Review: Anker Portable External Battery

Running out of phone battery is such as hassle. Unless you have a power cable with you and a ready supply of electricity there’s nothing you can do to bring your phone back from the dead. I have had this problem many times, usually at blogger events where my phone has to go longer without charging than on a normal day. This is particularly painful when I am not sure how to get home and usually rely on my nice travel app to show me the way.

Having spent a day out in London with some bloggers for work a few weeks ago I decided to look into other options. One of the bloggers with me, Evelyn from MissyBlurKit, came fully prepared with a number of portable external batteries which saved the day as she kindly let me recharge my phone via her battery. Having decided never to go through that experience again I decided to invest in my own portable battery.

I did some research and with some guidance from my husband I settled on the Anker 2nd Gen Astro E5 16000mAh 2-Port (3A Output) Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank with PowerIQ™ Technology for £20.99 from Amazon. Described as Amazon’s #1 charging brand, Anker has a large range of portable batteries – I wanted to make sure I had one with a large capacity that wasn’t too bulky for carrying around with me on days when my phone might need a boost.

My Anker battery’s capacity of 16000mAh from its premium LG battery cells is impressive, being able to charge the iPad Air more than once, the Galaxy S5 four times, the iPhone 5s over seven times and other smartphones multiple times. I usually carry 2 phones, a camera and a kindle with me, so the fact that it can offer so much charging power is a big thing! The battery takes about 8-9 hours to recharge. Using it is simple – attach one end of the included Micro USB cable to the battery and plug the other into your device! It also comes with a handy carry case and a built in torch!

I really like the LED system which shows you how much power is left in the battery and lets you know when it is fully charged. I tend to keep it fully charged at all times just in case. As for being portable, the battery’s dimensions are 6.2 x 2.3 x 15 cm and at 308 g it does have some weight to it which means I really only have it with me when I foresee a long day (I like to avoid having a heavy handbag!)

All in all I really like the product, it certainly offers peace of mind when I am out and about! It has a simple and sleek design and is easy to use and monitor via the LEDs. I am awarding the Anker Portable External Battery 4 out of 5 stars and will continue to rely on it to keep my devices going!