Pros and cons
Pros
Cons
- Capacity
- 20,000mAh
- Output
- Up to 65W from the built-in cable or the USB-C port, 87W combined
- Connections
- Built-in USB-C cable, one USB-C port, one USB-A port
- Recharge
- About 1.5 hours with a 65W charger, as Anker lists it
What is it?
A 20,000mAh USB power bank, model A1383, with a USB-C cable built into its side, plus one USB-C port and one USB-A port. Anker lists up to 65W from one USB-C connection and 87W combined.
Who is it for?
Someone keeping phones and a rechargeable light going through an outage, who would rather not hunt for a cable in the dark. It is the lower-output of the two Ankers in our power-bank guide.
How is it used?
Charge it before the outage. Pull the built-in cable out of its groove and plug in the phone. For earbuds and other small devices on the USB-A port, Anker's guide describes a trickle mode: double-press the button.
The power goes out during dinner, and the first thing everybody does is look for a charging cable. There is a whole drawer of them, and somehow none of them fits the phone in your hand.
What it does when the power is out
The Anker 87W power bank keeps its own. Its USB-C cable lives in a groove along the side, so the cable you need comes with the bank. Anker lists 20,000mAh, up to 65W from one USB-C connection and 87W combined, with one more USB-C port and a USB-A port for a second and third device.
Charge it before the storm, not during it. Anker lists a full recharge in about 1.5 hours with a 65W charger, and the box has the bank and a guide but no wall charger. Between outages, Anker’s general advice is to store a power bank at about 60 percent and top it up every three months. Put the date on a strip of tape, the way you would on a jug of stored water.
Count charges, not milliamps
The 20,000 on the label does not all reach your phone. TechRadar’s test points to at least three charges of a Pixel 7a. An owner on Reddit got a bit over two full charges of a Samsung Galaxy with a 5,000mAh battery, and techtest measured 61.6 to 65.4 Wh actually delivered. Commenters on that owner’s post call losses like these normal for a power bank. So plan on two phones and a light.
The cable is the reason, and the thing to watch
The built-in cable is why people pick this bank, and it is also where the complaints are. TechRadar found it short and flat enough that it has to be twisted to reach some devices. One owner says theirs went bad after a year. Another has trouble getting full power out of the built-in cable but says the USB-C port works fine with an ordinary cable. Keep one plain USB-C cable with the bank anyway.
Small devices have their own quirk. Earbuds can stop charging after about a minute unless you switch on trickle mode for the USB-A port, which is a double press of the button.
Straight from the threads
"I'd only get a bit over two full charges on a Samsung Galaxy with 5,000mAh battery."Owner on r/powerbanks
"my anker's inbuilt cable went bad after 1 year of use. aame model."Owner on r/ChargingSheet
"I have problems getting the full power out of the builtin cable but using the usb c port with a cable has been fine, no issues."Owner on r/ROGAlly
"No idea what I’ll do with this A1383. Maybe save it for power outages or something."Owner on r/anker, who got it as a recall replacement for another model
The spelling "aame" is the owner's. The last quote names the A1383; the other quoted excerpts do not give a model number.
Main limitation
The 87W figure is combined output, not one connection. You will not get the full 20,000mAh into a phone: one owner got a bit over two charges of a 5,000mAh phone, and another says the built-in cable went bad after a year.
Who should pick something else
- A laptop is on your outage list: the Anker Prime Power Bank 20K 220W gives up to 140W from one USB-C port.
- You expect several days without power: compare stored energy in the emergency power bank guide.
Compare both Ankers
Capacity, ports and recharging sit side by side in the emergency power bank comparison. Charge it, then put it back in the drawer with the other cables. It is the one that fits.
These photos come from two eBay listings of a used Anker A1383; one of them has since sold.
Questions before you choose.
Does 87W mean one connection gives 87W?
No. Anker lists up to 65W from one USB-C connection and 87W as the combined output when several devices are connected.
Can it charge a laptop?
TechRadar says its 65W covers many laptops. One video reviewer says it tops a MacBook up from 50 to 100 percent about once, so it is not for running a laptop through a long outage.
Is it on Anker's recall list?
Not at our October 22, 2026 check of Anker's US recall page and the 2024 and 2025 CPSC notices. The recalled lookalike is the A1647, a 22.5W bank that also has a built-in cable, so check the model on the label.
Who sells it on Amazon?
On October 22, 2026 the Amazon offer was sold by AnkerDirect, not by Amazon. Check the seller on the page before you buy.
Where the information comes from.
Sources checked . Every product fact on this page comes from the documents below. We have not handled or tested these products ourselves.
- Anker: A1383 product page and specifications
Capacity, built-in cable, per-port and combined output, recharge time, size and weight. Plain text, no link.
- TechRadar: Anker 20,000mAh 87W power bank review ↗
One Pixel 7a charge used about 30 percent of the bank, so at least three charges of that phone; a short, flat built-in cable.
- techtest.org: Anker A1383 test (German) ↗
Measured 61.6 to 65.4 Wh usable; recharge speed dropped to 38W after a while.
- Tech Enclave: short review of the Anker A1383 ↗
Small devices and trickle mode.
- Video review: Anker 87W and a MacBook ↗
Tops a MacBook up from 50 to 100 percent about once.
- CPSC: Anker power bank recalls ↗
The A1647 lookalike is recalled; the A1383 was not on the notices we checked on October 22, 2026.
- Owners on Reddit: Anker A1383 ↗
Measured charges (r/powerbanks); more owner posts in the quotes above.
- Reviewer on r/ChargingSheet ↗
A tech reviewer's all-rounder pick for the last one to two years
- Commenter on r/ChargingSheet ↗
One owner's built-in cable went bad after a year