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If you need a USB charger for a phone, a tablet, a laptop, or really anything that charges over USB, there is an Anker in this lineup for you. Anker sent me seven of them for free to test: four small wall chargers and three desktop charging stations. They had no input in this post, and everything here is based on using them in the real world.
The hard part is not that any of these are bad. They are all good. The hard part is picking the right one, because the answer changes completely depending on how many devices you charge at once and whether you want something to throw in a bag or something to live on a desk. Here is how I would choose.
The 140W Laptop Charger is the wall charger to beat, but the right Anker for you depends entirely on how many devices you run and where you plug in.
- 140W max out of a single port, with three USB-C ports plus a USB-A
- A screen on the front lets you monitor what each device is pulling
- Folding prongs, and it is the only one that includes a USB-C cable in the box
- Handled my 14-inch MacBook Pro running Final Cut and Photoshop with no trouble
- Some people have found it can struggle to sustain the full 140W
- The screen costs it a little efficiency
- It is close in price to the smaller, more portable Prime 100W
Wall chargers: what to get for a bag or a wall outlet
These are the small, plug-into-the-wall chargers with folding prongs. They are what you want if you are traveling or you just need something tidy behind a nightstand. There are four of them, and they climb in power and port count as you go up.
The Nano 30W is the smallest. One USB-C port, tops out at 30W, which is exactly enough for an iPhone or any iPad. If you only ever charge one device at a time, this is all you need.
The Dual 47W is the one I would tell most people to buy instead of Apple’s adapter. Two USB-C ports, still very compact. It does 45W out of a single port, and if you use both it splits to roughly 27W and 20W. That is enough to keep an iPad and an iPhone going together, or to charge a MacBook Air on its own with power to spare.
The Prime 100W steps up to two USB-C ports and one USB-A, and 100W is enough to charge a 14 or 16-inch MacBook Pro. My one wish is that it had three USB-C ports instead of two USB-C and one USB-A. Note that using multiple ports splits the power and drops your total output a little, so a MacBook Pro running heavy apps while charging other things can strain it.
The 140W Laptop Charger is my favorite of the wall chargers. Three USB-C ports plus a USB-A, 140W max out of a single port, and a screen on the front so you can watch the output. The ports are all on the bottom, which looks clean on a wall, and it is the only one in the group that comes with a USB-C cable in the box. It kept a phone, tablet, and laptop going at once without complaint.
| Charger | Max power | Ports | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nano 30W | 30W | 1x USB-C | One phone or iPad at a time |
| Dual 47W | 45W (splits to 27W/20W) | 2x USB-C | Phone and tablet, or a MacBook Air |
| Prime 100W | 100W | 2x USB-C, 1x USB-A | A laptop, or a phone and tablet |
| 140W Laptop Charger | 140W | 3x USB-C, 1x USB-A | Laptop plus a phone and tablet together |
Desktop charging stations: for a permanent home base
These are bigger, they use an external power cord or power supply, and they are meant to live on a desk or nightstand. In exchange for the size you get a lot more ports and a lot more total power.
The Prime 200W is the value pick. Six ports (four USB-C and two USB-A), and even though it is a 200W unit, any single port maxes out at 100W, which is fine for most laptops. Use just two ports and you still get 100W out of each USB-C. It is a real jump in size over the 140W wall charger, and you have to carry the power cord, but it is plenty to keep a laptop plus a pile of camera batteries and accessories topped up.
The 250W is the more advanced version. It adds a screen and a knob for extra functions, and it can push 140W out of a single port. Run two USB-C ports and you get 140W from one and 100W from the other. It is barely bigger than the 200W in practice, and I like it a little more for being able to monitor the wattage going to each port.
The 240W Station with pop-up outlets is the niche one. It is bulky and has a big detachable power supply, but it has actual AC outlets that pop up flush from the top, plus switches and scheduling through the Anker Prime app. Four USB-C, two USB-A, 240W total, and 140W max per port. It is great if you need standard wall outlets at your setup, but it is a whole ordeal to move.
| Charger | Total power | Max per port | Ports | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime 200W | 200W | 100W | 4x USB-C, 2x USB-A | Best value, most power for the money |
| Prime 250W | 250W | 140W | 4x USB-C, 2x USB-A | Screen, knob, higher per-port power |
| 240W Station | 240W | 140W | 4x USB-C, 2x USB-A | Pop-up AC outlets and app control |
The catches worth knowing before you buy
None of these are dealbreakers, but they are the things I would want to know first.
- On every multi-port charger here, the power splits when you use more than one port, so your total output drops. A 100W charger is not 100W to each device at the same time.
- The Prime 100W can struggle if you run a 14 or 16-inch MacBook Pro on heavy apps like Photoshop or Final Cut while also charging other devices.
- The 140W Laptop Charger has been reported to sometimes struggle to sustain the full 140W, and the screen costs it a bit of efficiency. I did not run into problems on my 14-inch MacBook Pro.
- The 240W Station is genuinely bulky. It is only worth it if you specifically need the pop-up outlets.
So which Anker charger should you buy?
Here is the short version, matched to how you actually charge.
- One iPhone or iPad, one at a time: the Nano 30W.
- Phone and tablet together, plus the occasional MacBook Air: the Dual 47W. Just a little bigger, a lot more flexible.
- Mainly a laptop, or a phone and tablet, but never three at once: the Prime 100W. Small and compact.
- A laptop plus a phone, a tablet, and more, all at once: the 140W Laptop Charger. This is my favorite wall charger.
- Best value on a desk: the Prime 200W. Plenty of juice for a laptop and everything else, as long as you do not need multiple laptops at full tilt.
- Multiple laptops or higher per-port power on a desk: the 250W, especially if you like the screen.
- You need real pop-up AC outlets: the 240W Station, and only then.
The verdict
There is no single best Anker charger here, and that is the honest answer. For a wall charger, the 140W Laptop Charger is the one I keep reaching for, because it handles a laptop and a stack of other devices without flinching and it comes with a cable. If you never charge three things at once, the smaller Prime 100W does the job for less bulk. On a desk, the Prime 200W is the value play and the 250W is the one to get if you want the screen and more power per port. Skip the 240W Station unless you specifically need those pop-up outlets. Match the charger to how many devices you run, and any of these will treat you well.
