs, for that we recommend something smaller in capacity. It will be though, the power bank that you take on your travels, to a busy day outdoors, trekking, etc.
Design-wise, all of the charging outputs and input ports are on the side panel of the power bank. The 3 Output ports are lined up horizontally together. The two Micro-USB Inputs are placed vertically, which is an uncommon design but a welcome one because it looks like it was done to make the power bank’s width short. It is all facing you so it is great for cable management.
On the side of the unit is where you can find the power button that can be pressed to tell the capacity of the power bank and turns off the charger. The power bank automatically starts charging once something is connected to it. There are 4 LED lights on top of PowerCore to indicate power capacity.
There is no torch with this unit, but in all fairness, when was the last time you use the torch on these devices? Its purpose is to give you battery life, power when you most needed, no gimmicks.
The material used for the PowerCore 26800 is a lightly varnished plastic and it may not sound like much but Anker really knows how to build their products. The plastic isn’t brittle, it’s actually quite thick and holds strong. It’s all solid.
In terms of weight, the charger is still one pound. It is probably a common sense thing to say but avoid dropping this power bank from high heights and onto a hard floor, because its heavy weight can be its downfall.
The components of the Anker PowerCore 26800 Charger are great with the USB charging ports holding very strong to the cable that you input into the port. The two Micro-USB Input ports functioned perfectly as well. Oddly, the power button, although with its limited functions worked even after being used many times.
You can’t beat this unit when you find out that along with the awesome charging options and charging speeds, the power bank has a Multi Protection System that keeps your devices and the power bank safe. The current is better controlled and the by doing so, there’s less of a chance of heat being generated which causes the most harm during charging.
Reliability of the PowerCore 26800 is beyond what you’d probably need and that’s what makes it over reliable. That’s right, we said over reliable.
Anker PowerCore 26800 Charger summary
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Summary
If you’re searching for a power bank that is able to offer a very high capacity, and once that’s able to charge many devices at the same time then we can’t recommend this power bank enough. The PowerCore 26800, is a kind of portable charger that you can rely on days or even weeks on. In that time span, you’re also relying on its multiple charging options and fast charging.