Tech Up! Anker PowerHouse 535 Review

Whether hosting a garden party, going camping, long car journeys or experiencing power outages at home, Anker's PowerHouse 535 is a perfect companion. The PowerHouse 535 features two standard AC output sockets, 1 USB-C, 3 USB-A and a car outlet.  This is more than sufficient for the average person's needs for a backup power source. Although it is important to keep in mind that it isn't something that should be used on products that require high wattage, for examples items like a vacuum cleaner, cooking appliances such as a microwave or to charge an electric car. However, in a pinch it probably is capable to power these items, although, as the instructions say, do not use it on these items as they have not been tested. In any case, this goes further than just being able to charge a phone, and of course it can do that, too. A fully charged PowerHouse charged an iPhone 13 from 0% to 100% 28 times. Putting it to the test a bit more it was more than capable enough to run a 32inch HD TV and Nintendo GameCube for 3.5 hours. Another test was to use it on a laptop, and one that has a battery that doesn't hold any charge, this lasted approximately 35 hours over the course of 7 days.  The unit takes just over 3.5 hours to get to 100%, but it can charge to around 80% in just over 2 hours. There is the possibility to charge the unit via a car charger and also via solar panels. Solar panels are not included but this would certainly be very handy for those who are going on caravan holidays in the summer, among other practical uses too. Unfortunately, the solar panels are very pricey, and currently Cubed3 cannot certify how quickly they charge or how well they charge the PowerHouse in cloudy conditions.

The PowerHouse 535 has a sleek finish to it, and the design has a fairly bright 10w light bar on the front of the unit, which is really useful during a power cut or camping. The light bar even has an SOS light blinking mode which could be incredibly helpful for those needing emergency assistance, although it is hard to imagine a scenario where this would be needed.  The blue and black aesthetic is very good to look at, with the unit itself being black and the USB ports, logo and on-screen LED display all in blue. The LED displays key information, such as the remaining battery, both as a percentage and also in hours. It also displays the output power and input power in watts. Anker also makes the promise of every day usage for 10 years, although in the history of owning lithium-ion batteries it is hard to test to see if this is true, especially as most batteries lose their charge after a few years. The instructions mention that it is safe and reliable for 3000 charges, assuming this is being used only once a day, then that only brings it to 8 years.  Anker have a 5-year warranty to help guarantee this, so if things begin to go awry before the 5-year mark, there is always the ability to utilise this. Anker mention that they use industrial grade electronic components, and the design and product itself certainly has a premium feel to it. The huge downside to the unit is that is weighs a mighty 7.6kg, let alone the power brick to charge the unit also being relatively big. However, in terms of the use, the PowerHouse 535 is likely to be transported via a car or to be used in a home, rather than taken on long walks, so the weight shouldn't be an issue to many.

9/10

Exceptional - Gold Award

This is a sleek, stylish and very practical charging station. The Anker PowerHouse 535 offers up a huge amount of power in one unit and is massively practical as a back up power source for use in a power-cut, out camping, or garden parties. The slight downsides are that it cannot support devices over 500W and should only be used on small devices. Nonetheless, this fast-charging power-bank will certainly ensure that those who need portable power get it when they need it.