Anker’s power banks and solar chargers keep your devices juiced up while on the go

Anker PowerCore Carrying Bags

If you do a lot of traveling and like to stay connected with your friends and family via your smartphone or tablet, then you probably need as much battery life as you can get. Out and about, you won’t always have access to a plug in the wall, so it’s a good idea to have a backup plan for keeping your devices charged.

Anker makes some great solutions, including the PowerCore 20000 and PowerCore+ 26800 power banks, and a 21W PowerPort Solar charger so you can harness the power of the Sun. Any of these can help make mobile charging easier.

The battery packs that won’t quit

Let me just start off by saying I play Pokémon Go a lot, and I’m a huge fan of battery packs.

Although I’m home a lot and can use my wall plugs to keep myself charged up, my phone tends to die faster from lower signal strength and use whenever I go out. At the end of the day, having a reliable source of power on the go is very important to me, and smaller power banks just don’t cut it for me.

Anker provides some great high capacity battery packs for USB-powered devices that use premium and durable Panasonic battery cells. These are known for their heat resistance and reliability over time.

Anker PowerCore+ 26800

We’ll start by showing you the PowerCore+ 26800, which is one of the biggest power banks Anker makes. With an astounding 26,800 mAh battery capacity, this pack holds more than enough juice to power an iPhone as many as 10 full times.

With its durable aluminum external construction, as well as a secondary shock-resistant layer that prevents damage to the internal battery cells on drops.

Anker PowerCore Plus 26800 IO

There are three USB out ports, and one Micro-USB in port. The out ports are capable of sporting a monstrous output up to 6 amps, which will power just about any mobile device as quickly as possible. Larger devices like the iPhone 6s Plus and various models of iPad will benefit the most from this throughput.

With the intelligent charging technology, PowerCore+ 26800 will automatically refuel your device at its highest charge throughput without damaging it.

The PowerCore+ 26800 even features an LED power indicator that you can press to see the current amount of charge remaining.

Anker PowerCore Plus 26800 LED Indicator

Anker doesn’t skimp out on supplies either; they include one of their premium AC adapters with built-in Qualcomm QuickCharge technology and a supplementary Micro-USB cable to get your battery pack charged up for your daily commute.

It’s not one of the cheaper options on the market, but the PowerCore+ 26800 is one of the highest-rated premium battery packs you can buy on Amazon today. This model is available on Amazon for about $80 with free shipping.

Anker PowerCore 20000

If you’re in the market to spend a little less, but still want high-density battery that packs a lot of juice, then the PowerCore 20000 is another great option.

Anker PowerCore IO

It’s a bit smaller and lighter, sporting one less battery cell than the PowerCore+ 26800, but you still get a lot of performance. It has one less USB port than the PowerCore+ 26800, and 6800 mAh less battery capacity, but it’s also about half of the price at just $45 on Amazon.

With 20,000 mAh of power capacity, this battery pack charges Apple products at up to 1 amp and can re-charge an iPhone 6s up to 7 times on a single charge. Many different tablets can get anywhere from 1.5-2 full charges on this system.

Anker PowerCore 20000 IO

One of the major features of this battery pack is the built-in support for Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0, which allows this pack to charge up to 80% in as little as 35 minutes, which Anker says is an industry-leading number for a product of this size.

Just like the larger brother, PowerCore 20000 has an LED indicator that shows the amount of remaining power, and all power is regulated by internal microchip technology that prevents up 10 kinds of common battery pack failures.

Anker PowerCore 20000 LED Indicator

Great travel batteries

These battery packs perform great in traveling situations where you’re in the car, on the bus, or anywhere else where you need power and don’t have access to an infinite power source.

Anker includes some nice carrying bags with built-in padding to make your travels easier and keep your batteries protected while you store them in a backpack or bag.

Anker PowerCore Products

Although they’re beefy and built like bricks, they’re small enough to fit inside many carrying bags and use on the fly.

Solar power: for those who want to stay green

If batteries aren’t your forte, but you still need power, you might be more interested in Anker’s PowerPort Solar, which is a solar-powered charger for mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad.

Anker PowerPort Solar Pouch

This is a foldable unit with three solar panels that are capable of producing up to 21W of power when placed in direct sunlight, or less in cloudy conditions.

Anker PowerPort Solar Solar Panel

For people who enjoy camping, going to the beach, or being outside, this is a great way to charge your devices when you want to stay lightweight and don’t want the hassle of keeping external batteries charged before trips.

Anker’s PowerPort Solar features two USB out plugs, which allow you to power up to two devices at once.

Anker PowerPort Solar USB Ports

I’m fond of the tough nylon construction, as well as the metal rings that make it easy to hang the charger on its side, which I do a lot of from the side of my Jeep Wrangler at the beach. When I’m done, I can use the Velcro inside of it to put it away and store it in the glove box.

Anker PowerPort Solar Metal Hang Ring

The best part is, you can have the solar charger in direct sunlight, but your phone doesn’t necessarily have to be. You can use your Lightning cable’s length to your advantage to hide it under something out of the harmful rays, while your solar charger takes the Sun’s light and converts it into electricity.

Check out the little package it folds into:

Anker PowerPort Solar Folded Up

Anker’s 21W PowerPort Solar is available on Amazon for $60, but a smaller 15W option is also available for $50 if you don’t want to spend as much.

My thoughts

If you’re looking for the right battery pack, I usually go by the idea of “the bigger the better,” but for some, compact size and smaller price tag are equally as important. Fortunately, Anker offers a wide array of different sizes and price points for their battery packs, so it’s hard to list their size and weight as a con.

These are some of the fastest-charging battery pack solutions available today, and the high ratings you’ll see on Amazon are a testimonial to that claim.

As far as the solar-powered charger is concerned, in any scenario where you no longer have any battery juice available, whether it’s with your mobile device or your external battery, this is something that will continue to produce power as long as you’re in direct or semi-direct sunlight.

I think the solar-powered charger is more practical for those who do a lot of outdoorsy-stuff, while the battery packs are going to be more practical for the average Joes out there who need power during their daily commute or while walking, such as while playing Pokémon GO.

Find them on Amazon:

What are your thoughts on Anker’s batteries and solar chargers? Share in the comments!