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Powerbank (portable) for the Macbook Pro's 2016

JMac1996

JMac1996

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 21, 2016
138
97
Germany, Flensburg
Hello Friends,
:)

i searched for a similar thread but found nothing that fitted my needs.

So the new Macbook Pro's are going to get shipped to us lucky customers soon and thanks to USB-C these Laptops could also charged through powerbanks & portable batteries. :rolleyes:

So here is what I'm looking for:

A strong powerful Powerbank/Battery which can charge the new Macbooks at least once (more is always better). ;)

The Powerbank should not harm the Macbook. So it should match with the Output of Apple's official charger (Apple recommends using a maximum of 5A (100W) to charge the new Macbook Pro 15")

It should be still portable. :D I know this Point is difficult, but i have to carry the powerbank to class every day, so portability is a thing.

I found this one from Anker (I have a Anker Powerbank, quality is very good so far):

https://de.anker.com/products/A1371012

on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.de/Anker-PowerCo...id=1478178440&sr=1-9&keywords=anker+powercore

What do you think about that? Could this Guy be a good companion for the new Macbook Pro's?
:)
 
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Alright guys, :)

I ordered the Powercore+ from Anker today. I thought about it, and it should be able to charge the 15" MBP at least once.
So now I should be able to get a total of 20 Hours of Battery-life with these two devices. ;)
More than I ever need, but at least I have the option to do intensive tasks all day long.

When my Macbook arrives I will do a review on this combo.
 
Stannn said:
I'm curious how you like this powerbank in combination with the new MBP! Let us now :)
Click to expand...

I will. ;) It's maybe a bit heavy from what reviewers said, but i am fine with that. I have to carry the new Macbook and the Powerbank to class every day.
But in total it will be still lighter than my actual setup. :D
As far as Battery-life goes, there is almost just positive feedback on this Powerbank.
 
So,
I received my Powerbank from Anker and it's a beast. ;)
Took some hours to charge it up completely, but the Performance is great.
There is also negativity...
I chatted with the support from Anker and they told me, the Powerbank won't work with the new Macbooks.
However, I'm going to try it out in person, when my Macbook Pro arrives.
Maybe It won't charge at its full capability, but I think it will work. ;)
 
I doubt the current crop of power banks can output at a rate needed for the MBP. The Anker one is capable of 5V/2.4A output for the MacBook. I don't know first-hand how the charging system on the new MBP is designed but based on the size of the brick in the box the Pro needs more than that to charge while running.
 
That looks like a small battery for mobile phones. I'm sure anker will release new ones for the new mbp soon.
 
Any word on Anker's USB charge hubs that include a USB-C port? I would like to have a charge method at home that doesn't require me to remove my new MacBook cable/ac adapter from my backpack.
 
lewisd25 said:
Any word on Anker's USB charge hubs that include a USB-C port? I would like to have a charge method at home that doesn't require me to remove my new MacBook cable/ac adapter from my backpack.
Click to expand...

For the 13", this may be suitable. Unless the Mac is sleeping I don't see it charging the 15", and it'll be slow at that. It's sold as suitable for the rMB.

Amazon.com: USB Type-C, Anker Premium 5-Port 60W USB Wall Charger PowerPort+ 5 USB-C with Power Delivery for Apple MacBook, Nexus 5X / 6P and PowerIQ for iPhone, iPad, Samsung & More: Cell Phones & Accessories
 
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Yep, should work. Like the others mentioned. The Powerbanks are not like the Powerbrick, but the new Macbook Pros would charge from them, just slower than normal.
 
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xieem said:
Hey Jmac1996 any update on your case? Also in the same boat!
Click to expand...

Hello xieem. So far it seems to be working, that the Macbook receive Power from the bank, but I can't tell you how much.
If you are at home or in the office you should go for the wall charger whenever you can.
My class will start next week so then I will make more use of the Powerbank.

But be prepared to charge slowly with external battery packs. ;)
 
JMac1996 said:
Hello xieem. So far it seems to be working, that the Macbook receive Power from the bank, but I can't tell you how much.
If you are at home or in the office you should go for the wall charger whenever you can.
My class will start next week so then I will make more use of the Powerbank.

But be prepared to charge slowly with external battery packs. ;)
Click to expand...

Well I bought this one at Amazon.de => Anker Power Core + 26800 MAH Premium but didn't had time to test it on my macbook pro cause that one hasn't shipped yet. Anker helpdesk was pretty vague about the situation and couldn't really help out. I do hope they will release a premium version pretty soon.
 
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xieem said:
Well I bought this one at Amazon.de => Anker Power Core + 26800 MAH Premium but didn't had time to test it on my macbook pro cause that one hasn't shipped yet. Anker helpdesk was pretty vague about the situation and couldn't really help out. I do hope they will release a premium version pretty soon.
Click to expand...

You can read I got the 20100MAH version and Anker Helpdesk told me it won't work with the new Macbook Pros.
I was very disappointed but when my Macbook arrived, I plugged it in and it started charging.
It won't charge very fast, but your Powerbank will work with it.
[doublepost=1480960284][/doublepost]Ohhh and our Battery Packs from Anker have Power IQ. So it will detect the fastest charging automatically. There should be no big risk to damage a Macbook with these batteries.
 
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Hey JMac1996

So you're saying the PowerCore+ 20100 doesn't charge your MBP 2016? Just holds the charge? But it shows as charging?

Have you tried charging it while its sleeping? Like at night? Does the battery go up then?

My 13" with touchbar is on the way and I'm looking into what might work as an external battery solution.

Thanks!
 
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At 2.4A it should charge about 41% as fast as the provided charger from Apple, when the laptop is off.

When the laptop is on, it will depend upon the current power consumption.
 
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I wonder if a regular USB-A 2.1A battery pack would work with a USB-A to C converter. Just for emergency situations.

I would try all these things myself, but Dec30 delivery :(
 
DaMan05 said:
Hey JMac1996

So you're saying the PowerCore+ 20100 doesn't charge your MBP 2016? Just holds the charge? But it shows as charging?

Have you tried charging it while its sleeping? Like at night? Does the battery go up then?

My 13" with touchbar is on the way and I'm looking into what might work as an external battery solution.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hello mate,

yes, it shows a connected Power supply like the wall charger from apple. But it doesn't seemed to charge up much.
I will do a test for you today ;) I'm reporting back soon.

ActionableMango said:
At 2.4A it should charge about 41% as fast as the provided charger from Apple, when the laptop is off.

When the laptop is on, it will depend upon the current power consumption.
Click to expand...

Hmm never thought about it yet. I will try it out.
I bought the powerpack for class. Important was to expand the battery life.
So far I think it's a good combo.
I will report back with some results soon. ;)
 
If you want more than a trickle-feed, you need a battery designed for a laptop. Mike Gyver has been doing this for a loooong time, and they're really serious about stuff like energy efficiency etc.:

http://www.mikegyver.com/products/devices/index.php?hunt=Apple Macbook

On the frontpage, they mention "Holiday Special! Get 20% discount by using code “20HOLMCT” at checkout" but since I'm not an American, I have no idea which holidays they're talking about and how long they last :D
 
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