Anker 140W 4-Port Charger (A2697) review: one plug for a 16-inch laptop and three more devices

Verdict

What it is

The 140-watt port

140 W at 28 volts belongs to USB Power Delivery 3.1, the extended power range. Only a handful of laptops ask for it, and they reach full speed only over a cable rated for 240 W, because an ordinary 100 W cable stops at 20 volts. That is why the cable in the box matters more than it usually does. Every other USB-C device simply takes what it asks for: a MacBook Air draws its usual figure and the rest of the 140 W stays unused. A bigger charger is never harmful to a smaller laptop; it is only heavier.

Four devices at once

The figure worth having is the total. Anker publishes 134 W with all four ports loaded, which tells you the charger does not drop to a token figure the moment a phone joins the laptop. It still divides: two ports rated at 140 W each are not 280 W, and with a phone, a tablet and a watch connected the laptop’s port gets what is left of the 134. Anker lists the per-port ceilings and the four-port total but not every combination in between, so a 140 W laptop working hard with three other devices attached will charge more slowly than it does alone.

Size and weight

2.72 inches square and 1.42 thick, 9.7 oz. That is roughly the weight of two compact 65 W chargers, and on a worn outlet a 9.7 oz block can sag out of the socket. On a desk or a power strip it is a non-issue; in a travel bag it is the heaviest thing in the cable pouch. The 13.93 oz figure includes the cable, which you would carry anyway.

Which laptops it is for

Look at the brick the laptop came with. 140 W: this is one of the few chargers that replaces it fully. 90 to 100 W: it charges at full speed and leaves room for a phone and a tablet. 30 to 70 W: it works, and a smaller charger does the same job in less space. It also earns its place on a shared family desk, where two laptops at reduced speed, a phone and a watch can run from one outlet instead of four.

What it does not do

It does not make a 65 W laptop charge faster than 65 W, and it does not deliver 140 W through an ordinary cable. It is not a pocket charger. And four devices share 134 W; they do not get 140 each.

Who should buy it

A 16-inch MacBook Pro or other 140 W laptop owner who wants one charger instead of two; a desk with a laptop, a tablet, a phone and a watch; a family charging station; anyone replacing a power strip full of bricks with a single outlet.

Who should not

A 13- or 14-inch laptop user who travels light; a phone-only household; anyone whose outlets are loose enough that a 9.7 oz block will not stay in the wall.

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