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Anker PowerCore+ 26800

Jason O'Flaherty

After spending hours comparing different brands, capacities and features, I ended up settling on the Anker PowerCore+ 26800 and here’s why.

  1. I bought this specifically to take on my week long trip backpacking off grid. I am planning to film a lot and knew I needed high capacity. This power bank is up there near the top of the list before you start getting into either excessively large power stations or batteries that are not safe for airplanes. While I’m not flying on this trip, I wanted to make sure it could be taken on future trips as well.

  2. In addition, it needed to be compatible with all of my stuff. Last year I really tried to make sure nearly everything I own can use USB-C plugs so my battery bank needed to have one as well. The fewer cables that I have to carry, the better. Plus, USB-C has a multitude of other functions depending on the device. My phone can even charge other devices in a pinch.

  3. It also needed to be able to charge both itself and other devices quickly. I’m planning to carry 5-10 things on this trip that need charging and I can’t have one of them take several hours to charge. I need to be able to charge one quickly and move on to the next device so I’m not spending all my time focusing on batteries. This also means that it needs to be able to charge from more than one port at the same time so I can double or triple up on the devices. After a long day of hiking, I don’t want to have to stay extra time charging just so that I am ready to go in the morning.

  4. Lastly, it had to be from a brand I trust.

  5. A nice to have feature that I looked at was ruggedness. Is it water or drop resistant?

Eventually the list came down to just 2 devices, both from Anker

  • The Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD

  • The Anker PowerCore 26800

Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD

Both offer 26,800 mAh which is capable of charging my largest battery, my Pixel 3 XL (3430 mAh), almost 8 times. My other batteries are all around the 1,200 mAh capacity so they met criteria 1.

They are both by Anker, a trusted brand and a leader in power banks so they checked off criteria 4.

They both can charge from 3 ports at once and they both offer high speed charging of devices, as well as options to charge themselves quickly, meeting criteria 3.

Criteria 2 is where one stood out from the other significantly. The PowerCore+ has 2 USB-A ports and 1 USB-C which is capable of Power Delivery (a high power capacity standard) where as the PowerCore has 3 USB-A ports and 2 USB-Micro ports that are only good for charging itself.

Anker Powercore 26800

By going with the PowerCore+ I can reuse the USB-C cable for charging the power bank and for charging devices. With the PowerCore, I’d need to carry around 2 USB-Micro cables that are incompatible with most of my stuff so it’s extra baggage and one more thing to keep track of. Also, the PowerCore+, with its Power Delivery (PD), can charge itself in 4.5 hours using 1 PD capable charger (included) where as I’d need either 2 chargers or use 2 ports on a charger to charge the PowerCore in 6 hours.

Also, because the PowerCore+ can put out PD level power, it can charge high capacity devices, like laptops. It also offers higher speed charging of normal devices like phones compared to the speeds of the PowerCore.

I was also encouraged to see that FujiFilm, maker of my X-T3 camera, officially recommends the PowerCore+ for use with its cameras.

Unfortunately, neither had any water or drop resistance, but a good waterproof bag will serve the same purpose. It also has a pretty squishy carrying sack that should help protect it a bit.

Yes, I did end up paying twice as much for the extra features, but when you’re relying on a piece of equipment in the field, you have to pay for what you need.

I’ll be giving a post camping trip gear review and I’ll make sure to talk about if this power bank lived up to my expectations.

If you’re planning to buy one, I’d appreciate if you use my links below to help support my channel. It doesn’t cost any extra. I just get a little advertising revenue from Amazon.