(Last Updated On: July 13, 2018)

Anker is a very large brand on the market for charging electronics, and that has become more apparent over time and that’s because they come out with products that hold a lot of quality. Their wall chargers, portable chargers, and car chargers are some of the most popular on the market for providing a build quality that lasts and the charging power is quite powerful with the use of Power Delivery and Quick Charge with many of their charging electronics. Also, Anker products have some fast standard charging, too.

If there’s one thing that’s lacking with Anker’s lineup though, it would have to be portable power stations or basically power banks that make use of an AC outlet. Sure, they have their PowerHouse portable power station, but that’s really large and heavy and not really meant for everyday use. Well, Anker now has their PowerCore AC 22,000mAh portable charger. It’s one of their newest power banks on the market and the best part is that it makes use of an AC outlet that you can use to power appliances.

So let’s see if this power bank is worth it.

Power

Power Capacity:

The power capacity of most portable chargers that use an AC outlet is quite a lot higher than what this PowerCore AC features, that said, it’s still a high power capacity. Of course, let’s see how much of it you’re really able to use.

3.7 x 22,000 = 81,400 / 5 = 16,280

Overall, you’re really able to use about 16,000mAh of the capacity that this charger has. This is still a lot of power to charge most smartphones about five times to their full power, that is, if you’re only using this power bank to charge smartphones. The latest smartphones these days have a 3,000mAh battery capacity, such as the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, the iPhone X, and the LG V35 ThinQ. So if you’ve got the latest and greatest, then you’re able to get quite a good amount of full charges.

You can also charge most tablets and laptops to full power with this power banks and you’re likely able to get about two full charges for those types of large devices. As most tablets and laptops have about an 8,000mAh battery.

Then there’s the longevity in terms of using the AC outlet and since the AC outlet is capable of outputting 90W of power, if you’re powering appliances that require 90W, then you can use the power bank for up to 1 hour if you’re using the AC outlet.

Output Charging:

There are a total of three ways to use this PowerCore AC portable charger. There are two USB-A ports and one 2-prong AC outlet.

Two USB-A Ports

Each of the two USB-A ports has a 5V/2.4A charging speed, and that’s quite a fast standard charging rate that can charge most standard devices at a fast speed. The max output of the two USB-A ports is 4.2A. So if you’re using the two ports at the same time with the max output of 4.2A being reached, the then that will result in each of the ports outputting 5V/2.1A. That’s still near their max power and we think that the max output of the charging ports is enough for an AC portable charger.

Neither of the two ports features Quick Charge.

AC Outlet:

The AC outlet is capable of outputting 90W of power as we mentioned previously. We did say that you can power appliances with this AC outlet, but at the same time, the appliances that you’re using has to fit within the 90W power range and that would have to be something like a small fan or a heater.

That said, the more resourceful way to use the AC outlet is to use a laptop charger with it. As nearly all laptops chargers fit under the 90W power range and that’s really what Anker recommends with this power bank. For example, if you have USB-C Power Delivery compatible laptop, then you can use a USB-C Power Delivery wall charger with this power bank and then charge your laptop while you’re out and about. This is true for even more powerful USB-C compatible laptops such as the Dell XPS 13 that requires that you use a 45W Power Delivery wall charger or the Dell XPS 15 that needs 60W of Power Delivery charging. So you can use either a 45W or 60W wall charger with this power bank and charge those laptops.

Another thing is that you can potentially connect a Quick Charge wall charger to this power bank and then charge a Quick Charge compatible smartphone at its max charging speed, too.

Powering appliances with this PowerCore AC is possible but it may not be the most resourceful way to use the power bank.

Input Charging:

To recharge this power bank there’s a DC input port and the PowerCore AC comes with an AC adapter so you can use to recharge it at its max charging speed of 17.4V/2.2A. That’st a really fast charging rate and as a result, you’re able to recharge this 22,000mAh power bank within just 4 hours.

Design

Size and Weight:

With lots of power comes a larger size and a heavier weight, and that’s definitely clear with this PowerCore AC. As it has a length of 7.2 inches, a width of 4.9 inches, and a thickness of 1.2 inches. The weight of the power bank is 1.3 Pounds. As with all AC outlet portable chargers, this isn’t the type of charger that you’re able to place into your pocket. Sure you can take it anywhere though and you’re likely just going to be placing this charger into a bag.

When it does come time to charge your devices, this power bank is going to need to be set down.

Functional Components:

Nearly all of the functional parts of this PowerCore AC are on a single side, such as:

• The AC outlet
• Power Switch for the AC outlet
• DC input for recharging
• Two USB-A ports
• The Power Button that activates the power bank

To actually use the AC outlet you first have to press the Master power button and then switch on the AC outlet to actually use it.

Build

Structure and Material:

The PowerCore AC is built just as an Anker product should be built. There are absolutely no loose parts on this charger and it feels like a solid brick in the hands. The charging ports hold on very well to the charging cable that you place them into and the AC outlet also holds strong onto the appliances that you connect with it, or a USB wall charger.

Tech:

On the tech side, this PowerCore AC portable charger doesn’t really get warm. If you’re using the AC outlet for a long duration of time then it might get a tad bit warm, but other than that, the charger has no signs of overheating despite using an AC outlet on such a small form factor device.

Reliability

The reliability of this Anker PowerCore AC portable charger is going to waver depending on what you need it for. That’s because the AC outlet is able to supply 90W of power and depending on how you look at it, that can be a lot or a little.

It’s definitely a reliable AC portable charger if you want to power a laptop charger that uses 2-prongs. Not so much for powering appliances.

Summary:

Power:

There’s a good amount of power capacity that can be used to charge most smartphones and tablets multiple times. The AC outlet may not have a lot of output but it’s enough for powering laptops chargers.

Design:

The size of this power bank is quite large but not so large that you won’t be able to take it anywhere. You can actually take this charger anywhere but you’re going to have to set it down once it does come time to use it.

Build:

It’s what you can expect from Anker and that means that the charger is built very well and even when it comes to using the AC outlet, the charger does not get very warm.

Reliability:

It’s a very reliable portable charger if you can make use of the AC outlet with a laptops charger instead of planning to heavily use appliances with it.

Specs of the Anker PowerCore AC 22,000mAh AC Outlet Portable Charger:

• Power Capacity: 22,000mAh | Output Capacity: 16,000mAh
• Output:

Each USB-A Port: 5V/2.4A | Max Output: 4.2A

AC Outlet: 90W

• Input:

DC Input: 17.4V/2.2A

• LED Power Indicator: Four LED Power Capacity Indicators
• Size: 7.2 x 4.9 x 1.2 inches
• Weight: 1.3 Pounds

Conclusion:

Anker has a done it once again, but on a minimalistic level with this PowerCore AC portable charger as the AC outlet doesn’t output all that much power but it has more than enough to make charging laptops with it a no-brainer.

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