Review – Anker PowerCore mini 3350mAh 3rd Generation

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Anker PowerCore mini 3350mAh 3rd Generation power bank at a glance

The market has recently been flooded with these “lipstick” sized devices and a lot of them are mass produced and cheaply made. The Anker PowerCore mini defies the odds and manages to keep costs down whilst still providing quality components. It comes with its own micro usb cable but if you’re charging an Apple device, you’ll have to use your own.

*Check out the Anker brand page here.

Capacity & Charging speed

The Anker PowerCore mini boasts a battery capacity of 3350 mAh. Not bad for a power bank of this size. Internally, Anker haven’t skimped on the quality of their battery, nor the use of space within. Product performance varies a little depending on the unit, which is a shame. Especially because it’s clear that Anker have done all they can to fit the best technology into the smallest space possible. Their PowerIQ technology also smartly identifies the type of device its charging to optimize charging efficiency.

The Panasonic-Sanyo NCR18650BF Lithium Ion cell within is about as good as you can get in terms of cells these days. It’s just a shame that some reports of overheating and efficiency loss tarnish what is probably one of the best lipstick sized portable chargers on the market.

How many times will the Anker PowerCore mini charge my device?

Look and feel

Although I’m not personally a huge fan of the cylindrical-shaped power banks, they tend to be incredibly popular. In saying this, the Anker PowerCore mini portable charger looks pretty smart and manages to avoid that “tacky” look that some competitors have. On the black model, the surface is finished with a smooth, shiny matte and the lines are slick and tidy. There is a single light located at the end of the device to indicate charge. This is positioned on the same end as both the micro USB and regular USB inputs.

The Anker PowerCore mini Power Bank also comes in a range of colors and finishes.

Durability & Construction

Taking apart the Anker PowerCore mini reveals some quality wiring and design. They’ve made good use of space to fit all the quality components inside logically. It is a smaller battery and there have been some reports of some people only getting a few months of use out of it. This all depends on how much you use it and can also be affected by a whole range of other factors.

Regardless, contacting customer support will often end in success if you’ve not damaged the unit yourself. Some people also complained of some USB port faults which might be due to the materials used to protect the round face of the unit.

Portability

Well it doesn’t really get much more portable than this, quite literally lipstick sized. Based on the reputation of the lithium ion cell inside and the charging capacity of 3350 mAh, this might be the best bang for your buck portable charger around. There are power banks of a similar size and weight that claim to have a higher charge capacity. In most cases however, you are dealing with sub standard cells and are going to have a bad time after a few charges of any device.

Technical Details

Final Thoughts