Anker PowerCore 10400 External Power Bank Review

Anker has been rolling out many different capacities of their new PowerCore line of external batteries. The PowerCore 10400 combines portability with power.

[review] This power bank comes with many of the same features of the PowerCore 13000 that I recently reviewed, at a slightly smaller capacity and weight.

PROs

• 10,400mAh capacity: The 10,400mAh is enough to recharge an iPhone about 4 times and an iPad about 1 time. This makes the unit great to have on hand when you’re traveling, camping, or otherwise away from an outlet for a day or two.
• Charge gauge: Tapping the power button on the side of the unit shows the remaining capacity of the Anker unit using 4 blue LEDs. This makes it easy to see if you need to charge the unit before your next trip.
• Design: I like the smooth, matte finish of the PowerCore 10400. It’s not a fingerprint-magnet like some of Anker’s earlier power banks. While it may be too big for your pocket, it is still easy to toss in a backpack or laptop bag.
• PowerIQ: This smart identification technology from Anker means that the unit can adapt to basically any device you plug it into it. In my video, you can see that the PowerIQ port provides 1 amp to my iPhone 5S, which is the maximum it can handle. I then use the same port with my iPad Air 2 and the Anker unit adapts, providing the 2 amp charge that my iPad needs to fast charge.
• 2 USB ports: This allows you to charge two devices at the same time. For example, you could charge your phone and a tablet at the same time, or you could share the second port with a friend to charge both of your phones simultaneously. Please note that this power bank outputs a maximum of 3 amps (see “CON” below).
• 2 amp input: Since this has a 10,400mAh capacity, it would normally take a long time to recharge. However, this Anker unit has a 2 amp input, so it charges twice as fast as other units (it can typically fully charge overnight at 2 amps). You will need a 2 amp charger to get the fastest charging speed, such as the charging brick that comes with an iPad or one of Anker’s own USB wall chargers. Don’t worry if you only have a 1 amp charger (like the charger that came with your phone) as it will still recharge this Anker unit, just at a slower rate.
• 18-month warranty: I used Anker’s customer service one time in the past when I had an issue with a charger and they were friendly and efficient.

CONs

• 3 amp total output: If you have an iPad connected to one of the ports and it’s using 2 amps to charge, then the remaining port will only be able to output 1 amp. This is fine to charge a phone, but if you need to charge 2 iPads for example, they will each get about 1.5 amps, meaning they’ll charge slightly slower than normal. This battery pack can’t fully recharge 2 iPads anyways, so this is likely not an issue for most people.
• Lightning cable not included: If you have an iPhone, you’ll need to use one of your own Lightning cables as one is not included with this PowerCore unit. It does come with a Micro USB cable which can be used to recharge the PowerCore itself and most Android phones.
• AC charger not included: This is typical with most power banks, but I thought I would point out that there is no AC charger included with this unit. You can likely use the power brick that came with your phone or tablet. In a pinch you could use your computer’s USB ports, but recharging can be extremely slow from a computer USB port (especially if it is an older USB 2.0 port).

What’s new? Anker’s new PowerCore line features a new matte finish compared to the shiny (and fingerprint-attracting) exterior of the Astro series. The internal battery cells have also been updated. Also note that there is no flashlight LED on this PowerCore unit.

Anker’s known for their high quality power banks, and the new PowerCore line from Anker is no exception. The solid construction and powerful performance in this PowerCore unit is great for keeping your gadgets charged while you’re on the go. And I like the dual USB ports that allow me to charge my phone and a friend’s phone at the same time.

Anker PowerCore 10400 (10400mAh 2-Port 3A Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank with Matte Finish)

— Sample provided for review