Anker PowerCore III 10k Wireless review
In this era of “remote working” so many of us have had to convert areas at home into makeshift office space. The kitchen counter, a bedroom vanity, maybe you’ve hauled a desk in to the living room to make working from home a viable option. One of the drawbacks of this, of course, is space. Offices are designed to be, well, offices, where as the spare room isn’t. As a result, many people have attempted to make their set-up as efficient and streamlined as possible, necessitating the use of convenience items. In-ear buds for mobile phones, desk-top chargers and, of course, power banks.
If you’re using your mobile phone a lot more at home, it’s frustrating to find the battery close to empty as you’re on the way out the door somewhere, and products like the PowerCore III 10K Wireless from Anker is the ideal solution. A caveat to this one, first: it’s not light. While most power banks tend to be lightweight phone-sized devices, this one is a rubberised brick slightly bigger and certainly heavier than most phones.
It’s a nice-looking design, if that sort of thing matters to you in a power bank, plain black with an understated logo inside the wireless charging ring on the top side. The lightly brushed finish on top is a nice touch, too. It’s also sturdy. Don’t go dropping it down a flight of stairs if you can help it, but Anker have made this device to weather being jostled around in a bag or briefcase, maybe accidentally sat on during a busy commute, and dropped from standing height. None of the above will trouble it, and it’s also waterproof.
The battery inside is a 10,000mAh Lithium Polymer battery, which is a pretty hefty power store. From a full tank, I charged my phone 3 times, fully, before I had to top up the PowerCore (a little row of LEDs indicates remaining the power). It charges pretty quickly too, which will have something to do with the cable you use (please do try to use the one provided, but I know what it’s like to have a draw full of USB-Cs). You’ll also get a slower charge speed if you’re making use of the wireless QI function, which is a fair trade for the convenience of not needing to find or carry a wire – although not all phones support this feature. On the bottom face there are two ports, a standard USB and the USB-C port for charging the device itself and powering the wireless functionality.
Retailing for about £30, this is not a budget device and you will find much cheaper alternatives. However, Anker products tend to last. The PowerCore 10K Wireless packs a lot of power into a very durable frame, looks good on the desk, is easy to hold with your phone thanks to its grippy rubberised coating, and offers wireless charging. It’s not cheap, but it’s a high-quality, high-performance product that more than earns its pricetag.
