Let’s face it: chargers aren’t an exciting thing to talk about. Everyone uses them and they are a necessity for any modern tech device. But reading an entire article where someone raves about how cool a charger is? Sounds pretty nerdy!
So buckle up nerds because that’s what I’m about to do for the next few hundred words. A few months ago, Anker sent me the 747 Charger – the latest addition to their GaNPrime line of chargers. It’s probably smaller than the fast charger you’re currently using, has significantly more ports, and is a lot smarter too. It’s not the flashiest piece of tech I’ve used this year, but it’s certainly one of the most impactful.
Plenty of ports, light in size
The biggest immediate benefit of the Anker 747 is its port selection — with three USB-C ports and one USB-A port. Amazon has no shortage of multi-device chargers with five, six, or even ten ports, but these are almost always limited to slow USB-A outputs.
What’s impressive about the 747 is that it gives you three high-speed USB-C outputs, plus the full-size USB-A port for when you need it instead. And what’s even more impressive is how Anker has packed all of those ports into a shockingly small body.
Although the Anker 747 offers a maximum power output of 150W, it’s smaller than the 140W and 96W chargers that Apple ships with the M1 MacBook Pro. And don’t forget – these only offer a single USB-C port with less overall performance. Hell, it honestly isn’t the much larger than Apple’s 30w charger. It’s a ridiculous amount of ports/power for a charger of its size, and that was a big reason I used it so much.
When I’m home, the Anker 747 stays plugged into the outlet next to my bedside table. It runs a MagSafe charger for my iPhone, an Apple Watch charger, and always has two free ports when I need to connect something else. And when I’m traveling, the 747 allowed me to go from towing three to four Chargers to just one one.
It’s not like these multiple chargers took up a ton of space in my backpack/suitcase, but the peace of mind is amazing. Instead of triple checking I have every single charger I need for a trip, I now just need to make sure I’ve packed the Anker 747. If so, I know I’m good to go.
Fast, smart and reliable charging
But it’s not just the design of the Anker 747 that keeps me coming back. I also love the charger because it’s so fast. If you only use one port, the Anker 747 has a maximum output power of 100W. But if you use two, three or all four ports, it will output 150W of charging power. That’s more than enough speed to quickly charge an iPhone 14 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro, or Galaxy Z Fold 4. Heck, you can even fast-charge large tablets and laptops like a 2022 iPad Pro or M2 MacBook Air.
However, what’s particularly cool isn’t the rate at which the Anker 747 chargers charge devices, it’s how that the loading happens. With its PowerIQ 4.0 technology, the Anker 747 can detect the current battery life of the connected devices and prioritize the charging speed as needed.
Hell, you can even fast-charge large tablets and laptops.
Suppose you connect an iPhone 14 with 50% battery remaining and a Pixel 7 with only 10% battery remaining. The anchor 747 knows that the pixel is lower and therefore knows to charge it faster. And this isn’t a feature that you need to manually enable at any point – it’s just always running in the background, ready to use.
This is far less noticeable than a retro battery pack with a transparent design, but it adds a level of reliability that I appreciate far, far more. There’s no guesswork when it’s time to charge. I just plug everything in and walk away knowing everything will be charged quickly and efficiently.
My new go-to charger
Before I got the Anker 747, my charging setup was… not great. I keep a few single-device USB-C chargers in my office and usually just grabbed the next one when something needed charging. It was an inefficient and clunky method, but it’s the habit I’ve fallen into.
The Anker 747 completely broke that habit, and for the better. It has changed my charging life both at home and when travelling, making my life much easier as a result. Is it something I actively think about every day? no But I use the 747 every day and am regularly thankful for how well it does what it does.
There aren’t many chargers I’d recommend spending more than $100 on, but the Anker 747 more than deserves its $110 asking price. And apparently it’s worth around 800 words of nerdy praise too.
Editor’s Recommendations
