Anker deployed a whole squad of six new, compact and capable high-speed GaNPrime chargers to the charging accessory battlefield a few weeks back. They seem equipped to cover pretty much any need, taking different forms and offering different charging capacities and numbers of ports.
The company sent me a few to try out. I already reviewed the impressively potent and portable Anker 747 150W GaNPrime Charger, an adapter. Now I’ll take a look at two other forms — the Anker 733 Power Bank and the Anker 727 Power Station, which is a compact power strip.
They each address specific capabilities a lot of people might look for in a charger. You might want one of each.
This post contains affiliate links. Cult of Mac may earn a commission when you use our links to buy items.
Anker 733 Power Bank (GaNPrime PowerCore 65W): Charge 3 devices on the go
Among the six new chargers, the Anker 733 takes the position of power bank, meaning it’s a battery pack you can take on the go to charge devices without needing an outlet.
The power bank is designed for multi-device fast charging via power you carry with you after you charge up the bank. It offers 65W maximum output in charger mode (when it’s drawing electricity) and 30W maximum output in battery mode.
Note that Anker subsequently put out a higher-capacity version, with a bigger battery and more power delivery. That one charges itself and other devices at 140W of power and stores it in a 24,000mAh battery. This one puts maxes out at 65W and has a 10,000mAh battery. But this one is more portable.
Performance as advertised
Anker said you can use the bank to charge a MacBook Pro in 50 minutes when used as a wall charger. And you can charge an iPhone to 50% battery capacity in 30 minutes when used as a power bank (charged but not plugged in as it charges other gadgets).
Either of those devices would use one of the two USB-C ports, each offering a max of 65W plugged in and 30W unplugged. There is one USB-A port for other devices, too, like an earbuds charging case. It delivers 22.5W in either mode.
I found Anker’s stats above close enough to the mark in real-world tests not to quibble much. As a wall charger, it took my M1 Pro MacBook up past 90% in a little under an hour. As a power bank, it filled my iPhone 13 Pro halfway in just over half an hour.
In another wall charger test, I plugged a fifth-generation iPad Air (USB-C) , an iPhone 13 Pro (USB-C) and an Apple Watch 6 series (USB-A) into it. In 30 minutes, it took the iPad battery from 37% to 54%. The iPhone went from 49% to 82% and the Apple Watch went from 50% to 88%.
The charger felt warm to the touch after that, but not alarmingly hot.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Take it with you as charging insurance
Wall-charging work aside, it’s really the rechargeable battery (bank) that sets this charger apart. Charging devices just from the bank on the go will be slower, but it could be a lifesaver when your phone’s about the die.
A little button above the ports serves as an LED indicator of battery level with each of four dots indicating quarters of full capacity. But it’s also a button you can press twice to activate “trickle charging mode” for earbuds cases. They have a lower power draw than many devices.
Compact design
As far as the design goes, the bank is compact. It’s not as small as a lot of GaN chargers, but that’s because it has a 10,000mAh battery.
Whereas most GaN chargers must be plugged in, this one will power gadgets as long as it’s charged. That’s handy if you’re going somewhere and you don’t know what to expect for available electrical outlets.
And because the device is meant to go places with you, Anker thoughtfully included a travel pouch and a USB-C cable in the box.
Key specs:
- Output Ports: 2 USB-C & 1 USB-A AC
- Input: 100-240V, 0.5A
- AC output: 65W
- DC output: 30W
- Battery: 10,000mAh
- Available late Q3 2022.
- Price: $99.99
Where to preorder: Anker or Amazon
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Anker 727 Charging Station (GaNPrime 100W): Take this little power strip with you
The Anker 727 Charging Station is a different kind of specialist than the power bank. That’s because the charging station is a power strip.
It doesn’t store power, but you can plug appliances into it via two electrical outlets for plugs in addition to four ports for gadgets.
So the two plugs power items like monitors, lamps or adapters, and four ports juice up your devices. One USB-C port supports fast, 100W charging, plus there’s another USB-C port and two USB-A ports. And the total output of 100W varies by the number of devices plugged into the charger, of course.
It’s good to have both AC outlets and USB ports in one device for those times when your wall outlets are getting overloaded and you’re wondering what to plug in where.
And it’s rated at 100W of total power output rather than the 65W of the power bank above. These days, as GaN chargers bring more power to smaller chargers, 100W and up is becoming more common.
Small for a power strip
For a power strip, this gadget is significantly smaller and thinner than many power strips (which, admittedly, would take more plugs than this one does). It’s also a different shape, more akin to a smartphone.
For comparison, it’s a few millimeters bigger and a few millimeters thicker than my iPhone 13 Pro. Maybe that makes it closer to an iPhone 13 Max in size, but a little thicker.
So, unlike traditional power strip, which tend to be either long or big and thick depending on how the outlets are arranged, it’s no big deal to toss this device in your knapsack or computer bag.
Safety first
The power station features Anker’s ActiveShield 2.0, which monitors temperature and adjusts power output to prevent overheating and safeguard connected devices. Anker said ActiveShield 2.0 increased temperature detection frequency by 75% over previous generations.
And it’s handy that the 5-foot cord can be detached from the power strip and carried separately.
Also, the device features an LED ring light that is white when the strip is plugged in and blue when the USB-C ports reach 90W to 100W of output. The light looks a little bit like a MagSafe charging ring for your iPhone, but it’s not.
Key specs:
- Output ports: 2 AC, 2 USB-C, 2 USB-A
- Maximum output: 100W
- Available now
- Price: $94.99
Anker provided Cult of Mac with review units for this article. See our reviews policy for more information, and check out more of our in-depth reviews.★★★★☆
