Anker Prime Charger (250W) review: Dialed in

In Australia, the Anker Prime Charger starts at $299.95. That's pretty far from the affordable end of the market. For context, the cheapest charger that Anker currently sells sits at around $30.

If you're comparing this particular model against other high-speed multi-chargers, that price does make a little more sense though. Still, if you're thinking about spending this much on a charger then it's probably worth taking a look around to get the best price you can.

Check out the table below for a round-up of Australian deals for the Anker Prime Charger.

The top-of-the-line option in Anker's Prime Charger roster is billed as a slim but powerful desktop charging solution and the reality mostly delivers on that characterisation. The hardware here is hefty but compact. Even if it's a little chunky to handle, the Prime Charger is still small enough that you can easily squeeze into a bag or drawer whenever you need it or not.

Looking past the size of the unit, the overall look here is squared off in much the same way as the rest of Anker's chargers are. The back-facing side of the Prime Charger is clad in aluminum. The sides have a little bit more texture.

Most of the time and for most intents and purposes though, the front-facing surface is the main event here. This side of the accessory is host to a quartet of USB-C ports and a 2.26-inch LCD screen. This display provides a bunch of additional functionality and at-a-glance information. More on that later. 

Last but not least, there's a small dial on the right. This is backed up by a pair of USB-A ports but, let's be real, this circular input is the most exciting detail here. Depending on the type of user you are, the idea of a charger with a control dial is either going to have you scratching your head, cautiously optimistic or nodding your head enthusiastically like a gadget sicko.

In any case, the dial isn't the only thing that makes the design of the Anker Prime Charger good or interesting. It's the cherry on top. If you're a fan of chargers that give you lots of options, this has that. Prefer speed without compromise or portability at all costs? Anker have covered those bases as well.

Like a lot of GaN-powered chargers, the Anker Prime Charger is going to be overkill for most. Still, what's here has the makings of a pretty solid package for power users.

There are a lot of ports on the Anker Prime Charger to keep track of, but the numbers involved are relatively easy to grok. The USB-C ports on the front can go as fast as 140W. The USB-A ports on the side can go as fast as 22.5W, so long as the devices and cables involved are up to the task.

All told, you can get as much as 250W of outgoing power from this thing at a time. That's more than most people need but if you're considering buying this at all then it's probably the kind of juice you're after.

In addition to offering tons of ports and faster speeds, the Anker Prime Charger also offers a little bit more control over how that power is distributed than you'd usually have.

To begin with, you have the option of toggling between setting your own priority ports or letting an AI algorithm determine the most efficient approach. Generally, I found the latter to be the easier and better option but its nice to know the alternative is there. There's also a mode designed for two laptops and one that lowers the power output so as to make for a more natural overnight charging experience.

It's a similar story when it comes to the control dial on the side of the Anker Prime. As you turn the input, an on-screen interface will highlight each port on the Anker Prime Charger and display its current speed. This is specifically useful to have if you want to get a sense of whether your device is actually charging as fast as it should but more broadly just makes the experience of charging your tech more interesting and engaging than it otherwise is.

That said, I was a little disappointed that my initial assumption that you could turn the control dial to increase or decrease the throughput of a given port in the same way that change the volume on a set of headphones wasn't reflected in the final product. This use-case isn't something that Anker are promising, but it would have been cool to see regardless.

The last thing worth touching on here is that the LCD screen on the Anker Prime Charger can be set to double as a clock. I didn't use this function all that much but it's nice to have, I guess. It's not central enough to the design that you have to use it but an option that no other charger I've come across offers so that's not nothing.