Tired of cheap power banks? Anker 737 Prime is the ultimate solution

A power bank is one of those accessories that we usually don’t spend a fortune on. Most people I know use models for 100-200 PLN, and when they die – they buy another one for a similar amount. Against this background, the Anker 737 Prime is a product from another galaxy…

Anker is known for its accessories for smartphones, tablets, laptops and more. Recently, the company has also been successfully operating in the audio segment under the Soundcore brand. In terms of quality, it is a level above most manufacturers – more of a premium shelf, like Belkin and the likes.

Anker power banks have quite a reputation. I have heard many stories about how well they have served me for years. Moreover, tempted by these recommendations, last year I bought the PowerCore 737 model with a capacity of 24,000 mAh for about PLN 500, which I am very happy with.

Measuring 27,650mAh, the Anker 737 Prime is an even higher shelf – a kind of flagship in Anker’s power bank portfolio. And it must be admitted that it impresses with its capabilities…

Brick with display

The Anker 737 Prime is really big. The device measures 16.2 x 5.7 x 5 cm and weighs 668 grams. Transporting it without a backpack or bag will be a pain.

The design is reminiscent of previous power banks from this brand. Rounded, ribbed sides, a matte back, and a large, black glossy panel on the front. Hidden beneath it is a display that shows the battery status and other charging information. Right next to the screen, on the longer side, you can see a large round button – it is used to turn the device on, but also to control its functions (and there are several of them here).

All ports are located on the upper, shorter side. Here we have two USB-C in/out connectors compatible with Power Delivery 3.1 and one USB-A port (output only) with the Anker IQ2 function that intelligently adjusts the charging speed to the device.

On the bottom, we have a wealth of information about the cells used inside, as well as a five-pin docking station connector. Unfortunately, this is sold separately. A trained eye will also notice three tiny holes here – hidden beneath them is a speaker used primarily by the “Find My” function built into the device’s app. It emits a sound that makes it easier to find a lost power bank.

Control and application

The Anker 737 Prime has a small operating system on board. After waking up the device, you will see the basic charging parameters on the screen. Pressing the button again will take you to the Bluetooth module activation screen, which is used to communicate with a dedicated application (more on that in a moment). Subsequent presses take you to other screens, allowing you to adjust the screen’s timeout or brightness, among other things. Controlling these functions is relatively simple and simply comes down to holding the button on the case for a longer period of time.

However, the full potential of the device can only be used after connecting it to the dedicated Anker app. The pairing process is quick and easy, so it won’t cause anyone any problems. Interestingly, in my case, I had to update the firmware immediately after establishing the connection – I have to admit that this is my first ever power bank update.

The application allows us to monitor the device’s operating parameters in real time. Here we have information about the current charging speed – total and divided into individual ports. The program also generates graphs, so we can see how these indicators have changed over the past hours. Here we also have information about the battery temperature and the total number of charging cycles.

Moving on to the settings, we can slightly customize the theme of the device’s main screen (it basically comes down to two options – displaying voltage and current or hiding this information and showing only the charging power). Another setting allows us to limit the charging speed – both at the output and input – in order to extend the battery life. There is also an option to limit the functionality of the first of the USB-C ports (I don’t know why only its own) to in or out mode. There is also a powerbank locator function.

A particularly cool addition here is the ability to enter information about the gadgets we own – their capacity and battery condition. Thanks to this, the application will constantly display information about how many times we will fully charge each of them using the available energy. What’s more, we can permanently pin this information to one of the dashboards displayed on the powerbank screen.

As you can see in the attached screenshot, the Anker 737 Prime allows you to fully charge an iPhone 15 Pro Max 4 times or charge an iPad 11 Pro (M4) twice. In the case of my 14-inch MacBook Pro, it is less than once, and in the case of Steam Deck – 1.2 times. These data match reality – the differences are really insignificant.

Loading speed

Let’s get to the most important thing – the capabilities of this brick. Anker 737 Prime consists of 7 cells with a capacity of 3950 mAh each, which gives a total capacity of 27650 mAh. This is the maximum that we can take with us on board a plane without having to report it to the airline.

The total maximum power with which the powerbank can charge our devices is 250 W. Whereas one USB-C port can operate with a maximum power of 140 W. In the case of the USB-A port, it is 65 W.

How does this break down when you connect multiple devices to the Anker 737 Prime? If you use both USB-C ports – the first one will work at 140W, and the second one will “grab” the rest – in practice, this is less than 100W. If you connect something to all three ports, the first one will still have the full 140W, the second 92W (in practice, this is less than 90W), and only 18W will remain for USB-A.

These are stunning parameters that most users don’t really need. I doubt anyone has devices that can fully utilize the capabilities of this power bank. Laptops will definitely benefit the most from them – it took me less than half an hour to charge my MacBook Pro 14 50%. In the case of other gadgets, the bottleneck will usually be the gadgets themselves, not Anker.

The Anker itself can be charged with a maximum power of 170 W, which allows you to get 100% in just 37 minutes. To do this, you need to connect cables to both USB-C ports and, of course, have a sufficiently powerful charger. However, I personally do not recommend using this option regularly, because it is deadly to the battery (the powerbank itself reduces power at 55% to protect the cells). Using just one port, which gives us a maximum of 140 W, should be enough and will take just a little longer, an hour. Besides, even then we need a sufficiently powerful charger, and those offering more than 100 W are relatively expensive.

Of course, the whole thing is complemented by an extensive security system, which Anker calls ActiveShield 2.0. It is supposed to monitor the temperature of the power bank up to 3 million times a day, as well as protect against any other anomalies. Considering the manufacturer’s reputation, I would rather be calm about this aspect.

The best powerbank on the market?

I would have to test all other power banks to be able to answer this question with a clear conscience. In the case of power banks, the key factor is the lifespan of the batteries used in them. What good are great features and fast charging if the capacity of the cells starts to decrease after a year? In the case of Anker, you can be quite calm about it – however, it still remains an unknown and several weeks of testing will never provide an answer to the question about the durability of the batteries used. You have to keep that in mind.

Nevertheless, the Anker 737 Prime is a super-power bank that most of you probably don’t need. It has phenomenal charging parameters, impressive capacity, and a very useful app (not to mention the screen itself). Of course, it’s big and heavy – but not so big that you can’t throw it into a small bag or backpack.

If you are looking for an absolute solution – a power bank that has everything and won’t give in to any gadget – this is the answer to your needs. I warn you, however, that you will have to pay a lot for it, because the Anker 737 Prime is priced at PLN 779 in stores. And it is a large and heavy gadget that you probably won’t fit in your jeans pocket when going to a concert or driving around town – but that’s probably obvious, considering the capacity of this monster.

It is worth adding that it is available on Amazon on Prime Day. buy a little cheaper – for 629 PLN. Similarly, as well as a lot of other devices of this brand.