Teen Easter Basket IdeasLight Therapy LampsEaster Gifts for AdultsBest Earbuds for iPhoneEaster Basket StuffersTechThe Best New Gadgets in 2024Anker Prime PowerBank Battery Pack: For the Frequent-Traveler FriendIt’s been my companion on long-distance trips, saving me from lurking near outlets to plug in my gadgets.
By Stefan Vazharov
Buying a gift takes special consideration. And we’ve all been on both sides of the exchange, whether it’s gone well or not so well. You know when the wrapping paper comes off whether a present is a winner. In our Gifted & Approved series, we tell the stories of those winners, the best presents our editors have either given or received. We hope they provide a little inspiration and advice as you go about your holiday shopping and gift search.
In my experience, a well thought-out tech gift — from a big-ticket item like a new laptop to a stocking stuffer like a phone case — is almost always a guaranteed win. I’ve been testing consumer tech products for over a decade, and throughout that time, I have made countless tech gift recommendations to friends, family, and coworkers, as well as personally treated important people in my life to new gear.
This year, I plan to gift a frequently traveling close friend the . Equipped with a trio of charging ports and a battery pack with an ample 20,000-mAh capacity, the versatile accessory continuously impressed me as my go-to companion during a couple of work-related long-distance trips.
$130 at Amazon$130 at WalmartUnlike most battery packs that look like boring rectangular slabs of plastic or (in some cases) metal with built-in USB ports, the Prime has a distinctive, decidedly high-tech design. Its housing consists of texture polycarbonate in gold or grey and a glossy back front panel with a color display underneath it.
But it’s the charging speed and capacity that are the main reasons I chose to gift it. Its maximum power output is a rather incredible 200 watts, and it can be evenly split between the duo of USB-C connectors. This means that my friend can, if they so choose, use the battery pack to simultaneously power up two big-screen MacBook Pros or other compatible laptops. An extreme example, but it shows the Prime’s usefulness and versatility.
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