There is an overwhelming number of chargers out there with different power and port combinations, it's nearly impossible to know which one to go for. But when it comes to plugging in my most essential devices, I want to plump for a name I trust, and for years I have used and trusted Anker products.
Always developing, Anker has just unveiled its new Prime series of chargers, and the one at the top of my list was the Anker Prime 250W, which looks set to offer all the power I need for my desktop setup, but now with a new screen that shows contextual information about my charging speeds.
As the name suggests the Anker Prime 250W has a total combined output of 250W split across its ports. There are six ports altogether, with four USB-C ports on the front and two USB-A ports on the side for older devices. These ports all have different ratings based on how many are in use at one time, with the maximum for one port being 140W, two ports being 140W+100W, and six ports as 70W+70W+45W+30W+15W+15W.
But with plenty of competition, is this just another charger to get lost in the lineup, or does the new screen actually offer something useful that makes charging better? Let’s find out.
Anker Prime 250W: Specifications
Anker Prime 250W: Price
At $169/£169 you are definitely going to find cheaper chargers that offer the same or greater capacity. My previous desktop companion was the Ugreen 300W charger, which was $40 less but for 50W more power.
However that isn’t the selling point of the charger, with the Anker Prime 250W charger you are paying for a charger that is smarter than most other chargers, and one of the only ones that are actually going to both show your charge rates. It just depends on how important that is to you.
Anker Prime 250W: Design & Handling
The Anker 250W charger is a smart-looking device, it has a low profile, so it can easily slip onto a small shelf or under a monitor riser, although unfortunately it is designed to only be horizontal, and while it works just fine in a vertical orientation, it will look wrong. And for those with cable tidies, the power source can be disconnected from the back, so threading it through desks is possible.
The big design feature though is the screen up front, this gives a constant readout of the amount of power going through each USB-C port, as well as the total power consumption for the entire charger.
It’s not essential to know this, but it is useful. I know my MacBook Pro is constantly drawing around 10W when the lid is closed, which makes me much more anxious to pull out the charger when it is not in use and save my electric bill. The screen is not the sharpest screen around, but I found it easy enough to see, and it has some very nice touches like little animations when things are plugged in.
There is a knob on the side of the 250W charger which can go through the menu, which has a few options for selecting which power port to prioritize power to, otherwise the device “AI” is meant to balance this for you based on each device's max draw speeds. Otherwise, you can turn off individual ports altogether or select screen brightness.
The charger also has Bluetooth and WiFi so you can link it with the Anker app on your phone to see what is using power when you are away and shut off each USB-C port if it's a concern. I am not entirely sure this is necessary, but also why not?
Anker Prime 250W: Performance
The performance seems to match what it says on the box – although I have struggled to push it to its capacity. I have plugged in two MacBook Pros (Macbook Pro 13in and MacBook Pro 16in) as well as two Pixel phones (Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel 6a) and a set of Pixel Buds headphones, and still not maxed out the 250W, so this really is enough for everything on a normal desk, or charge up multiple devices at once.
I have also done my usual test of running my Zhiyun COB lights that require 100W each at full brightness. The Anker 250W handled with flying colors with dual port power of 140W+100W – impressive stuff.
I am not sure what the "AI" Anker is using to manage power between the ports, but it either worked so seamlessly that I didn't know it was there, or it doesn't really do very much, but all the devices I plugged in just charged at the maximum speed so I just left the charger to do its thing.
Anker Prime 250W: Verdict
The Anker 250W charger looks great, and while I initially thought the screen might be more of a gimmick, it has proven to be quite useful. Not only has it helped me ensure my devices are charging as quickly as possible, but with rising energy costs, it’s become a little indispensable for monitoring how much power my devices consume when not in use, so I can disconnect anything that isn’t essential.
The 250W output was more than sufficient for powering everything on my desk, and easily handled multiple devices simultaneously without any issues, including multiple laptops, phones, earbuds, and other small devices. I have not managed to max out the power, so I think for most regular desk setups this will be all the power you're going to need.
✅ Buy it...
- If you want a smart-looking desktop charger for your desk.
- If you would find it useful to know how much power each of your devices is drawing at any time.
🚫 Don't buy it...
- If you want the biggest power output available from a single charger.
- If you have no interest in knowing how much power your devices are using.
