Anker Prime A1340 Power Bank & A1902 Charging Base
Stylish charging combo with plenty of power
It can supply up to 250W of charging power to up to three devices
£179.99 A1340 Power Bank/£69.99 A1902 Charging Base FROM anker.com/uk FEATURES A1340 Power Bank: 250W multi-device charging (99.5Whr), 2x USB-C ports, 1x USB-A port. 0.6m USB-C charging cable, integrated display, app control via Bluetooth/A1902 Charging Base: 100W GaN mains charger with 4-in-1 fast charging; 2x USB-C ports, 1x USB-A port
Weighing in at a hefty 670g, the Anker Prime A1340 is no ordinary power bank. Clad in dark grey plastic with a glossy black front, it can not only supply up to 250W of charging power to up to three devices, but it has added smarts too.
On the top you’ll find one USB-A and two USB-C ports; on the right is a recessed button – press this and the top of the glossy black front lights up with a colour display that shows the percentage, and the number of hours and minutes of power remaining in the power bank. Pressing the button more than once reveals further options – such as battery health and temperature, display time and brightness, and Bluetooth connectivity.
The Bluetooth connection is there to enable you to use the free Anker app, which gives you more info about the power bank, and enables you to add devices such as your iPhone, iPad or MacBook to its connected items list (while revealing how many times the power bank will be able to charge the device, depending on the power bank’s current storage capacity). It also includes Find Device, which uses Bluetooth Auto Broadcast to play a sound on the power bank – although the alert sound is incredibly quiet.
Pogo power
While there’s no onboard MagSafe charging for iPhone, the A1340’s 27,650mAh capacity and built-in USB-A and USB-C ports make it easy to charge up your devices, including a MacBook and you could always plug in a MagSafe charging puck for iPhone. It’s heavy and expensive, yes, but the A1340 may also be the best, and smartest, power bank we’ve ever tested.
And, while the A1340 lacks MagSafe, it does have wireless charging of sorts – on the underside of the power bank you’ll find a ‘Pogo’ connector, which enables you to charge up the power bank wirelessly when it’s placed on matching pins on the top of the optional A1902 Charging Base. Connect the Base to the mains and it’ll not only power up the power bank, but it’ll charge up any device connected to its own set of ports – in this case 2x USB-C and 1x USB-A, which are built into the Charging Base body. The front of the Charging Base also has its own LED display, which pulses white when charging, and stays steady white when any connected devices are fully charged. Use both devices together and you’ll have the ideal solution for your portable and at-home charging needs. Rob Mead-Green