I generally get refurbished phones and they are usually a few years old.
[New Release] PowerCore III Fusion 5000 | Anker’s Smallest Portable Charger with Power Delivery is Now Available!
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I suppose there is a good chance that your next phone will be USB-C then!
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Maybe, I like the samsung galaxy a10. I’m hoping by the time my current phone stops working the prices will have dropped on that model.
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That is a fair assessment, however, for my needs I’m looking for a charger capable of charging all my devices–macbook & various phones. The battery mode is super helpful for my phone (allows me to put the charger in the back pocket and phone in the front and continue charging). I’m definitely not looking for a mobile charging solution for my laptop. I’m not technical so I don’t know what the charger’s dimensions would look like if it did have 60W output capability with a 5k mAH battery built in for smaller electronics like a phone.
The current Fusion charger does meet my need, but it would be nice for it to be a 60W capable so it can charge the 16" macbook pro when I opt to upgrade from my current macbook pro or charge my current macbook pro faster. I would consider upgrading for the 60W capability.
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While it may be slightly less convenient, from a technical perspective, a non-hybrid solution would be ideal for you (and most people).
For example, you could get something like PowerPort Atom PD 2 to charge your laptop and phone. Then you could also get something like PowerCore Slim 10000 PD for your phone (and also recharge it via the wall charger assuming all three devices don’t need charged simultaneously).
Again, the hybrid solution may be more convenient (to a degree, as you still have to unplug the charger every time you want to use it as a battery), but it’s not exactly the best of both worlds. It is limited, and there are compromises.
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@Insider is 100% correct. For a general purpose with laptop situations you should not buy this. You will need to solve two problems in total:
- Carrying enough stored external energy to keep you going the reasonable worst-case scenario. When I’m with my travel laptop, my total needs are around 13-15Ah, so about triple the 5000 Fusion. Typically for port count and diversity, I carry 10000 and a smaller item like Mini+
- many port charger to recharge everything. You can just about get by with a dual-porter but a 3 or 4 port is more common. So say a 60W single port charger + a dual charger.
- There is a trade-off between either carrying an over-sized Powercore or a 2nd Powerport. As you either have a part-discharged Powercore and a fully charged device, and recharge the Powercore while you run down your devices then recharge devices, or you have a nearly empty Powercore and then you need to recharge everything in parallel.
Hybrid makes most sense for two common scenarios:
- less-geeky people who struggle to concentrate on remembering details like having to recharge items. A fusion is a good gift to such people.
- Also makes sense just in the context of a lower end phone model user, where 5000 is all they need and it’s a simple singular total solution with their cable.
Around the 5000mAh order of size, that’s similar to a phone full recharge, which is comparable to a heavy day’s phone usage. So for a phone user, not with a tablet, carrying a 5000mAh Fusion as the single thing you need to own, makes perfect sense. As phones step up from their typical 10W input to more of 18W input, I can see as the phone power input needs increase, this type of user would benefit from a PD 5000. Phones are still around that 3400mAh size so 5000 is a full recharge, to get to end of a heavy phone use day.
However, I don’t carry one, because carrying 10000mAh is even more useful, I can go longer without needing a wall socket, it’s double the power, so you’re talking a busy day and an overnight of power. The Fusion 5000 is about the same size as a Powercore 10000. That covers me for the atypical day and allows for rarer emergency situations. When I do get to a wall socket, I’d recharge my 10000mAh alongside my phone, so a dual socket. But then I remember to do things, like recharge.
My current setup is:
- leaving house with intention to get back to house - carry 10000 PD Slim
- leaving house with intention to stay overnight - carry 10000 PD Slim and a dual charger.
I thus can handle double the amount of problem of a Fusion 10000, I can both last twice as long between wall sockets, and when I do connect I recharge the whole lot in parallel, not sequential like the Fusion, ready for the next day. Typically my 10000mah is only half used, but then it’s still able to handle the atypical.
I also think Anker needs to make the Fusion with the plug of a clip-on UK or EU plug, then its a universal travel solution. Anker knows how to do this. Example from the Nebula Max charger
Currently with the lockdown , I not left house for an overnight trip for 5 weeks, but then there’s still the chance of an Ambulance and a hospital ward and I betya the wall socket is not conveniently placed, I’d not want a cable attaching my $500 laptop past all the nursing staff to the wall, so I’d be for example with a 20000 PD Essential which I keep connected to my laptop and plug into the wall once a day or so.
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That is excellent feedback, appreciate it! I actually have bunch of the Anker PowerCore 20100 PD that I keep handy, and the Fusion fast charges them as well. I admit it is nice and convenient to have an all-in-one solution with a built in plug that I can charge all of my devices and still the convenience of being able to unplug from the wall and continue charging my small electronics. I’m the type that will let the phone, laptop, etc battery drain down to 10-15% before recharging and I won’t take it off the charger until 80-100%. So that’s why having a battery built in works for me. Of course not everyone does this and I know plenty of people that’ll start charging a device even when battery is at 80%.
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Great points!
Are you sure?
I am not aware of a 20100 PD. I’m aware of a 20100 but they not PD, there are 20000 PD.
Also, define “fast”.
Also, you’re devices will age faster when you let them get so empty, you’re using up their finite recharge cycle faster.
The Powercore II 6700 is even more portable than the Fusion 5000.
I am one of those who keeps my phone at 80%. It’s currently at 78% as I been out walking then biking for an hour+. Because if I enter a situation I need a full phone’s capacity, I have it inside the phone there already.
I have the Nintendo powercore which are PD capable. Fusion can charge them in about 3-4 hours. Never actually tried it.
I was under the impression that the type of batteries we have in our phones have a finite amount of times we can charge them so hence why I let them deplete and charge them fully. That’s why as an example Tesla doesnt recommend charging batteries using their fast charger when they are around 80% (which can cause batteries to deteriorate quicker). I’m not a chemical engineer but that’s what was recommended last time I did research. Maybe my info is dated? But my one phone is still at 95% capacity and it’s about 17 months old.
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Total integration of depth of cycles is the limit so letting them go nearly flat accelerates their ageing. Little and often is better.
On the other hand, technology often becomes “old” before the battery goes so it’s also fine to just do whatever you prefer.
My preference is offensive not defensive. So I keep my phone charged, I prefer when it’s not in my hand to be connected to a Powercore reasonably often so its nearly fully charged, then I am in the highest state of preparedness. That method also works out cheaper as I then can buy the slower output Powercore as I’m not in any kind of rush.
For example I have a 3 year old 26800 Powercore, outputs 10W, it keeps my 1 year old 11" laptop charged pretty good. If I let my tablet go to 15% then I reacted, I’d be wanting to buy a $70-$100 Powercore.
I am also not a fan of single points of failure, I prefer two chargers to one charger when traveling, usually a powerful bigger and less powerful smaller. So if one goes kaput I have the other. I similarly don’t like one bigger Powercore, prefer two smaller in case one goes kaput. I have never had any Anker Powercore or Powerport go kaput on me - reliable stuff - but there’s always the chance of dropping / breaking something.
My laptop has LTE so it’s a backup phone too, my smartwatch has LTE too.
Even my phone has redundant dual SIM in two shared-nothing networks so harder to be no-signal.
Not necessarily a right/wrong or best/worst, just outlining alternatives.
Good article, guess I’ll have to rethink the way I charge my devices.
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Concur - I too don’t hold on to my electronics that long anyway. But I prefer to sell something that I would purchase myself (treat people the way I want to be treated) so I do treat my devices with upmost care. Article plus info from you has been extremely helpful and I’ll adjust how I charge my electronics moving forward. Thank you all for the feedback 
Looking after your batteries matters $ more for items you keep longest and are expensive.
That typically is not your phone as typical phone replacement is 2 years, typical battery cycles is 500, people may do half a cycle per day so 1000 days = 3 years. You may be abusing your phone quicker than this, as you seem to be saying you’re doing 80% of a cycle per day, so 600 days < 2 years.
Powercore, the ones I get in the $30 region, similarly don’t need to worry, in fact these should be used deeply cycled by getting a Powercore just big enough to meet your needs, so its as small as possible, then fully using it. Warranty is 18 months so if you emptied once daily 500 cycles = 18 months.
Laptops, tablets, they are a different story typically. Costs $300-$1000. Much more attention to keeping them charged and not discharging as tablets and laptops send to be in the 3 years of use region. It is tablets and laptops I have done the most battery replacement to keep them going.
Typed on a 5 year old laptop, I replaced its battery last year.
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Impressive. I pride myself on being cheap but this has me beat.
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That is nothing, this is my phone case. It is still capable of protecting my phone from drops (it has multiple times), so I’m not replacing it yet. And I only pay about $6 for my cases.
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I dont’ known why it is only 5000mAh; not enought!
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It is because:
- USA type 2 pin plug
- weight
- if you travel with it you will more often encounter hotel and airport wall sockets which are worn
- heavy things then simply fall out of the worn socket
So there is a weight issue. The question we have is after over 3 years later they not done either:
- put more than 5000mAh in same weight, or
- made it smaller, the less it protrudes from the wall the less the pulling out force, or
- made it lighter for the same 5000mAh
People who are not aware of this are not frequent travellers, used to just home and office where plugs are much less worn.
They put in a basic 26650 5000mAh cell in it, they have to keep a slab type form factor for cooling as it has the AC-DC converter in same chassis. We’re puzzled by why stuck to the same basic design and just upped the Wattage of one port.
All they seem to have done is up the Wattage output, so an electronics boost in > 3 years.
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UPDATE
PowerCore III Fusion 5000 PD has an 18W USB-C port and a 12W USB-A port (15W total output when using both ports 
).
The USB-C port can output up to 18W in battery mode, making this Anker’s smallest portable charger with PD.
The USB-C port is for output only, not input.
This does not utilize Gallium Nitride, which might explain why it seems so large and heavy (this may also help keep the price down).
View the full updated list of features and details HERE.