Anker's Nano Power Bank for iPhone is small in size but makes a big impact

Accessory maker Anker, best known for its line of mobile power banks and chargers, has recently released its newest power bank on a budget.

The Nano Power Bank is small in size but comes packed with many useful features. Released back in May, it’s part of a refresh by Anker to improve upon its power banks in regards to its environmentally-friendly design, as well as implementing the faster Qi2 charging standard.

With this Power Bank, you can shout “It’s over 9000mAh!” just like Vegeta from the Dragon Ball anime. As well as being at a great price point, the Nano Power Bank is a great fit for any backpack if you need to charge your iPhone quickly. With this in mind, I put it through its paces over the past couple of weeks to see how it held up when charging my iPhone 15 Pro Max when required.

Anker Nano Power Bank: Price and availability

Anker’s Nano Power Bank costs $39.99 / £39.99, which is great value for the amount of charge it offers. For example, if you have an iPhone 15, you can charge the phone up to 1.8 times.

You can buy the Nano Power Bank directly from Anker right now, but you can also buy it from Amazon and Walmart for the same price.

Anker Nano Power Bank: What I like

Anker’s Nano Power Bank is a great example of how big things can come in a small package. Featuring 10,000mAh of power, it can charge an iPhone 15 almost twice. With the power bank’s 30W Bi-Directional Charging, built-in USB-C cable, and additional USB-A and USB-C ports at the front, you can recharge the power bank to 50% in just 45 minutes or charge an iPhone 14 to 50% within 30 minutes. The PowerBank can also charge three devices at once, but be careful — 10,000mAh only charges your devices so much in this situation!

Using the Nano Power Bank over several weeks, I’ve found it to be very useful because of these features. I’ve been taking it out of my bag to quickly charge my iPhone 15 Pro Max while I’ve been out, as well as plugging it into my MacBook Pro to give it a small power boost.

I’m also a big fan of the Nano Power Bank’s design — it’s a curved rectangle weighing a light 7.58 oz. There’s a small screen to let you know how much charge there is left too, so you know exactly how much you have before you leave for a work commute. Its external case is also made from 80% recycled plastic, showcasing Anker’s effort to make sure the Nano Power Bank is environmentally friendly. Overall, the Power Bank feels well-made every time I hold it. It’s perfectly designed for portability, so if you’re looking for something small yet mighty, Anker’s Nano Power Bank is it.

Anker Nano Power Bank: What I don't like

There’s not a lot to dislike about the Nano PowerBank. It does exactly as promised, although there’s only one improvement I’d like to see in a future revision.

The lack of MagSafe, Apple’s method of magnetically attaching its products to accessories, feels like an obvious miss here. This addition would have allowed four devices to be charged at once — meaning an AirPods Pro case could attach through MagSafe. The size of the Power Bank allows for MagSafe, but it seems like this is something Anker purposely left out — perhaps due to pricing reasons.

Anker Nano Power Bank: Competition

There are countless power banks that you can buy right now — some are cheaper and some have a larger capacity You only need to look at our best portable battery bank guide to see the huge amount of varied products available in the category.

For example, take the UGreen 145W, 25,000mAh power bank. As this one is slightly longer than Anker’s Nano Power Bank in design, it means that there’s 15,000mAh more here to charge your devices with. It’s important to mention, however, that the price of UGreen’s power bank is $90 / £84, making it significantly more expensive compared to Anker’s power bank at $39.99 / £39.99.

For something that fits well in a bag, with a great design and enough ports to charge your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch all at once, we strongly recommend Anker’s Nano PowerBank if you’re looking for something easy to use to keep your devices charged.

Should you buy it?

You should buy this if…

• You crave a power bank with portability
• You need to charge more than two USB-C devices
• You’re on a budget

You shouldn't buy this if…

• You want a power bank with MagSafe
• You need a power bank that can charge your MacBook repeatedly in one charge

Verdict

The Nano PowerBank is a fantastic accessory. Despite its small design it offers a lot of useful features to keep your nearby devices charged when needed. At $39.99 / £39.99, it’s at a great price point for those who want a backup to keep in their back for those just-in-case scenarios. Granted, there’s no MagSafe, but it’s a small price to pay for what this power bank offers.