Backfill · 2024
#291 of 363Anker 737 Power Bank
Press shot: the Anker 737 power bank in black, standing upright with its LED display showing wattage output, three devices connected via cables.
My laptop died during finals week last semester and I was sitting in a library with no open outlets and a paper due in 3 hours. Situation makes you reconsider your relationship with battery life. I bought the Anker 737 the next day. It weighs about as much as a small textbook, which isn't ideal. At 140 watts it can charge a laptop and that changes the math on whether carrying extra weight is worth it. A display on top shows wattage in real time so you know exactly how fast power is flowing. I've started checking it the way I check my phone for notifications. I plug my laptop in, watch the number climb to 98W, and feel a weird sense of relief. Three USB-C ports and 1 USB-A means I can charge my laptop, phone, and earbuds simultaneously. Sounds excessive until you are the person in the group project who can keep everyone's devices alive. Build quality is solid aluminum with rounded edges, and it sits flat on a table without sliding around. Battery capacity is 24,000 mAh, enough for about 1.5 full laptop charges or 5 phone charges depending on the device. I keep it in my backpack every day now and the weight has stopped bothering me because the alternative is worse. My friends have started asking me to bring it to study sessions, which says more about campus outlet infrastructure than about me.