Your desk is likely swimming in charging cables at the moment: A laptop charger here, a phone cable there, perhaps a tablet brick in the middle of the mess and all of them claiming outlets and forming a knotted mess. Multiple chargers equal multiple power adapters, multiple cables and the perennial irritation when you have to plug something in but all the outlets are already in use.
A desktop charging station eliminates that mayhem by keeping it all in a single powerful hub: The Anker Prime 250W charging station has just gone to a mere $99 from its original $169 price tag on Amazon. That’s the cheapest this six-port powerhouse has ever been, and it’s packed with features that most charging stations don’t even attempt.
Six Ports and Power Enough for Anything
This Anker Prime charger has a total of 250 watts spread across six ports – four USB-C and two USB-A. That’s enough juice to charge a laptop, a tablet, two phones and a few accessories all at once without any of the devices holding back.
The first USB-C port is the heavyweight and it is capable of delivering up to 140 watts on its own. That’s enough to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 50% in just 25 minutes which is faster than most standalone laptop chargers. The other three USB-C ports each max out at 100 watts, which is still more than enough to fast-charge any phone, tablet or smaller laptop at full speed. The two USB-A ports cap at 22.5 watts each which works fine for older devices, wireless headphones, or anything else that still uses USB-A.
Most multi-port chargers simply divide power automatically and you have no input into how that power is doled out: This Anker Prime has a 2.26-inch LCD screen on the front that indicates real-time power output for each port. You know precisely how much wattage each device is pulling which is handy for sorting out sluggish charging or determining which devices are wasting the most power. The screen also goes into a clock mode when you’re not charging so it serves double duty as a desk clock with the time and date displayable at a glance.
The charger offers four different charging modes: AI Power Mode, Port Priority, Dual Laptop Mode, and Low Current Mode. AI Power Mode is the default setting, and it uses algorithms to distribute power intelligently based on what’s plugged in and how much each device needs. Port Priority lets you manually prioritize one specific port, which is useful if you need your phone to charge quickly while everything else can wait. Dual Laptop Mode splits power evenly between the first two USB-C ports, giving each one 70 watts. Low Current Mode is designed for smaller devices like wireless earbuds or smartwatches that don’t need much power and can be damaged by higher wattages.
The charger uses GaN technology: This is a newer material for semiconductors that allows chargers to be more efficient and generate less heat compared to traditional silicon-based chargers. GaN chargers can also be built smaller and lighter without sacrificing power output, which is why the Anker Prime is compact enough to fit on a desk or shelf without taking up too much space.
The Anker Prime 250W has never been this cheap before at $99. If you’re tired of having a chain of chargers and want a charger stand that will accept all the charging demands on your desk top, this is the deal to grab before it goes back to its initial retailing price.
