Everything in regards to the Anker Prime 250W Charging Station is overkill, and that makes it the perfect Black Friday 2024 deal. It will get you an over-the-top charging station for a extensive number of devices at a way more wise worth than normal.
I’ve been utilizing the chunky charging dock for a few months, and it has most likely all of the charging potential most individuals will ever want.
A way more affordable worth
Usually $170, the Anker Prime 250W Charging Station is a large amount of cash for a charger. However, at $110 within the Black Friday deal on Amazon, it’s much better worth contemplating the quantity of energy, options, and flexibility obtainable. There are six charging ports in all — 4 USB-C and two USB-A — and, because the title suggests, a complete of 250W charging energy.
What makes the charging station so versatile is its vary of charging speeds, LCD show, and intelligent aspect management. The main USB-C port can cost at 140W, making it appropriate for laptops. Anker claims a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro’s battery will totally cost in 90 minutes. The different entrance USB-C ports present a most of 100W charging every, whereas the USB-A ports on the aspect of the Charging Station ship a most of twenty-two.5W to connected units.
Charging speeds are proven on the station’s LCD display, and you’ll manually modify each utilizing the dial on the aspect of the unit and choose precedence charging in case you’ve acquired a number of units plugged in. Or you possibly can choose Anker’s AI Power Mode and let the system robotically detect the ability every gadget requires after which fine-tune it to your desire. There are even totally different modes to cost two laptops concurrently or a number of units at slower, constant speeds in a single day.
Is the Anker Charging Station overkill?
Think that’s a lot? I haven’t even begun to clarify the extent of overkill but. The Charging Station has Wi-Fi inbuilt, which permits it to indicate the present time on the entrance, and there’s an app for the charger, too. Through it, you possibly can modify lots of the options remotely as an alternative of utilizing the display and side-mounted dial (it’s no dangerous factor, because the dial system may be a bit fiddly), obtain firmware updates for brand new options and assist for brand new requirements, and even view energy curves.
All this is earlier than the numerous security and cost safety options, plus a steady temperature monitor to make sure the unit doesn’t overheat. There is not any query the Prime 250W Charging Station provides extra options, offers extra data, and sure extra energy than many individuals will ever want. But in case you’re like me and personal a laptop computer, multiple telephone, a smartwatch, headphones, and a sensible ring that each one want charging and have totally different charging necessities, then all of the sudden the Charging Station begins to make a lot of sense.
The show, clock, app, and Wi-Fi connection are all loopy options for a charger, and whereas none are absolute requirements, I actually admire the flexibility to replace the firmware. After all, this is an costly sufficient charger that you must have the ability to maintain and use for a number of years, and it could be very welcome if it obtained updates to allow assist for the most recent charging protocols, supplied the {hardware} is appropriate.
Built to final
The Anker Prime 250W Charging Station is a chunky factor, and its building provides me confidence it would maintain up over time. The steel physique and inside electronics make it fairly heavy at 643 grams, plus a thick two-pin cable attaches centrally to the again of the unit. Once it’s in place, you’ll most likely wish to maintain it there, and the rubber runners underneath the case will definitely cease it from shifting round if you tug on the cables. The good factor is, with the clock displayed on the LCD display, it even serves a operate when it’s not charging a gadget.
It’s a laborious promote at $180 except you’re completely certain you’ll get probably the most from its potential charging speeds and options, however at $110, it’s a lot simpler to justify.
After all, it’s not laborious to personal 4 and even 5 units that commonly want charging lately, and plugging all of them into a single “station” is all the time preferable to having 4 or 5 separate chargers dotted round the home or plugged into an extension lead. I’ve set the charger up in my front room on a shelf and plugged {hardware} in when wanted. It has been dependable and helpful, and I love its geeky information overload I by no means thought I’d wish to know, like charging voltages.
It has taken over from the Anker Prime 200W Charging Station, which now resides in my bed room. If you’re not satisfied you’ll want the 250W mannequin’s display, Wi-Fi, and energy, the 200W Station does away with these options, slims the physique down, and may be yours for $56 in Amazon’s Black Friday deal. Both are in common use in my house, and I’m comfortable to advocate both, particularly at these much-reduced costs.
