Another slightly older review I thought I’d dust off;
For me, Anker is always the go to brand if you are wanting premium quality accessories that match or exceed the manufacturer’s versions, with not so eye watering prices (just compare to Apple and you will get what I am getting at). Topped off with 18 month warranty, it’s just the cherry on the cake.
The PowerCore 26800 is plugged as part of their ‘Colossal’ capacity range, essentially being the same as their PowerCore 26800+ but minus the Qualcomm quick charging capabilities that are popular Samsung but have yet to grace Apple products. So if you’re primarily an Apple fanboy this makes for a great alternate option to save you £10-15 on the other model.
In the box;
PowerCore 26800
x2 micro USB cables
Mesh carry pouch
Instructions and warranty slips
Now the PowerCore when you hold it certainly feels robust, premium and certainly weighty, tipping the scales at 495g (half a bag of sugar) and measuring in at 180x82x22mm (photo below shows size compared to iPhone 6s), by no means small but not overly large either for the charge capacity you get. Certainly suitable for topping up the charge on your devices during a week camping or if you are fighting over plug sockets with your colleagues in the office (not really handbag or pocket friendly). PowerCore comes pre charged to 50% and it is recommended to fully discharge and recharge at every 4-5 months to maintain the lifespan of the internal batteries.
In use, you have three USB ports for charging devices and two micro USB ports for charging the PowerCore back to capacity. Now for such hefty battery the recharge on the PowerCore itself is very speedy, coming in at just over 6hrs from empty. You have four LED’s to keep track of current charge level and recharge progress of the PowerCore itself. I cannot stress enough however that to make use of the quick recharge of the PowerCore itself that you use a mains USB charger as USB computer ports will not yield the same charging time. My mains charging was originally completed with the following mains USB charger;
Testing with an iPhone 6s, iPad Air 2 and iPod Touch 6th gen from a completely discharged state gave a full charge of the devices after 2hrs 30 minutes total, at an average of 4v per device. The iPod Touch finished in 1hr 10min (3.8v average charge), iPhone 6s came in at 1hr 50min (4.3v average charge) and the iPad Air 2 at 2hr 30 min (3.8v average charge). Even after a full trio charge the PowerCore still had two lights remaining, leaving room for another round of charging with ease (plus a bit more on the iPod Touch after). Based on this the estimated 6-7 charges for iPhone by Anker seem on the money.
On the whole this is a very good power bank for home, office and outdoor use (within reason, no water etc). Charges devices at a good speed and depending on devices to charge could last from two days to seven. Yes there are a few others out there at a slightly lower cost but the extended warranty, build quality and large customer base makes this a preferred option in my book. My main criticism and I hope Anker might introduce into the next generation would be a proper 3pin mains method of charging the PowerCore, such as from a figure 8 power cable or included adpater with relevant pins on the PowerCore itself. This would cut down on the need for using either two power sockets or buying a separate multi USB charger.
