While most power banks accomplish the same objective, some power banks such as the PowerCore Plus 26800 do it breathtakingly fast via three super fast charging ports, one of which is a USB-C Power Delivery (PD) port capable of outputting 45 watts of power.
USB-C ports with Power Delivery are capable of outputting up to 100 watts, although with that much power you need a specific USB Type C cable with a marker chip to handle the power. These types of cables are called Electronically Marked Cable Assembly (EMCA), which are "active cables".
The USB Type C cable that is included with the Anker PowerCore Plus 26800 is "passive" as it has no electronics in it. Being a passive cable, the Anker USB C charging cable can safely deliver up to 45-watts, which is enough power to charge a HP Stream Series laptop or Dell Inspiron Series laptop at full speed.
The Anker PowerCore Plus 26800 is able to deliver 45 watts at two different rates to suit a range of laptops, including 15-volt/3-amp for laptops such as the Toshiba Satellite Radius, HP Elitebook and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The PowerCore Plus can also output 20-volt/2.25-amp, which is needed for laptops such as the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix and Dell XPS 13.
The Anker PowerCore Plus 26800 powerbank can also charge higher wattage laptops, although at lower speeds. For less power hungry devices like tablets and phones, the Anker PowerCore+ also comes equipped with two USB-A ports that can output 15 watts (5-volt/3-amp) each. When both USB-A ports are used at the same time, the current drops to 2.4-amp per port.
The Anker PowerCore Plus USB-C Power Delivery port has dual functionality too. It is also a power input port designed to recharge the power bank, which is done at different variable rates, including 5-volt/3-amp, 9-volt/3-amp, 15-volt/3-amp and 20-volt/2.25-amp. The USB-C port is set to input charge by default. To enable output charge to recharge external devices, the power button wheel has to be pressed once before inserting the USB-C charging cable.
In terms of charging performance, the Anker PowerCore Plus has a blazing fast charging performance that is much faster than any other USB-C power banks, including the PowerCore Lite, PowerCore and the PowerCore Speed upgraded version, all of which can only output a maximum of 12 volts, whereas the PowerCore Plus can output a maximum of 20 volts.
The Anker PowerCore Plus 26800 is truly a mammoth of a powerhouse but, all that power can only be achieved via a high output power adapter, which is conveniently included in the box. It is an Anker branded GaN power adapter (PowerPort Atom 3) that can fully recharge the PowerCore Plus power bank from 0% to 100% in just 3.5 hours. While the PowerCore Plus is recharging is not able to output charge.
The PowerPort Atom 3 can deliver a massive 60 watts of power in a small footprint, thanks to the use of Gallium nitride (GaN), which is the same technology used in the 30-watt PowerPort Atom 1. The PowerPort Atom 3 has the same sleak, high gloss design as the Atom 1 but, the Atom 3 is twice as heavy (125 grams) and twice as powerful (60 watts).
In terms of build quality, the PowerCore Plus 26800 PD housing is constructed solidly with metal casing, weighing 590 grams and, measuring 18cm long, 8cm wide and 23m thick. The PowerCore Plus design is minimalist with just  three connectivity ports and a power button located on the front.
The power button has a wheel design with ten tiny white leds doted around like an analog clock, each representing 10% of charge, which allows better management of low battery power. Most power banks typically have four battery led indicators, which is not as accurate to determinate how much charge there is left. The led located at 12 o'clock can also light up green color to indicate trickle-charging mode, which is enabled by holding down the power button.
Trickle charging mode, essentially, reduces the output charge for charging low mAh capacity gadgets such as headphones. While it maybe tempting to use full power for faster charging, there are a couple of reasons you actually don't want to be using this amount of power to recharge low power devices.
The first reason is that you can damage a device if it isn't equipped with an over-voltage protection. The second reason is shorter battery lifespan because, it is no secret fast charging decreases battery performance. You definitely don't want to charge a phone regularly via the PowerCore Plus 45W Power Delivery port, unless it is for emergency situations when you need to power up your phone real fast.
 Most power banks don't actually include the rated capacity anywhere on the product listing, not even on the power bank itself. Anker has included the rated capacity on the base of the power bank, which is handy to know if you want to learn the true charge capacity of a power bank. The Anker PowerCore Plus integrates eight batteries (3350 mAh each)so, the powerbank has a total 26,800 mAh cell capacity. 
The stated rated capacity is 6,700mAh, which seems a bit off since it should be close to 19832mAh. This is because power banks experience a power loss during the voltage conversion from 3.7 volt to 5 volt. The rated capacity rating tells you how much power the power bank can actually deliver

Gone are the days of bulky gadgets which are getting thinner than ever and so are portable power banks! The newest portable charger on the market is the Anker PowerCore Lite 10000, which is also one of the slimmest portable chargers you can buy today, weighing just 211 grams and measuring 144mm long, 72mm wide and 14.5mm thick.
The PowerCore Lite 10000 portable charger power bank comes with USB-C and micro USB inputs and one USB A fast charging speed output (using Anker's PowerIQ and VoltageBoost technology) which deliver the fastest charge possible but not faster than Qualcomm Quick Charge. The PowerCore Lite 10000 portable charger power bank can fully charge the iPhone 8 Plus, Galaxy S9 and iPhone X twice over and a bit.
As far charging time, the PowerCore Lite 10000 can charge and iPhone X in two and a half hours which is faster than charging the iPhone X via the included 5-watt USB-A charger. The PowerCore Lite 10000 charger is even almost as fast as Apple's 29-watt USB-C fast charger which charges the iPhone X is two hours five minutes.
The construction of the PowerCore Lite 10000 is similar to the PowerCore II with grippy matte black finish exterior, but with a thinner housing.
The led power/battery indicators also have a different design on the PowerCore Lite 10000 charger. Instead of the leds being located on the front of the unit, the led battery power indicators are located discreetly on the side of the unit.
The PowerCore Lite 10000 USB Type C port is input only. This mean, it does not output power nor Power Delivery so you won't be able to use it as a USB C power delivery port like you can with the PowerDrive+ Speed 2 car charger which can charge the new MacBook and Nintendo Switch from the 12V DC socket of a car.
With that said, the PowerCore Lite 10000 power bank has a trickle charging mode (led turns green) that turns the PowerCore Lite 10000 into a trickle charger to keep your gadgets charged at their full level without losing any charge. To enter trickle charging mode, press the button next to the USB port.
The PowerCore Lite 10000 holds battery charge very well too for several months without recharging, making the PowerCore Lite 10000 power bank a good option for backup power.
The Type-C/Micro USB inputs are 5V rated at 2A, while the USB A output is 5V rated at 2.4A. The battery capacity of the PowerCore Lite 10000mAh is rated at 37 watt hours (Wh). This means, if you plug in a device that draws 5W of power, the power bank will last 7.5 hours (if it draws 10W, the power bank will last 3.7 hours).
You can charge the PowerCore Lite 10000 via the micro USB port or USB C port but not both at the same time. Since each input port can input a maximum of 5V 2A, charging time takes 5.5 hours when using a 5V 2A wall charger (10 hours when using a 5V 1A charger).
Along with the PowerCore Lite 10000 portable charger, you get a micro USB cable, a silky drawstring pouch, a welcome guide, and 18-month warranty.

When traveling long distance it's always handy having extra phone battery without having to plug your phone into a wall electrical socket using a multiport wall charger. Extra charge is particularly useful  if you're a heavy phone user or want to help others charge their phones.
If your smartphone doesn't hold charge for very long carrying a powerbank is certainly the best way to extend the life of your phone!
Of course, all powerbanks are not created equal so it's worth looking for a fast charging power bank like the upgraded version of the Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 that can increase your recharge speed charging capacity.
To give you an idea of how much storage capacity the PowerCore Speed's 20000mAh battery holds, it can recharge a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 phone three times over, an Amazon Kindle e-reader three times over and an LG G7 phone two times over.
The Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 has a grip, ergonomic finish that makes holding it in the hand comfortable. The power button has an led clock-like design that shows the battery level per led.
While the Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 is heavier and bulkier (369 grams) than the PowerCore II 10,000mAh powerbank,  the PowerCore Speed 20000 does provide twice the battery storage as well as a 12W (5V/2.4A) output port and an 18W PowerIQ 2.0 output port that supports Qualcomm 3.0 quick charge (5-8V/3A, 8-10V/2.4A and 10-12V/2A) port so you can charge two devices at the same time.
Having a Qualcomm quick charge port is neat but keep in mind that non quick charge compatible devices will charge at normal speed via the Qualcomm quick charge port. The PowerCore Speed 20000 measures 17cm, 6.2cm wide and 2.2cm thick.
 It's also worth keeping in mind whether your phone supports Qualcomm quick charge because the Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 does not provide fast charging for the Zenfone 3 (ZE552KL).
 Many people believe the Zenfone 3 supports Qualcomm quick charge when in fact the Zenfone 3 does not support Qualcomm quick charge even though its chipset supports it. The deluxe version, Zenfone 3 Deluxe does support Qualcomm quick charge.
Neither the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X support fast charging standard, so you won't get fast recharging speeds using the Anker PowerCore Speed 20000. Both the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X use the new USB-C standard to charge at a rate of 15W (equivalent to 5V x 3A). Also, keep in mind that the Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 does nor provide charge for low input devices below 50mA.
The upgraded version of the Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 uses a 18W PowerIQ input port that supports Quick Charge 3.0 (5V/ 2A, 9V/2A and 12V/1.5A) as opposed to the 30W Power Delivery input/output fitted to the standard PowerCore Speed 20000 that makes charging and recharging  extremely fast (only 4 hours to recharge when using a 30W wall charger).
The upgraded version of the PowerCore Speed 20000 takes 6 hours to recharge and also gains an extra USB-A output.
Bear in mind though, that you have to use a quick-charge compatible wall charger with the upgraded version of the Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 otherwise recharging the powerbank takes 10 hours.

When you think about it, batteries are really nifty technology letting you store electrical energy so you can later withdraw it from them! With a portable power bank you get the same battery storage functionality as regular batteries but with smart circuitry to control power flow so you won't even have to worry about over-charging your devices.
There are plenty of portable chargers to choose from, all different from each other in size and features like fast charge, number of USB ports, etc.
The Anker PowerCore II 10,000mAh powerbank features best of both worlds when it comes to size as it weighs only 190 grams and measures only 9 cm long, 6.5 cm wide and 2 cm thick.
The Anker PowerCore II powerbank (model A1230) charges via a micro USB connector to a standard USB port to charge a variety of devices pretty fast thanks to PowerIQ 2.0 and 10,000mAh lithium ion batteries.
You can charge a Samsung S7/S8 twice over, iPhone 7 three times over and iPad Mini 4 once. You can charge pretty much everything withing 18 watts. That means anything above 18 watts like, the Samsung W700, you won't be be able to charge as it requires 25 watts of power to operate.
You can charge also Apple devices when using an original Apple charging cable or MFI-charging cable to charge Apple products. You can charge or power anything that requires power between 12 watts and 18 watts. Anything below 50mA the PowerCore won't be able to charge it either.
The PowerCore II battery status indicator is built-in the power button and consists of a clock-like wheel with eight small leds. Each led denotes how much charge is left in the PowerCore 2.
The PowerCore II also supports fast charging on the micro-USB input so the PowerCore II powerbank can be charged in just 4 hours when using a quick charge charger.
If using a USB charger with a 1-amp rating, full charge takes 10 hours. If using a 2-amp USB charger, the PowerCore II takes just 5 hours to fully charge.
Safety features integrated in the PowerCore 2 powerbank include: input/output high voltage protection, input/output current regulation, automatic current matching, input/output short circuit protection and static resistance.
PowerIQ 2.0 technology is also built-in to the PowerCore II. This technology works similarly to Qualcomm's fast charging technology by intelligently identifying what phone or tablet you are using and delivering the possible fastest charge between 3-amp at 5-volt, 2-amp at 9-volt, and 1.5-amp at 12-volt.