Travelers Love Amazon’s Anker Portable Charger

It can replenish my iPhone battery four times in a single charge, and it's fast.

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Travel + Leisure / Tyler Roeland

As a travel writer, I often visit remote areas where there aren't exactly outlets everywhere for you to charge your phone. Case in point: I recently went on a seven-day cycling safari in Botswana. Since the trip involved camping along the way, I knew I’d need a reliable portable charger so my devices didn't die out there, one that could go days in between charges. I thought of all the ones that let me down in the past — not fast enough or not long-lasting enough, sigh — and I began my search for one that could actually go the distance.

"You need to stop buying the off brand ones," my older (and wiser) brother, Jamie, told me when I broke down and called him for advice. Jamie has a degree in Computer Science and electronics is his first language. He sent me a link to this Anker Portable Charger, and then he suggested I invest in an e-bike so I could outrun any lions.

Amazon

To buy: amazon.com, $50

Spoiler alert: I didn't get the e-bike. But I did buy the Anker Portable Charger, and I’m proud to report that it has earned a permanent spot in my carry-on. Why? For starters, it lasts for three to four days, and I love that it's reliable. Travel + Leisure editors even named it one of the best portable chargers of the many they tested.

Whether I’m charging my iPhone 12, my GoPro Hero 11, or my Fitbit Versa 4, I get consistent, and fast, charging speeds. It takes about 90 minutes to fully charge my iPhone, and I can get four to five full charges before I have to recharge the charger. (Note: it takes an entire day to charge this charger, so plan accordingly.) My GoPro takes just under two hours to fully charge, and my FitBit? I can bring it from a 50 percent charge to 100 percent in about an hour.

I can even charge two devices at once since this Anker Portable Charger has both a USB-C port and a USB-A port. It comes with both cables and a convenient mesh carrying case. Basically, it can pretty much charge any mobile device, including tablets. While I don't own a tablet, according to Anker this charger can charge an iPad mini 5 2.6 times and a Samsung Galaxy S10 4.8 times.

Travel + Leisure / Katie Jackson

To buy: amazon.com, $50

One feature I do take advantage of, however, is the battery level indicator. With other chargers, it was an educated guessing game. With this charger, I can see approximately how much juice I have left. That said, most of my other chargers are more compact and lighter. This one is the same size as my iPhone 12, but coming in at 12.2 ounces, it weighs twice as much. However, it's that heavy because the 20,000mAh lithium battery (you’ll need to have it in your carry-on since you can't check lithium batteries) packs a serious punch.

At the end of the day, I’d rather have a heftier power bank that works than a lightweight one that doesn't. And I’m not the only consumer with this opinion. More than 55 million people trust Anker, according to the brand. Like my brother says, it's the "Apple of portable chargers." In fact, Anker's Power Core Slim has nearly 65,000 five-star ratings, and is ranked in the top 5 on Amazon's list of Best Sellers in Cell Phone Portable Power Banks. I didn't opt for the Power Core Slim because at 10,000mAh, it can only charge an iPhone twice. My 20,000 mAh Anker Portable Charger, which has a 4.7-star average rating from nearly 5,400 ratings, can charge an iPhone four to five times.

Amazon

To buy: amazon.com, $18 with on-site coupon (originally $22)

One traveler who left a five-star rating wrote, "After a recent family trip exposed how inadequate standard power banks were for recharging multiple devices, especially iPads and phones capable of fast charging, I opted to purchase this Anker USB-C power bank. The difference is night and day," they said, continuing, "I can fully charge iPhones multiple times without recharging the power bank as well as completely recharge an iPad while having power left over to charge phones."

So as you can see, buying the Anker Portable Charger is basically a no-brainer, especially since you can grab the highly rated tech essential at Amazon. The only downside of owning this charger is that if you travel with friends or family, they’ll all want to use it. In fact, my favorite review from an Amazon shopper is titled "My wife stole mine, so I just bought a second." As for me, I fly solo most of the time, so I don't need to worry too much about power hungry companions. I just need to worry about hungry lions!

At the time of publishing, the price started at $50.

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