Anker 737 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K): problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-20

Summary

The Anker 737 is a 24,000 mAh / 86.4 Wh, 140 W laptop power bank whose most common complaints are its bulk (~630 g), a single recharge port, USB-C-only pass-through with no UPS mode, and isolated dead-unit or screen glitches. It has no owner-replaceable parts; the only added cost is a sufficiently powerful USB-C PD charger and a PD 3.1 cable, because no mains charger is included. It is strong value at or below about $80 and weak above about $130.

Common problems and fixes

Only one port recharges the bank — only USB-C1 accepts input; USB-C2 and the USB-A port are output-only, and the port labels are printed black-on-black and hard to read. Mark the input port yourself so you do not plug into the wrong one. [1][4]
140 W is a total, not per port — with both USB-C ports in use the 140 W is split and cannot go to both, and when the 18 W USB-A port is in use the USB-C total output drops to 100 W. [1][3][4]
Pass-through is limited — it works only over USB-C up to about 90 W, USB-A will not output during pass-through, there is no UPS mode, and reconnecting the upstream power briefly interrupts the downstream supply. [3][4][7]
Always-on display drain — Anker’s FAQ says the always-on screen consumes 0.36 W and drains about 15% of the battery in roughly 24 h; turn it off if you want every watt. [1]
Dead units (single cases) — a BleepingComputer forum thread reports a 737 that stopped working and would not turn on, and a YouTube repair video attributes a failure to a dead battery cell and bad cell balancing; these are isolated reports, not a failure-rate estimate. [8][9]

Parts and consumables

No replaceable parts or consumables reported. No official user-serviceable parts channel was found for the A1289, so repair runs through Anker’s warranty (24 months) or an RMA rather than owner-replaceable parts.

Yearly running cost

The 737 has no filter, pod or subscription cost and no owner-replaceable battery. The only added cost is a sufficiently powerful USB-C PD charger, which Anker recommends at 87-100 W and ideally 140 W, plus a PD 3.1 cable to reach 140 W, because no mains charger is included in the box. Electricity use and long-term capacity retention are not quantified in the research, so the yearly electricity spend is not enough data to compute. Anker states that a fully charged 24,000 mAh unit delivers only 13,000-14,000 mAh to devices after conversion loss.

When it is a good buy

At or below about $80 the 737 is strong value for a laptop-capable bank; roughly $81-110 is a fair-to-good band if you actually need 100 W or more and want the display; $111-130 is weak-to-fair unless a strong coupon applies; above about $130 it is poor value against newer 250 W alternatives. TechRadar lists a $149 list price and says the unit is often discounted by up to 30%.

Anker Prime 27,650 mAh (A1340) — the newer 250 W-class model; the better choice when you need more output than 140 W and do not need the 737’s exact size.
Anker 733 (PowerCore 65 W) — lighter and smaller; the better choice when 65 W is enough and weight matters.
Anker Prime 27650 — CHIP’s own test winner; the better choice when you want a larger laptop bank with stronger test results. CHIP lists it at 140 €.