Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Anker [Upgraded to 6700mAh] Astro E1 Candy-Bar Sized Ultra Compact Portable Charger, External Battery Power Bank, with High-Speed Charging PowerIQ Technology

Top positive review

Great for backpacking!

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020

I was looking for a small lightweight battery pack for backpacking. Primarily to charge my iWatch (yea I know - I'm a slave to the rings) every night and top my iPhone X off a bit to make it last an entire week for photos. Impressive amount of power in this little brick for the size and weight. I charged my iWatch every night to 100%. I didn't charge my phone until it hit about 30% battery on the fourth day. Recharged my phone to full capacity the fourth night and charged it to full on the fifth (it was only down about 4%). Still had about 40% power left on this battery pack when I came off the trail on day 6! See below for more details about how I managed the power settings on my devices to pull this off.

About the only way you can make this power cell better for backpacking is waterproofing it. I threw it in a small dry bag with some other gear and solved that problem though.

One thing that makes this charger stand out is the ability to charge an iWatch. Many battery packs require a certain level of power draw to keep them on and charging. The iWatch (and recent updates to my iPhone it would seem) fall below the threshold for some battery packs. This is one of three batteries that I have tried that actually stays on long enough to charge to 100%

A few other notes and comments:
* With a 1A source it takes about 7 hours to recharge this unit. The Similar Power Core II (vs the e1) admits 2A for half the time. 7 hours is long if you just want to hit town to grab lunch and move on. Not my norm, but you might want to consider the II.
* This unit outputs 2A and will satisfy the faster charging times for a newer iPhone and similar devices. I haven't officially timed it, but I feel like my iPhone would charge to full (assuming the special low rate prediction algorithm doesn't kick in) in about four hours.
* I have not tried an after market split cable to charge my phone and watch at the same time. I'd recommend not doing this despite theoretically having enough juice at 2A. I feel that the iPhone and Watch fight each other for power and both together charges slower than just doing one at a time. Again haven't measured it. Just casual observation. I bought a 6" lightening cable and just pack my watch cable. The watch doesn't take long (maybe an hour or two?) to charge from 50% and you can swap your phone in before you crash.

Some comments about how I achieve high battery life out of my phone and watch and thereby stretch out the battery pack.

Watch:
* When charged put the watch into Power Reserve overnight when it's off the charger to conserve battery. You can still get the time, but otherwise the watch is in super sleep mode and uses almost no power.
* Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

iPhone Settings:
* Go into Battery and enable low power mode
* Go into Privacy and turn off location services (location services are a real hog!). Of course if you intend to use a maps app while backpacking you'll need to turn this on for GPS and perhaps this battery isn't the power solution for you.
* I don't think it matters, but I close all apps just to be super sure background processing is avoided as far as I can take it.
* Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
* Turn off your phone while it's charging.
* You might be tempted to turn your phone only when you use it and then turn it off again right away. DON'T! The boot cycle appears to consume a huge amount of power. Likely doing system checks and other tasks before battery management is engaged. You are better off starting up your phone once a day, letting it run all day, and turning it off at night.

At the end of the day I'll enable Bluetooth on both for a little while to let them sync up and then turn Bluetooth off again.

I'm sure similar settings are available on Android and would have a similar benefit.

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Benn

battery is fine, not sure about the cable

Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2018

Been using the power bank for a while with mixed feelings.

The power bank itself works just fine. The annoying thing is the cable coming with it. Somehow this original cable provided by Anker dose NOT charge this Anker power bank. If you have ever tried to charge the battery with this cable, you know what I mean. After the whole night, still only 2 blue LED's blinking and it won't reach full charge no matter how long you wait.

The other weird thing is that it seems that this power bank is quite picky on which cable it likes. I've tried the cables from Samsung, Microsoft, Dell. No luck. None of the cables would charge the battery. BUT somehow I have this one generic cable with no brand name can do the trick. It works with the power bank. And it is the only one I can find around my apartment that can charge the battery. So I can use the power bank now, but unfortunately, I cannot put a 2nd cable in my office to make my life a little bit easier. I just have to carry the cable with the battery together around all the time. Not a major problem, but really annoying. I have so many cables but still have to carry one all the time. I don't know what if I lost this magic cable.... Other than that, the device works fine.

3 people found this helpful

3,616 total ratings, 1,666 with reviews

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From the United States

Great for backpacking!

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

Helpful

Customer

Everyone NEEDS one of these!

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

Anker hits another home run. I am so glad I purchased this item. As advertised, it is , compact and Powerful. It's actually smaller than it appears in the photographs. It comes with a mesh carrying case with a drawstring closure. It has a simple indicator showing the strength of the battery remaining. I have a c-type phone and it works just fine. I simply use my regular chords to connect the battery to the phone and I can use any standard cord to charge the battery. The convenience of being able to recharge your phone when you don't have access to a power outlet is more than convenient. So many tech devices are just an improvement on something you already have or something that's nice to have that you don't really need.
YOU NEED TO HAVE ONE OF THESE. I have been in multiple situations where this wonderful device has rescued me from potential disaster. I depend on my phone and now I can depend on this Anker battery charger to keep it working under any circumstances

I've even had the experience of being in an airport and helping out a fellow passenger who was unable to reach his family because his phone had died and he didn't have access 2 an outlet. I've been in several similar situations and people are amazed by the size and speed with which it will power up your devices.
In addition, it's made by one of the most customer loyal, sincere tech companies out there. If you have a problem, they will fix it immediately. I've never experienced a tech company that stands behind its products and offers such personalized and rapid responses
My research indicated that they are without question the leader in battery charging technology, it's actually true what they say, they are the innovators and are taking over this market and there's a good reason for that
I will be giving these as Christmas gifts, there are several different models depending on your needs.
On a side note, due to ankers quality and service, they are my go-to tech company. 4 the simple things like charging cables, when I'm tempted to skimp and use one of the other cheaper companies, I remember that I can always buy from Anker with confidence and get a long-lasting high quality product backed by a company that's not happy unless you're happy no matter when you bought the product.
I have purchased for myself and given as gifts a speaker they make a tiny tiny Cube and just like this charger everyone who sees it is delighted and surprised. If only every company were like this.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Michael Hilyard

Solid compact portable charger

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

I purchased this about 5 months ago for a trip abroad since I knew I would be using navigation apps, google translate and my gopro camera and would need something small for extra power. This charges my S7 edge almost 2 times and it's really fast which is nice. It's small enough that I don't feel it in the pocket of my jeans and when it's in a jacket pocket it's light enough that it doesn't weigh down one side of my jacket or anything. A very solid charger and sized to take with you without feeling like you are carrying a diesel generator or something huge. I also use it when I play pokemon go which kills batteries and with this, that's no longer a concern. The cable it comes with is the perfect size and length for this as well which is nice. Feels fairly sturdy, I haven't dropped it but I throw it in my bag with the cable plugged in and the usb port hasn't started getting loose or anything like some other chargers I've got. The only thing that could be improved upon is the speed at which the battery pack itself is recharged (it's right in line with recharging any other battery charger at 5V/1A input but it would be nice if it could be recharged at 5V/2A speeds or something) Not that big a concern given that it lasts all day for realistic usage by one person.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Austin Stewart

Great bank for the price

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2019

Verified Purchase

So, this was the first power bank I had ever ordered, and I bought it to offset my aging phone's dying battery, and cause I like to play Pokemon Go. My phone usually won't survive through a whole community day on its own anymore, so I looked into replacing the battery or getting a power bank. Turns out, the power bank was a cheaper and better option (although I still will replace the phone battery separately). Anyway, was reading about power loss, and I guess it cannot be totally mitigated, but this things 6700mah battery/batteries are enough to fully charge my phone from 10% twice before I need to recharge the bank itself. It's small, relatively light, easy to just throw wherever (pocket, bag, box, car, etc.) and was well worth the purchase.

I waited to make my review until I had a bit of time using it, power cycled roughly a dozen times, no issues. Doesn't come with its own charger, so I've been using one from a different power bank and that recently crapped out, now I'm using my phone charger itself to charge the bank, and it works fine.

All in all, if you're sorta on a budget and want a pretty nice power bank for the same cost as lesser ones, you couldn't do much better than this one right here. (Keep in mind, this is the first and only power bank I've used, don't really know what you'd expect out of these outside of longevity).

Helpful

S. K.

Good Charger But Not Perfect

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

I’ve bought a few Anker products and am normally very happy. The charger is good but not great in my opinion. First, the good. It’s very small and fits into your pocket very easily and charges my Iphone very fast. It’s and faster than my older Anker charger which I cannot find in my house. Now, the bad. It seems to take a long time for the charger itself to fully charge itself. Second, and this is more on me for not paying better attention to the product specs before purchasing, I was aware that I would need to use my IPhone adapter. I didn’t read carefully enough to see that I also need to use the Iphone lightening cord. The black cord that came with the charger has an end that looks like it should fit into the IPhone but it doesn’t. It was advertised this way but I didn’t see it and it’s a pain to have to use the extra cord. Third negative, and this is something I’ve written to Anker about in the past about other products, the instructors that come with the product, are so hard to read because of small print. I once returned Anker earphones because I literally could not read the instructions, the print was so small. For an older person, it’s an issue.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

M. Weber

Love it, take it everywhere!

Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2018

Verified Purchase

This has quickly turned into a can't-live-without-it item, especially as my iPhone 6S gets further and further over the hill. I bought it for a long trip to Asia, but have ended up using it all the time. I just charge it up at night and throw it in my bag as a just-in-case measure, and end up using it almost every day. It's quite small so it's easy to fit in any size bag or purse. I'd say the 2.5 charges it says in the description is accurate. The only time it has died is when I've only used this battery and no other charger for 1.5-2 days. Four dots of light make it easy to tell how much charge it has left (and how close it is to being fully charged). It charges the phone quickly and the phone holds the charge just as well as from a wall charger. I love the mesh bag it comes in, too, because I can coil up the cable and keep it in there, so everything is in one place. I don't know how I survived before it and will surely replace it immediately if it ever dies! Oh, also, I have dropped this thing a million times and it still works fine, not even a noticeable mark on it.

Helpful

James

Four years later…

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024

Verified Purchase

And still going strong! The battery life on this thing is incredible. I can still get about two or three full phone charges off of a single charge. It’s a great product. I highly recommend buying super short cables, as they store easily in the battery’s pouch for easy access.

Helpful

Justin

Backpacking Backup

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021

Verified Purchase

I bought this specifically for backpacking. It's really small and can charge my Pixel 4a 5g a few times. The last trip it charged my Daughters iPhoneX (twice) and my Pixel 4a (nearly twice). It gets the job done quick and has it's own little protective mesh bag. I love it! I even texted a friend about how impressed I am with it. The only drawback is that it take a good 4 hours to charge the thing from empty. I read about this is a many reviews and expected it so this fact didn't detract anything in my opinion. It is odd how quickly it will charge a device and how slow it is to charge but it just takes a bit of planning. The best feature is the power level display. I have another batter backup and there's no way to check how much charge is left. I didn't think it would really matter to me but I've found myself checking the charge level regularly and wouldn't buy another one without this capability.

Helpful

RealNewYorker

I've been happy with this charger for over a year when suddenly

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2018

Verified Purchase

I've been happy with this charger for over a year when suddenly, it broke. By broke, I mean the plastic separator in the USB port came out with the wire. I was distressed. I had been happily charging my old iPhone 6s Plus which is over two years old with a failing battery for over a year now. What to do? Well, I've been a longtime fan of Anker; every product they make that I've bought has been top notch, but this was an unpleasant
surprise. So I looked at their website and found out their warranty is 18 months. Great! I wrote a simple email describing the problem; they wrote an apologetic email asking for the serial number. I wrote back complying and next email from them was "we don't need the old one back; you'll get a new one in 3-5 business days. Three days later: new replacement! I am whole and again, a satisfied customer of Anker. Many people have described them in these terms; I've had slight issues in the past (resolved), but for the most part their products are SUPERB. Now I can say their customer service is the same! You can't beat great products and great service. This charger charges my iPhone at least once to 100%. Anker is more expensive than some other brands but they last "forever" or they replace it. Worth every penny. More of a fan than before. Well done. Even got a follow up email today asking if everything was OK. Superior service; caring plus great products equals my loyalty. Do not hesitate to buy Anker. [Upgraded to 6700mAh] Anker Astro E1 Candy-Bar Sized Ultra Compact Portable Charger, External Battery Power Bank, with High-Speed Charging PowerIQ Technology

Helpful

Gumpus

Good compromise on size; display LEDs only OK, not quite 6700 mA-Hr - more like 5500 mA-Hr

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2022

Verified Purchase

This product was purchased to enable charging of an iPhone while out all day when using the phone a lot to navigate, stream music etc. For this purpose, it works great as it can charge an iPhone 8 about three times before itself needing to recharge. (iPhone 8 battery capacity is 1800 mA-Hr.) It can charge an iPad Air 2 (battery capacity 7300 mA-Hr) up to about 75%. Both of these values represent a product charging capacity of ~5500 mA-Hr which is less than the claimed 6700 mA-Hr. These values are at room temperature. Capacity is sure to be lower in cold weather such as when skiing.

The size and smooth shape is a good compromise for carrying in a pocket and not lugging around a more powerful brick. I have both a smaller unit and a larger unit and this is probably best for single day excursions where your phone must be available even at the end of the day. The LEDs don't tell you much but they are better than nothing.

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Anker [Upgraded to 6700mAh] Astro E1 Candy-Bar Sized Ultra Compact Portable Charger, External Battery Power Bank, with High-Speed Charging PowerIQ Technology

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Anker [Upgraded to 6700mAh] Astro E1 Candy-Bar Sized Ultra Compact Portable Charger, External Battery Power Bank, with High-Speed Charging PowerIQ Technology

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