Let’s face it: chargers aren’t an exciting thing to talk about. Everyone uses them, and they’re a necessity for any modern tech gadget. But reading an entire article where someone gushes over how cool a charger is? Sounds pretty nerdy!
Well, buckle up, nerds, because that’s exactly what I’m doing for the next few hundred words. A few months ago, Anker sent me the 747 Charger — the latest addition to its GaNPrime lineup of chargers. It’s probably smaller than the fast charger you’re currently using, has significantly more ports, and is a whole lot smarter, too. It’s not the flashiest piece of tech I’ve used this year, but easily one of the most impactful.
Heavy on ports, light on size
The biggest immediate benefit of the Anker 747 is its port selection — flaunting three USB-C ports and one USB-A port. Amazon has no shortage of multi-device chargers with five, six, or even ten ports, but those are almost always limited to slow USB-A outputs.
What’s impressive about the 747 is that you have three high-speed USB-C outputs at your disposal, plus that full-size USB-A port when you need that instead. And even more impressive is how Anker crammed all of those ports into a shockingly small body.
Despite offering a max power output of 150W, the Anker 747 is smaller than both the 140W and 96W chargers Apple includes with the M1 MacBook Pro. And don’t forget — those offer just a single USB-C port with less total power output. Hell, it’s honestly not that much bigger than Apple’s 30W charger. It’s a ridiculous amount of ports/power for a charger of its size, and that’s been a huge reason why I’ve been using it so much.
When I’m home, the Anker 747 stays plugged into the power outlet by my nightstand. It powers a MagSafe charger for my iPhone, an Apple Watch charger, and always has two free ports when I need to connect something else. And when I’m traveling, the 747’s allowed me to go from lugging three-to-four chargers to just one.
It’s not that those multiple chargers took up a ton of room in my backpack/suitcase, but the peace of mind is incredible. Instead of triple-checking that I have every single charger I’ll need for a trip, I now just have to make sure I packed the Anker 747. If I did, I know I’m good to go.
Fast, smart, and reliable charging
But it’s not just the Anker 747’s design that’s kept me coming back. I also love the charger because of how fast it is. If you’re just using one port, the Anker 747 has a max power output of 100W. But if you use two, three, or all four ports, it kicks out 150W of charging horsepower. That’s more than enough speed to fast-charge an iPhone 14 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro, or Galaxy Z Fold 4. Hell, you can even quickly charge large tablets and laptops like a 2022 iPad Pro or M2 MacBook Air.
What’s especially cool, though, isn’t the rate at which the Anker 747 chargers devices, but how that charging happens. Using its PowerIQ 4.0 tech, the Anker 747 can detect the current battery life of devices plugged into it and prioritize charge speed to whatever needs it the most.
Hell, you can even quickly charge large tablets and laptops.
Say you plug in an iPhone 14 with 50% battery remaining and a Pixel 7 with just 10% battery left. The Anker 747 knows the Pixel is lower, and therefore knows to charge it faster. And this isn’t a feature you have to manually enable at any point — it’s just always running in the background and ready to go.
This is far less flashy than a retro battery pack with a transparent design, but it adds a level of reliability that I appreciate far, far more. There’s no guesswork involved when it comes time to charge. I just plug everything in, walk away, and know that everything’s going to charge quickly and efficiently.
My new go-to charger
Before getting the Anker 747, my charging setup was … not great. I have a smattering of single-device USB-C chargers in my office and would typically just grab the nearest one when something needed a top-up. It was an inefficient and clunky method, but it’s the habit I fell into.
The Anker 747 has completely broken that habit, and for the better. It’s changed my charging life both at home and while traveling, and it’s made my life significantly easier because of it. Is it something I actively think about every day? No. But I use the 747 every day and am regularly thankful for just how good it is at what it does.
There aren’t many chargers I would recommend spending over $100 on, but the Anker 747 is more than deserving of its $110 asking price. And, apparently, it’s also worth around 800 words of nerdy praise.
