Anker Prime 12000mAh Power Bank Review by Mighty Gadget Design 2

Any links to online stores should be assumed to be affiliates. The company or PR agency provides all or most review samples. They have no control over my content, and I provide my honest opinion.

The Anker Prime 12000mAh Power Bank (130W) was launched at the start of August with a wide range of new Anker Prime products.

All these new Anker Prime power banks include a smart display which we first saw with the Anker 737 power bank, and this is used to give you feedback about the input/output and capacity.

These new models also have a pogo pin attachment on the base, which can be used with the Anker 100W Charging Base for convenient charging. This charging base has a 100W charging capacity which is shared between the power bank and its three USB ports.

I was eager to review this 12000mAh power bank as it is the smallest 65W PD power bank that I am aware of. This makes it extremely appealing when I am travelling, as it is small enough to carry in a jacket or jeans.

PreviewProductRatingPrice
Anker Power Bank Anker Power Bank No ratings yet £50.50Amazon Prime

Specification

  • 130W High-Speed Charging: Enjoy the convenience of two-way fast charging with a total output of up to 130W, while a single USB-C port supports a maximum output of 65W for efficient charging.
  • Pocket-Sized Power: Take reliable power on the go with the power bank’s compact and travel-friendly design, measuring just 5.29 × 2.17 × 1.36 inches in size.
  • Smart Monitoring: Stay updated with the smart digital display that provides real-time information on remaining battery capacity, power input, and power output, giving you complete control and visibility over the power bank.
  • High-Speed Recharge: The 65W rapid recharge via the USB-C port enables the power bank to be fully recharged in just 45 minutes.

Design & Display vs Anker 737 Power Bank

Anker Prime 12000 vs 737 Powerbank Review by Mighty Gadget Design 2

There is not normally much to say about how a power bank looks, but this is a little different than your generic power banks.

Just like the Anker 737, this has a useful smart display which gives you feedback on how much charge is left and the input/output of the two USB ports. You can then cycle through the menu and view the number of cycles and the battery health.

Then, on the base, there are the small metal pogo port contact points that are used with the charging base. Unfortunately, I don’t have one of these, so can’t comment on it yet.

As you can see from my photos, it is significantly smaller than the Anker 737 power bank.

Anker Prime 12000 vs 737 Powerbank Length

The official dimensions are 134.4×55×34.5 mm, and it weighs 370g, whereas the 737 is 155.8×54.6×49.6 mm and 631g.

While it is much smaller and more portable than the 737, it is worth noting that it is quite chunky compared to other small power banks. The 10,000 mAh Anker 323 Power is 100g lighter, it is a bit longer but much thinner, making it a bit more pocket friendly. However, that is limited to 12W max output.

Advertised Capacity vs True Expected Capacity & Watt Hours

This power bank is arranged into three cells of 4000mAh, giving you an advertised capacity of 12000mAh.

On the power bank itself, it says 43.2Wh with 10.8Vdc.

Which makes it exactly half the capacity of the Anker 737 Power Bank

For a 5V output, you would need to recalculate the capacity as:

  • 5V capacity = (3.6V * Advertised Capacity) / 5V

Therefore, for a 5V output on this 12,000mAh battery, you should have an 8640 mAh capacity.

Testing Real World Capacity

As a basic test, I charged up my Realme GT Neo 3 from flat, which has a 4500 mAh battery, which represents 52% of the true expected capacity.

After a full charge, I was left with 42% capacity in the power bank, indicating a 5011 mAh usage or just under 90% efficiency, which is on the higher end of the expected efficiency you should get from a power bank.

Testing Power Output and Input

To test the output ports, I used the Zhiyun Molus X100 COB light, which is a 100W LED light that can be powered via USB.

I also used the Cable Matters USB4 cable, which is rated for 240W.

Using it with this power bank, I was able to achieve 65% brightness with a 65W output on one port and for some reason, it only shows 60W on the 2nd port (but with the same brightness).

Switching to a more real-world scenario, my Huawei Matebook 13 happily drew 60W.

One thing you should be aware of with this power bank. The power output is limited to 50W during device recharging when the battery capacity ranges from 0-15% and 85-100% instead of the full 65W load capacity.

Price and Alternative Options

PreviewProductRatingPrice
Anker Power Bank Anker Power Bank No ratings yet £50.50Amazon Prime

The Anker Prime 130-watt Power Bank has an RRP of £100. At the time of writing, this was out of stock on Amazon and Anker.

The large 20,000mAh capacity 200W model has an RRP of £130 with a £30 off voucher available.

The Anker Prime 27,650mAh Power Bank (250W) has an RRP of £180 with £30 off available.

The older Anker 737 Power Bank with 24,000mAh capacity is available for just £99.

Overall

If you were to judge this power bank based on the price for capacity, then it doesn’t look like very good value for money. You can pick up the Anker 737 Power Bank with double the capacity and a higher-rated PD output for about the same price.

However, for me, the selling point is the fact that it is a smaller power bank which makes it much more portable when walking around. I wouldn’t describe this as a small power bank, but it is small enough to fit in my jeans without it looking too weird, which I can’t do with the 737 power bank I currently have.

There are, of course, plenty of small power banks that are more pocketable than this, but they are typically restricted to 20W PD at most. With many phones accepting much higher charge speeds, I have become accustomed to being able to charge my phone quickly rather than leaving it tethered to a cable all day long.

The 65W output also gives you the flexibility to provide my laptop with some juice when I am working.  

Overall, I love this power bank so far. It will be my main travelling power bank in conjunction with the 737. The 737 can live in my backpack and be used when I am carrying around a lot of things, while this will be for when I want to keep the bulk down as much as possible.

Anker Prime 12000mAh Power Bank (130W) Review Rating

Summary

Even though this is a lot of money for the capacity, I think this is a superb power bank that is ideal for when you travel and need much more battery than normal for photos/videos/maps etc. The 65W PD output can also power my laptop and significantly extend the battery life when desperate.

Overall
80%
80%
  • Overall - 80%
    80%

Pros

  • Smallest 65W PD power bank that I am aware of, making it perfect for travelling

Cons

  • Poor value for money if you look at just the capacity

Last update on 2024-10-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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