PowerCore Essential 20000 PD Power Bank Review

[paulstevenewing]

Hey Everyone

I received this PowerCore from Anker recently and wanted to share my early experiences.

What is it?
A PowerCore is basically a battery you charge and take around with you!
It can then be used to charge something else.
To be fair it’s a pretty weird concept if you’ve never used or think you have no use for one.

If you camp, fish, hunt, spend long periods outdoors, and take your device with you well this will allow you to use your device to its fullest and not worry about the battery running flat for an emergency call then this is for you!

Anker produces PowerCores with various capacities. Small and light to give your device a quick boost right up to large and heavy which would fully charge a mobile phone 5-6 times!

Packaging is the standard white and blue box, minimal and sufficient.

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Contents consist of the Powerbank, mesh pouch and a USB C to USB C cable.
It has a nice feel in the hand with a textured top surface and a smooth bottom.
It’s a weighty block but you won’t notice it in your daypack.
The mesh pouch and cable are pretty decent too!

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Charging from flat will take just under 7 hours using a 18w PD charger and USB-C to USB-C cable or around 21 hours using a 10w charger and USB-A to USC-C cable.

So onto the important bit, it’s charging output.
It has a Power IQ 2 USB and PowerDelivery USB-C output so can be used to charge 2 devices simultaneously and charge them quick!

There is a trickle / low output mode for headphones etc, hold the button for a few seconds and one of the power indicator lights will change to green.

So, my super high-tech test.
I don’t have any fancy output testing gadgets so this is a real world charge of my iPad Pro 10.5” which has a 8134mah battery.

The following are screen shots at 30 minute intervals.

I used the USB C port and a PowerLine+ II 90cm USB-C to Lightning cable on a completely flat iPad (won’t turn on) with a fully charged PowerCore.
I’m not sure if the Jelly Baby helped or hindered the charging process

18% in 30m
46% in 1hr
68% in 1hr 30m
87% in 2hr
95% in 2hr 30m
100% in 2hr 50m

Once the charge cycle was complete the PowerCore still had in excess of 75% capacity left - 3 blue LED’s illuminated.

In conclusion.

From initial tests this is an awesome PowerCore and will suit me down to the ground.

Pushing almost 50% charge into my iPad in an hour, well, that’s as fast as my Anker mains powered charger so I’m really pleased with that!

[amada.haro]

Great extensive review! I have another Anker power bank, which has been great. If I ever needed a new one, it would definitely this one!

[Shenoy]

Nice review!! Really like the phone screenshot For showing the charge speed

[ikari04warrior]

Thanks for sharing your early experiences with us. Seems like a great battery bank. It’s my first real powerbank so I’m excited to use it

[paulstevenewing]

Thanks @amada.haro @ikari04warrior @Shenoy

[Chiquinho]

I got mine now fully charged now.
Could be the cable or the charger I used, I was not successful the first attempt.
I will find that out.

Good written review and nice photos.
Thank you Paul.

[kumar.sachin]

Good to know that. I’ll try a different cable too

[Chiquinho]

I haven’t used that USB-C -> USB-C added to the pb.
I used that USB -> USB-C came with my wife’s mobile.
(no charger with USB-C output available at the moment)

[paulstevenewing]

Thanks @Chiquinho

[Daiross]

awesome review and nice photos!

[paulstevenewing]

Thanks @Daiross 🖑

[professor]

Thanks for the review. I’ll split an hair if you don’t object.

onto the important bit, it’s charging output.

The most important thing is not it’s output performance. Those people, like me, who carry a bigger Powercore for being outdoors for a long time, we spend a short time indoors so the recharge performance of the Powercore is actually more important than its output performance. I’m traveling with this all the time so it can connect for however long required to recharge my device but I want to ingest the most energy in short time when I do go indoors.

I’d solve this today by carrying two 10000 PD and a dual charger and get 20000 recharge in 3.5hr. This 20000 needs 6.5hr.

Charging from flat will take just under 7 hours using a 18w PD charger and USB-C to USB-C cable or around 21 hours using a 10w charger and USB-A to USC-C cable.

6.5hr I believe but 21 hours I don’t. I’d expect about 16 hours

[Chiquinho]

but 21 hours I don’t. I’d expect about 16 hours

I can test this with the USB - USB-C cable I have.
But first I have to drain the pb by charging my MOTION + via USB-C

[Ice1]

Great review @paulstevenewing
I guess you can also simulate @professor point to see the charge up time.

[paulstevenewing]

I never object to feedback or corrections @professor
I rounded up Ankers figures of 6.8 and 20.8hrs.
You may be and are hopefully correct, once I’ve drained PowerCore I’ll time the charge.
Although I don’t have a 18w USBC charger, only 30 and 45w - or could the18w stated be a minimum to fast charge and using a 45w would reduce those times?

[professor]

This Powercore has a max ingest 18W so recharging it > 18W will have no impact. How it responds to a 10W charger just needs a stock charger 5V 2A.

I know why you said 21hr, it’s Anker’s own figures but I doubt they made a product that awful.

If you look at 3 year old product you see

[paulstevenewing]

I’ll race @Chiquinho to a discharge and timed recharge.
Although I’m unlikely to get the chance until the weekend.

[Chiquinho]

Hm, It took a while (overnight) to charge it using that USB -> USB-C.
But it was not 20h

We will do another test.

[Ice1]

Will be interesting to know!

[paulstevenewing]

Finally flattened the PowerCore.
It fully charged the iPad 8135mah, part charged the Bolder LC40 3350mah, fully charged my phone twice and failed after giving it another 50ish% 2800mah.
I’ll leave it flat so at the weekend I can charge, measure the time via USB to USB-C and update.