Anker Prime Powerbank 27650mAh

It's not that powerbanks have become uncool, but there's not exactly the same energy behind the concept as before. Maybe it's because most of the gear we carry with us has respectable battery life? Or maybe we don't go nearly as far between charging options as we used to? Either way, there are still plenty of situations where carrying a big, heavy clunker of a powerbank makes sense, and this is where Anker comes in.

Their Prime Powerbank is considered by many to be the go-to standard, even if it doesn't have the highest capacity per kilo. Again, it's a kind of all-rounder that both gives you relatively high capacity without weighing too much, and at the same time you get a number of nifty extras, such as a proprietary smart charger that always keeps it charged, ready to use, and a rather detailed display.

Yes, the Anker Prime has "only" 27,650mAh on board, which is in stark contrast to, for example, Sandberg's Active Powerbank, which delivers 50,000mAh. But it also weighs less than half that at around 660 grams and has several interesting features. The point is that you can get bigger powerbanks, but Anker is competitive here, no doubt about it.

And then we come to everything else. First of all, the Prime can charge at almost full speed on all ports simultaneously. Sure, there are only two USB-C ports and a single USB-A, but together they can push out 250W, which is pretty rare to see. A single port can also deliver 140W, which in almost all cases will be more than the individual device can handle. For example, you can get a MacBook Pro 16" up to 50% in 28 minutes - from one power bank. You can also use the dual USB-C ports to charge Prime in as little as 37 minutes, and if you're brave enough, you can even buy a proprietary charging stand to keep it topped up.

The small display is in colour and gives you not only an easy percentage overview of how much is left, but how many Watts are coming out of each individual port and a nice little timer. If you want even more information, there's a dedicated app that lets you find it again in the best Find My way via sounds and get a more detailed overview.

It's all pretty magnificent for the £180 you have to spend, and if it's a little too heavy and a little too big, you can get a 20K version for just £130 right now, which is a better deal to say the least.

But Anker proves once again that they really know their stuff, and while there are alternatives with a larger battery, this is a combination of dexterity, functionality and build quality that's hard to top.