You need the Anker 160W charger only if one brick has to power two laptops, or a big laptop and a phone or tablet, at the same time. Apple’s biggest MacBook adapter is 140W. This charger gives that much from one port when nothing else is plugged in and the cable can carry it.
It’s sold as the Anker Prime Charger (160W, 3 Ports, Smart Display), model A2687.
| Spec | Anker Prime Charger (160W, 3 Ports, Smart Display) |
|---|---|
| Ports | Three USB-C, no USB-A |
| Total output | 160W |
| One port in use | Up to 140W from any port (28V at 5A). The one exception Anker lists is its Prime Power Bank (26K, 300W), which can get 150W in AI Mode 2.0 with the cable that comes with it or a compatible one |
| Two or three ports in use | Up to 160W in total, split by the charging mode |
| Input | 100V to 240V, 50Hz to 60Hz |
| Size | 2.56 × 2.05 × 1.38 in (65 × 52 × 35 mm), not counting the folding prongs |
| Weight | 7.76 oz (220 g) |
| In the box | The charger and a welcome guide, but no cable |
| Warranty | 24 months |
Who needs a 160W charger?
A 160W charger is worth it in three cases, and each one involves charging two or more devices from one outlet.
- Two laptops on one desk or in the same bag. Dual-Laptop Mode shares the power equally between them, and the table below shows how much each one gets.
- A 16-inch MacBook Pro with a phone and a tablet. Anker says that in internal lab tests, the charger in AI Mode 2.0 took a 16-inch MacBook Pro, an iPhone 16 Pro Max and an 11-inch iPad Pro from 20% to 80% at the same time. The company says the three devices finished as fast as they did on their original chargers, rated 140W, 35W and 35W. Those ratings add up to 210W, which is 50W more than this charger’s total. So take the claim as Anker’s result for those three devices, not a promise for every laptop.
- Anyone who wants one charger in the bag instead of three. The Prime weighs 7.76 oz, and its prongs fold away.
With only a laptop plugged in, though, the Prime matches the 140W of Apple’s top adapter. Anker says one port takes a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 50% in 25 minutes. Apple says its 140W adapter charges that laptop up to 50% in around 30 minutes.
Who it’s for: anyone who charges two laptops, or a big laptop with a phone and a tablet, from one outlet.
When a smaller charger does the same job
For one laptop at a time, a 160W charger is more than you need. Apple lists adapters for each Mac and recommends using one with at least the wattage listed:
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021 or later): 140W.
- 14-inch MacBook Pro (2021 or later): 67W, 70W or 96W.
- MacBook Air (2022 or later): 30W (13-inch only), 35W (the Dual USB-C Port model), 67W or 70W.
- MacBook Neo: 20W.
Phones usually ask for far less. Anker says most max out somewhere between 20W and 34W, and on this charger Huawei models stop at 22.5W and Xiaomi models at 27W. The exceptions are some vivo and OPPO models, which can take up to 100W after you use Custom Mode in the Anker app to turn off every charging protocol but one. For tablets, handhelds and Windows laptops, see our device-by-device rundown of what wattage charger you need.
At Anker’s US store, the Prime costs several times what the Anker 735 Charger (Nano II 65W) does. The 735 also has three ports, but it gives 65W in total. The extra money buys 95W more power and 140W from one port, where the 735 tops out at 65W. It also buys a third USB-C port, since one of the 735’s three ports is USB-A.
Skip the Prime if you charge one device at a time. For a laptop and a phone that don’t need this much power, our list of the best USB-C chargers has smaller picks.
How the Anker Prime charger splits 160W between devices
The 160W is a total for the whole charger, so no single port gets all of it. For the two fixed modes, C1 Port Priority Mode and Dual-Laptop Mode, the tables in Anker’s user guide give these caps for each port. The guide has no table for AI Mode, so it isn’t in this one.
| What’s plugged in | What each port can get |
|---|---|
| One device, any port | Up to 140W |
| Two devices, C1 Port Priority Mode | 100W and 60W, with the 100W on USB-C1 when it’s in use |
| Three devices, C1 Port Priority Mode | 100W on USB-C1, 30W on each of the other two |
| Two laptops, Dual-Laptop Mode | 70W each |
| Three devices, Dual-Laptop Mode | 70W, 70W and 20W |
Put those caps next to Apple’s numbers and the trade-offs show up fast:
- In the fixed modes, a 16-inch MacBook Pro gets its full 140W only when nothing else is plugged in. Add a phone in C1 Port Priority Mode and the laptop drops to 100W on USB-C1. Put the phone on USB-C1 instead, and the laptop gets 60W. Even 100W is 40W below the 140W adapter Apple pairs with it.
- Two 14-inch MacBook Pros get 70W each in Dual-Laptop Mode. Apple’s list of fast-charging adapters for that model starts at 96W, 26W more than each one gets. Both still charge. Apple says a USB-C Mac can use an adapter below its recommended wattage.
- Two MacBook Airs fare better. At 70W each, they match the smallest adapter on Apple’s fast-charge list for a 15-inch MacBook Air and beat the 67W adapter listed for 13-inch models.
- A third device in Dual-Laptop Mode gets 20W. That’s the low end of Anker’s 20W to 34W range for most phones, so a phone that can take more power will charge below its top speed.
Which charging mode to use
The mode decides how the Prime shares its 160W, so pick the one that matches what you’re charging. Whichever you choose, the screen shows each port’s power in real time. The charger starts in AI Mode once you link it to a new account in the Anker app, even a guest account.
- AI Mode adjusts the power between the ports every 2 minutes. Anker calls this dynamic power distribution, and the feature needs AI Mode 2.0. For the iPhone 17 series, the feature works once the charger is connected to the app and updated to the latest firmware.
- C1 Port Priority Mode sends most of the power to USB-C1. So plug your biggest laptop into that port.
- Dual-Laptop Mode is the one to use when two laptops share the charger. You turn it on in the app after connecting over Bluetooth.
- Custom Mode lets you set your own split in the app, and the settings stay saved even with Bluetooth off.
Custom Mode also helps with Dell laptops. Many Dell computers are strict about chargers, so one other than the charger they came with can trigger a “Slow Charger” warning. Anker’s advice is to look at the original Dell charger, then change the split in Custom Mode.
Check the cable before you count on 140W
The Prime comes without a cable. The one you pick caps how much power gets through. A 3A cable carries up to 60W, a 5A cable up to 100W, and an Extended Power Range (EPR) cable up to 240W. That’s why a USB-C to USB-C cable has to be an EPR one to carry 140W. USB Power Delivery used to top out at 100W, using 20V over 5A cables. Then the USB Implementers Forum added a 28V level, which is what lets a port reach 140W.
You don’t have to guess which cable you have. When you plug a cable in, the screen labels it “3A Cable”, “5A Cable” or “EPR Cable”. With more than one cable connected, it shows the label for the upper port only. Apple’s Thunderbolt cables in 1.8 m, 2 m and 3 m lengths show up as 3A cables and carry no more than 60W here.
A 16-inch MacBook Pro needs a particular cable to get 140W. M3 and M4 models can use a USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable or an EPR USB-C cable rated 140W or 240W. Models with M1 and M2 chips need the MagSafe 3 cable, according to Anker’s note on reaching 140W. The laptop also has to accept 140W. And once its battery passes 80%, the power drops automatically to protect it.
Heat and standby power
Heat also trims what the charger delivers. Anker says that at 77°F, the charger holds full power on a single port for at least an hour in 100V to 130V areas. In 220V to 240V areas, Anker says single-port charging at that temperature doesn’t drop its power. The user guide says to use the charger somewhere cool and well ventilated, between 32°F and 77°F (0°C to 25°C). When it runs too hot, it lowers its output until the temperature settles. Anker’s ActiveShield 4.0 checks the charger’s temperature 120 times a second.
The screen and Bluetooth draw extra power on standby, and Anker says it’s normal for the charger to feel slightly warm then. To cut that draw, turn Bluetooth off by pressing the button twice while the Bluetooth screen is showing. Holding the button for two seconds turns the screen off.
Questions about the Anker 160W charger
Will the Anker Prime fast-charge a Samsung Galaxy phone?
The 160W Anker Prime charger can give a Samsung phone Super Fast Charging 2.0 when the phone supports 45W charging. In AI Mode, Anker says to use a 5A cable. In other modes, the phone needs a port getting more than 45W, so the 30W ports in a three-device C1 Port Priority split fall short.
Can you use the Anker Prime on a trip abroad?
The Anker Prime accepts any input from 100V to 240V at 50Hz or 60Hz. So it doesn’t need a voltage converter wherever the outlet voltage falls inside that range. Before you go, check your destination’s voltage and frequency against those numbers. Where the outlets don’t fit the Prime’s prongs, you’ll still need a plug adapter.
Why doesn’t a MacBook show it’s charging right away?
A MacBook on a third-party charger such as the Anker Prime can be slow to update its charging status. Charging has already started even though the icon hasn’t changed. After a few seconds, once the Mac recognizes the adapter, the plug icon switches to the charging icon.