This Is My Favorite Power Bank For My MacBook Pro

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The Anker 737 portable power bank is available on Amazon for $82.
• It's a powerful, reliable power bank for all your devices, laptops included, and has one of the best color displays I've seen on a power bank.
  
  
• It's big and bulky, so it's definitely not something you'll slip into a pocket!

Some products are so good that I fall in love with them and they become part of my kit for the long term. 

The Anker 737 power bank is one of those products. I started using this back in mid-2022 and I still use it regularly. This power bank can output a full 140W of power needed to handle the most demanding workloads, such as the latest MacBook Pro, which needs 140W of power to fast-charge.

The Anker 737 has a very solid, brick-shaped construction, of exactly the sort of high quality I expect from a company like Anker. It has a battery capacity of 24,000 mAh, good for nearly five recharges of an iPhone 15, and more than one charge of the MacBook Pro.

That's a lot of power!

Also: Apple warns: Don't put your wet iPhone in rice. Do this instead

With a total power capacity of 86.4Wh, this power bank is fine for taking onto commercial aircraft (the limit there is 99.9Wh).

The kit comes with the Anker 737 power bank, a carrying case, a USB-C-to-USB-C cable, and a small instruction booklet that guides you through the features.

Anker 737 140W power bank tech specs

• Max output: 140W 
• Capacity: 24,000 mAh
• Ports: 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A
• Weight: 22.22 oz/630 g
• Dimensions: 6.13 × 2.15 × 1.95 in/155.7 × 54.6 × 49.5 mm
• FAA airline compatible: Yes

On one end are three USB ports (two USB-C, one USB-A), and there's also a small but bright and readable color display. On the side is a button that controls everything.

On the display you can see information on battery capacity, charge and discharge currents from the various ports, the time needed to recharge or discharge, temperature, battery health, and other info. 

This offers a great overview of the overall health of the power bank, as well as the power that's going into and out of it.

As for power output, the three ports are capable of outputting 140W of power, depending on the configuration:

• Single USB-C in use: Up to 140W
• Two USB-C ports in use:  Up to 140W
• One USB-C and one USB-A in use: Up to 100W for both USB-C, up to 18W for USB-A
• Two USB-C and one USB-A in use: Up to 122W for both USB-C, up to 18W for USB-A

There's also a trickle-charge feature for low-draw devices such as earbuds and the like. This is activated by double-pressing the button, and is handy because some power banks will automatically cut off if the current draw is low, leaving your earbuds stranded.

Inside are all the safety features you'd expect from a quality power bank, such as temperature sensing and over/under voltage protection.

As for charging, I managed to get the power bank to take in power at close to 130W using the Apple MacBook Pro 140W charger and the supplied cable. 

Anker says the supplied cable is rated for 140W, so it's a good idea to keep this handy for fast-charging if you have a 140W charger.

The Anker 737 is now my favorite power bank. The 140W output is a massive game-changer for keeping my MacBook Pro charged up when I'm out and about. The bright, crisp display adds value rather than being a gimmick, and the addition of a USB-A port along with the USB-C ports means that legacy devices don't get left out in the cold.

Also: Apple wants iPhone 15 users to chill out about their battery health

It has enough power to keep my devices changed, but not so much that I have to leave it behind if I go on a plane, and it has a display that is one of the nicest I've seen on a power bank. It makes good use of color and is easily readable no matter the conditions, day or night.

And everything is backed by Anker's 24-month warranty, which takes the stress out of the situation if you do end up with problems.

ZDNET's buying advice

At $150, the Anker 737 might seem a little pricey but you're getting a very high-quality power bank that delivers on all the claims made on the box, is easy to use, and is built for longevity. 

After all, this unit has survived a lot living with me over the past 19 months or so. It's been banged about in my laptop bag and suitcase, I've had it outdoors in cold, wet weather powering my GoPro cameras (it was inside a ziploc bag), and it's been used for testing a lot of devices. It's been charged and discharged a lot during that time and is still going strong.

And that color display is still one of my favorites. It's bright, clear, easy to read, and offers just enough information without feeling like I'm squinting at one of those novelty miniature books.

This is a great power bank, and now available for a great price!