We're all familiar with portable USB chargers, and no doubt you have one or several that you take on long trips to help keep your phone charged, perhaps even twice if it is a good model. That might be for business, general use, or even entertainment. I'd wager Pokemon Go was the driver for many a mobile gamer to take up carrying a power bank with them.

Yet, a power boost for your smartphone is one thing; business travellers, holidaymakers, and general road warriors certainly know the pain of wanting to travel light vs. the need for a range of power bricks and power plugs. Well, Anker has come out with the Anker Prime that packs a power punch disproportionate to its small size. It comes in different capacities, which we'll discuss later, but for now, iTWire has been trying out the super model, which offers 250W output and 27,650 mAh of capacity.

It's small enough, size-wise, easily fitting in a laptop bag, or a jacket pocket and about the size of a soft-drink can. It's definitely weightier than other portable power banks you might have used in the past - but not so much that it will break your carry-on weight limit or make your pants fall down but you may not wish to carry it in your hands for hours at a time. For those of a certain age, it may be reminiscent of an early mobile phone. Of course, this weight directly reflects the big battery inside.

The Anker Prime carries a 27,650mAh supply, enough to charge an M2 13" MacBook Air completely, and then a quarter again. Or, an iPhone 14 over four and a half times over. That's more than enough power to keep you through the day, for sure, no matter what you're doing.

It includes two USB-C ports and a USB-A port, delivering up to 250W of power. It features PD 3.1 technology and fast charge support, and can take an M2 16" MacBook Pro from empty to 50% in less than thirty minutes. Both USB-C ports support power in, as well as out, which means not only can you recharge the power bank by either socket, but you can, in fact, charge via both at once to fully replenish the Anker Prime in 37 minutes.

The Anker Prime also features a handy display that shows you the battery level, recharge time, and other stats. You can configure the display via a simple set of menus to change the brightness level, the time for the display to automatically turn off, and other handy customisations. What's more, it sports Bluetooth so you can further manage the device via the free Anker smartphone app, including over-the-air software updates.

If you're concerned about Bluetooth depleting the battery that's fine; it's easily turned on or off with a double-click of a button. Through the app, you can set the power bank to automatically switch Bluetooth on or off at certain times.

The app also helps provide smart charging options and can locate your Anker Prime if you misplace it by making it sound an alert noise.

The 250W 27,650mAh Anker Prime is rated at 99.54Wh, which meets TSA requirements for carry-on baggage, being under 100Wh. Of course, the other models in the Anker Prime range with smaller capacities are also compliant.

The box includes the Anker Prime power bank itself, along with a 60cm 140W USB-C to USB-C charging cable and a nice, soft travel pouch to store it in. The device comes with a 24-month warranty. You can check out more specs in the quick-start guide here.

The Anker Prime comes in three sizes:

• 250W and 27,650mAh, which iTWire has been using, for $299.95,
• 200W and 20,000mAh, for $229.95, and
• 130W and 12,000mAh, for $169.95. Note this model does not include the USB-A slot, but still features two USB-C sockets.

Anker has a deal on its website that gives you a 10% off code if you sign up to their mailing list, helping you take the price down further.

If you're a traveller, camper, avid mobile gamer, or have any need for extra juice for your devices, you really must check out the Anker Prime. It's a decidedly handy device that benefits from Anker's research and development in high-density batteries and compact stacked circuitry that gives it a volume-to-wattage ratio of 3.86x standard power bank technology.

Anker has tested the Anker Prime on more than a thousand devices across numerous brands, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, earbuds, portable gaming consoles, and smartwatches. It continually monitors temperatures to ensure the safety of your devices, too.

iTWire has used the Anker Prime both for remote office work and lengthy commuting and long days within Australia and for international travel. It kept a 13" MacBook Air, iPhone 14 Plus, an Apple Watch 4, and an iPad Air usable the entire way from Newcastle to Washington DC, a 30-hour trip, and beyond. This also made cable management a cinch, without any worry of juggling power sockets and international adapters; all that was needed was two USB-C cables, both for the devices and for the Anker Prime recharging itself, and a USB-A cable for the watch.

The Anker Prime genuinely is the ultimate portable carry-on USB-C fast-charging experience that lets you charge all your devices, anytime, anywhere, and all at once.