Anker 737 Power Bank Review: 24,000mAh Portable Charger for India

Anker 737 Power Bank Review: 24,000mAh Portable Charger for India

The morning of day two in Jaisalmer, I woke up in a tent at a desert camp about 40 kilometres outside the city. There were no wall outlets. The camp had a generator that ran for a few hours in the evening, but by the time I'd finished shooting sunset over the dunes and editing a batch of selects, the generator had been switched off. My phone was at 22%. My Sony A7IV camera battery was dead. My backup camera battery was half depleted. And I had a full day of shooting ahead — golden hour in the Sam Sand Dunes, a portrait session with local camel herders, and a nighttime Milky Way shoot that required my phone for star-tracking alignment.

The Anker 737 saved that trip. I'm not saying it changed my life or anything dramatic like that. But it was the one piece of gear that kept everything else working when there was nowhere to plug in, and after three days in the desert relying on it exclusively, I have a thorough understanding of what it does well, where it falls short, and who it's actually for.

What the Anker 737 Is

It's a 24,000mAh portable power bank with 140W maximum output through USB-C. That 140W number is the headline feature because it means this power bank can charge laptops — not just phones and tablets. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port. It supports Anker's proprietary PowerIQ 3.0, USB Power Delivery 3.1, and Qualcomm Quick Charge. It can charge and discharge simultaneously. The LED display on the front shows remaining capacity as a percentage, current output wattage, and estimated time to empty.

Price in India: Rs 10,999 to Rs 12,499 on Amazon India, depending on sales. It's frequently discounted during Amazon's major sale events — I bought mine during the Great Indian Festival for Rs 9,999.

Physical Impressions: It's a Brick

Let's address the obvious first. The Anker 737 weighs 640 grams. That's heavier than most smartphones and tablets combined. It's roughly the size and shape of a thick novel — about 16 cm long, 6 cm wide, and 3 cm thick. The casing is hard black plastic with an aluminium strip running along the middle. It feels solid but not premium. The build quality is good — no creaking, no flex, battery indicator is bright and readable even in direct sunlight.

In my camera bag (a Peak Design Everyday Backpack 30L), it occupies about the same space as a 70-200mm lens. That's not trivial. For a three-day desert shoot, I had to decide between bringing an extra lens or this power bank. I chose the power bank because an extra lens without battery power for the camera is useless.

The weight is the tax you pay for 24,000mAh at 140W. There is no way around this with current battery technology. If the weight bothers you, you want a different product — I'll get to alternatives later.

Testing: Charging a Laptop

This is what separates the Anker 737 from every Rs 1,500 power bank on Amazon. Most power banks max out at 18W or 22.5W — enough for phones, useless for laptops. The 737 can push 140W through its primary USB-C port, which is enough to charge most ultrabooks at full speed.

I tested it with my MacBook Air M2 (charges at up to 67W with the right charger). From the Anker 737, the MacBook drew a consistent 62-65W as shown on the power bank's display. The MacBook went from 15% to 80% in about 55 minutes, consuming roughly 60% of the power bank's capacity. That means one full charge of the Anker 737 gets the MacBook Air from near-dead to nearly full, with some juice left over for a phone charge.

For a Dell XPS 13 (65W charger), a colleague tested the same power bank and got similar results — about 60W sustained output, 0-80% in just over an hour.

For a 15-inch or 16-inch laptop that uses a 96W or 140W charger, the Anker 737 will charge it, but slowly. It'll deliver power faster than the laptop consumes it (usually), so you'll still gain charge, but it won't match the speed of a wall charger. If your laptop is under heavy load (video rendering, gaming), the 140W output may just barely keep up with consumption.

The realistic use case for laptop charging with this power bank is emergency situations — your laptop is dying, you need to get through a meeting or finish some work, and there's no outlet available. It buys you 2-4 hours of additional laptop use depending on your machine and workload. It is not a replacement for a wall charger for daily use.

Testing: Charging Phones

This is where the 24,000mAh capacity becomes meaningful in pure numbers. In Jaisalmer, across three days, here's what I charged from the Anker 737:

• iPhone 15 Pro: Charged from near-zero to full four times. Each charge took about 30-35 minutes to 80% (the iPhone limits charging speed above 80%). The power bank delivered 25-27W to the iPhone, which is the maximum the iPhone 15 Pro accepts.
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (my second phone, used for video): Charged from near-zero to full three times. Samsung's 45W charging request was handled by the power bank, delivering a measured 38-42W. Zero to 80% took about 25 minutes.

Across those three days in the desert, the Anker 737 charged phones a total of seven times from near-empty to full before it was depleted. That's roughly 3.5 complete charge cycles of the power bank itself, which tracks with the 24,000mAh capacity (actual usable capacity is lower than rated due to voltage conversion losses — realistically about 80% of the rated figure, so around 19,200mAh of usable output at 5V).

Testing: Camera Batteries

This is specific to my workflow but relevant for any photographer. The Sony A7IV uses NP-FZ100 batteries, which can be charged in-camera via USB-C. I connected the camera to the Anker 737 and charged the battery while the camera was off. It took about 2.5 hours to go from dead to full — slower than the dedicated Sony wall charger, but it worked. The power bank supplied about 10-12W to the camera (the camera's charging circuit limits the input).

I also charged my DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone battery from the power bank. The drone battery accepts USB-C charging at up to 65W. The Anker 737 supplied about 58W, and the drone battery (which is 5,000mAh at a higher voltage) charged from 20% to 100% in about 70 minutes. This consumed roughly 35% of the power bank's total capacity. Expensive in terms of mAh, but when you're in the middle of a desert and want one more flight for aerial shots, it's invaluable.

The Display and Smart Features

The LED display on the Anker 737 is one of its best features and something most cheaper power banks lack. It shows:

• Battery percentage remaining (not a vague 4-LED indicator, but an actual percentage)
• Current output wattage per port
• Estimated time remaining before the power bank is empty (at current draw)
• Input wattage when the power bank is being recharged

This matters for planning. When I'm on a multi-day shoot, I need to know exactly how much power I have left and how long it'll last. "Three out of four LEDs lit" tells me almost nothing. "47% remaining, estimated 3 hours at current draw" tells me whether I can afford to charge the drone or need to save power for the camera and phone.

The power bank also supports pass-through charging — you can charge the power bank while simultaneously charging devices from it. In the desert camp, when the generator was running in the evening, I plugged the power bank into the generator outlet to recharge it while also charging my phone through the power bank's second USB-C port. Both worked simultaneously, though the power bank charged slower because it was sharing the incoming power.

Recharging the Anker 737 Itself

At 140W input, the power bank recharges from empty to full in about 1.5 hours. That's fast for a 24,000mAh pack. But you need a 140W USB-C charger to achieve this — the Anker 737 does not include a charger in the box. If you use your phone's 20W charger to recharge the power bank, it'll take closer to 6-7 hours.

I use the Anker 737 GaN charger (sold separately, about Rs 4,500) which does 140W and recharges the power bank at full speed. Yes, spending an additional Rs 4,500 on a charger for your power bank feels absurd, but the alternative is overnight charging with a slower charger, which is fine if you're plugging it in at bedtime.

Indian-Specific Considerations

A few things matter particularly for using this power bank in India:

Airline regulations: The Anker 737 is 24,000mAh at 3.7V, which equals about 86.4Wh. Indian aviation regulations (DGCA) and most international airlines allow power banks up to 100Wh in carry-on luggage without special approval. So the Anker 737 is flight-legal. You cannot put it in checked luggage — this is true for all lithium batteries. I've carried it on IndiGo, Air India, and Vistara domestic flights without any issues. On one Vistara flight, the security screening officer asked me to show it separately, looked at the capacity printed on the casing, and waved me through.

Heat performance: Indian summers are brutal, and power banks in direct sunlight get hot. During the Jaisalmer shoot, the ambient temperature was above 40°C. The Anker 737 has built-in thermal protection — it reduces output when it gets too hot. On day two, while charging the drone battery under direct afternoon sun, the power bank throttled from 58W down to about 35W for about ten minutes. It didn't shut off, just slowed down. I moved it into the shade and it resumed full speed within five minutes.

If you're using this in Indian summers, keep it out of direct sunlight. A simple cloth over it or placing it in the shade of your bag makes a difference. In winter and monsoon conditions, heat is not an issue.

Availability and warranty: The Anker 737 is available on Amazon India with Anker's official Indian warranty (18 months). Returns through Amazon work normally. Anker's Indian customer support is responsive — I've emailed them about a different product and got a reply within one business day with a coherent, non-scripted response, which in the Indian electronics customer support landscape is notable.

Compared to the Alternatives

Xiaomi Mi 20,000mAh Power Bank 3i

Price: Rs 1,599 on Amazon India

This is the power bank most people in India own or have owned. It's dirt cheap, widely available, and does what it says at a basic level. It delivers up to 22.5W through USB-C, which is fine for phone charging. It cannot charge laptops in any meaningful way — 22.5W might keep a laptop alive in sleep mode but won't charge it during use.

The capacity is 20,000mAh vs the Anker's 24,000mAh. The build is plastic, the display is four LEDs instead of a digital readout. It weighs 400 grams — lighter than the Anker.

Here's the honest comparison: if you only charge phones and Bluetooth earbuds, the Mi power bank at Rs 1,599 is all you need. It charges phones quickly enough, it has enough capacity for 3-4 full phone charges, and it costs less than one-seventh of the Anker. The Anker 737 is not for people who just need phone juice — it's for people who need to charge laptops, drones, cameras, and multiple devices on extended trips without wall power.

Samsung 25W Battery Pack (20,000mAh)

Price: Rs 2,999 on Amazon India

Samsung's offering is a step up from the Mi in build quality. It's slimmer, lighter (about 380 grams), and has a clean design. Output maxes at 25W through USB-C, which makes it good for Samsung phones (25W is the standard Samsung charging speed for most models) and adequate for iPhones.

Like the Mi, it can't charge laptops. The 25W output is too low for any laptop to charge during active use. It's a phone and tablet power bank, period. If you need portability and only charge mobile devices, the Samsung is a solid choice at a reasonable price — well-built, reliable, and light enough to carry without noticing it in your bag.

Anker 537 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K)

Price: Rs 5,999 on Amazon India

This is Anker's own cheaper 24,000mAh option. Same capacity as the 737 but with a maximum output of 65W instead of 140W. It can charge ultrabooks — slowly — but it can't match the 737's laptop charging speed. It weighs slightly less (about 500 grams) and costs roughly half the price.

If your main laptop charging need is occasional emergency top-ups rather than regular off-grid use, the 537 might be the smarter buy. It charges phones identically to the 737 (phones don't draw more than 25-45W anyway). The difference only shows when charging laptops or when you need maximum output speed.

Baseus 65W Power Bank (20,000mAh)

Price: Rs 3,500 - 4,500 on Amazon India

Baseus has been gaining ground in India with aggressive pricing. Their 20,000mAh 65W power bank is lighter and cheaper than the Anker 737 while still offering laptop charging capability. The 65W output is enough for most ultrabooks. The build quality is decent but not as solid as Anker — the plastic feels thinner and the display is dimmer.

This is the strongest competitor to the Anker 737 if you want laptop charging on a budget. The trade-offs are less capacity (20,000 vs 24,000mAh), lower maximum output (65W vs 140W), and slightly less reliable build quality. For most people, these trade-offs might be worth saving Rs 6,000-7,000.

Who Should Buy the Anker 737

I want to be specific here because at Rs 11,000-12,500, this is an expensive power bank by Indian market standards, and I don't want anyone buying it who'd be better served by a Rs 1,600 Xiaomi.

You should buy the Anker 737 if:

• You travel to places without reliable power — rural locations, outdoor shoots, camping trips, long train journeys (Rajdhani Express outlets are unreliable and often blocked by other passengers)
• You need to charge a laptop on the go — not just phones
• You carry multiple devices (phone, camera, tablet, earbuds, drone) and need a single high-capacity source
• You value knowing exactly how much power you have left (the percentage display)
• You travel for work and need a flight-legal power bank that can charge everything in your bag

You should NOT buy the Anker 737 if:

• You only need to charge your phone — get the Xiaomi Mi 20,000mAh for Rs 1,599
• You want something light to carry daily — at 640 grams, this is heavy for everyday carry
• Your budget is tight — the Baseus 65W at Rs 4,000 handles most of the same tasks at a third of the price, just slower and with less capacity
• You always have access to wall outlets — if you live and work in a city with reliable power, you rarely need a power bank this large

After Three Days in the Desert

The Anker 737 came back from Jaisalmer with sand in its USB-C ports (cleaned out with compressed air, no issues since) and having powered everything I needed across 72 hours with only one partial recharge from the camp generator. I charged two phones repeatedly, a camera battery twice, a drone battery once, and my AirPods Pro twice. I still had 11% remaining when I got back to a wall outlet.

Nothing else in this price range and form factor could have done that. The Mi power bank wouldn't have charged the drone or laptop at all. The Samsung would have run out of capacity before day two. The cheaper Anker 537 might have managed but couldn't have charged the drone as quickly, and time matters when you're trying to get one more flight in before the light dies.

Is Rs 11,000 a lot for a power bank in India? Absolutely. For most people, it's unnecessary. But for photographers, videographers, field researchers, travel professionals, and anyone who works off-grid regularly — there isn't another product in the Indian market right now that packs this much capacity and this much output power into something you can throw in a backpack and carry on a plane. That's the reality. It's expensive, and nothing else does what it does.