Anker Prime Power Bank (20K, 200W) review: Plenty of power for laptops and more

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A typical power bank is meant to resurrect a dead smartphone or extend the use of a tablet during a long flight. But laptops are in an entirely different category when it comes to power backup. The same goes for other power-hungry devices like drones and even high-end cameras. I’ve been testing the Anker Prime Power Bank (20K, 200W) for several weeks with a number of different devices. In that time, I found it powerful, simple to use and full of welcome features that make it enjoyable to use. It’s not perfect, but if you want a battery that can keep up with modern USB-C gear – and you’re willing to carry it around – this is a great option.

Design and build

The Anker Prime 20K is about the size of one of those skinny Diet Coke cans, but it’s a square soda can with real weight. It measures 1.73 × 1.99 × 5.79 inches and weighs 1.12 lb (510 g), making it easy to fit in a backpack or camera bag and a bit silly to carry in a jacket pocket unless you’re committed.

The build quality is remarkable. It’s a dense block of material rather than a hollow plastic shell, which is important when you’re throwing it into bags, bouncing between places, or generally experiencing the clunky reality of travel.

Anker’s display is also genuinely useful. Instead of the old system of four mysterious LEDs, you get clear displays of charge level, real-time power input/output, and drain or fill time estimates. When you’re trying to decide if you have enough juice for a flight, a shoot, or a long coffee shop session, this kind of clarity is the difference between guessing and knowing. The glossy surface on the front of the device easily picks up smudges and fingerprints, but that doesn’t matter much to me.

The port layout is simple and practical: two USB-C ports and one USB-A on the top. On a day-to-day basis, I found it easier to lay it flat with the screen facing up so it’s less likely to tip over if a stiff cable is hit.

How I tested the Anker Prime Power Bank

In the few weeks I’ve had this device, I’ve used it to power my 14-inch MacBook Pro that has an M3 Max chip inside. I’ve also used it to charge an iPhone 17 Pro Max, DJI drone, Canon R5 Mark II camera, and other devices. In each case, I was able to achieve maximum loading speeds with each device and even keep up with the MacBook Pro’s output during high-intensity tasks such as exporting files from Adobe Lightroom.

The “system” approach

You can definitely buy the battery alone and be satisfied. The main story here is that it charges quickly enough (up to 100W input) that it’s easy to recharge between sessions: plug it in while you eat lunch and you’ll get a significant portion of the capacity back.

If you want a cleaner, always-ready workflow, Anker also sells a separate charging base for $99 that uses pogo pins and charges the bank at the same 100W rate. It’s not required, but if this power bank is part of your everyday office kit, plugging it in like a gadget from the future is undeniably convenient.

Performance

The “220W” in the name is the combined cap between ports. In practical terms, this means you can run a laptop at a high speed while charging other devices without everything crashing into “slow charging” mode.

• Single port: A USB-C port can provide up to 140W (PD 3.1), which is enough to charge a MacBook Pro at full speed.
• Multi-device: With 220W total available, you can keep a laptop happy while supplementing a phone, tablet, camera or accessory, without feeling like you have to “schedule” charging.

The thermals are also solid. High-power external batteries often become uncomfortably hot when delivering significant power over long periods of time. This one remained surprisingly composed during sustained use, which inspires more confidence than the crude boasting of spec sheets ever could. It was noticeably warm to the touch when charging its own internal batteries, but it never got hot.

The companion app is a nice touch, but I didn’t use it very often during normal use. The built-in screen usually told me what I needed to know.

At this price point, I would have liked a built-in cable and possibly wireless charging since it requires a separate cable for power in and out. This isn’t very common with models in this class, so it’s not a point against this model, but both features would have been welcome.

Comparison: Anker Prime 20K versus the competition

The Anker Prime 20K hits a sweet spot: smaller and lighter than the maximum capacity limit bricks in carry-on luggage, but far more capable than the average travel power bank.

Specifications

Verdict

If you’re truly a power user – or just have a laptop that makes a mockery of most power banks – this Anker Prime makes a compelling case. The title is not limited to a large number of watts. That’s how much power shows up in real-world use: no slow-charging warnings, no weird throttling, and no overnight-charging penalty once you’ve drained it.

If you only need to charge a phone, that’s unnecessary weight and money. But for photographers, frequent travelers, and anyone trying to keep a MacBook and a few other devices alive away from the wall, the Prime 20K looks like the first power bank that actually behaves like it belongs in a modern USB-C workflow.

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