Anker PowerCore Fusion 10000 with an Early 2015 MacBook 12" Retina
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| Klein measuring MacBook charging from Anker battery |
I thought the PowerCore Fusion 10000 would be a great on the go companion to the MacBook. It turns out, it’s just okay. (For this purpose. As a super-convenient charger + battery pack in one, it’s a great device!)
On paper, at first glance, it seemed like it would fit the bill. 10,000 mAh of capacity should (even with power loss through conversion, etc) be enough to recharge a 5260 mAh MacBook battery fully, and the 20W output should be enough to allow light use and simultaneous charging.
Turns out, you have to dig a bit deeper to find the real numbers, and even then, with apologies to not-Einstein, real world performance never quite matches the specifications.
Here goes.
Capacity
First, the capacity of the Anker isn’t 10000 mAh, it’s 9700 mAh (two 4850 mAh cells), according to the manual (which, why can’t I find this product, or the manual, on the Anker website?). So we’ve already “lost” 3% of the capacity to marketing’s rounding up.
AliExpress confusingly reports it as having a “Battery capacity: 363V9700mAh/35.2Wh” and a “Rated capacity: 5850mAh.” Given what I’ve been seeing in the real world, the 35.2 Wh capacity seems to be accurate.
Assume we lose about 15% converting from 3.63V to the 5V or 9V output voltage (more on that in a minute), and another 15% in the MacBook converting from input voltage to the 7.55V used by its internal cells, and we’re at about 21 Wh. I didn’t take exact notes (I’ll revisit this at a later date), but I left the MacBook connected to the USB-C port on the PowerCore Fusion 10000 overnight and it brought the battery from about 29% to about 88%, or, it recharged about 59% of its capacity, before the Anker was bled dry. 59% of 31.7 Wh is about 18.7 Wh, so, within spitting distance of what back-of-napkin numbers tell me I should expect from the PowerCore.
Not amazing. Not a single full charge. But not too shabby, for an all-in-one solution that doesn’t require carrying another wall wort, or a massive battery pack with a 110V adapter. But I should probably look for a larger pack, maybe. (The battery life, even degraded to ~80% of new capacity, on the 1.1 GHz MacBook, is phenomenal. Even if I can only top it off with another ~59% on the go, that’s likely to be a full day of work.)
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| Measuring Apple 29W charger output |
Next, the charging capabilities. With very light use, this device will trickle charge the MacBook while you’re using it; with more normal use (e.g., hitting the WiFi radio periodically), it brings the discharge rate down to ~2 watts, on average. The MacBook slurps about 10W in normal use, and that’s about what this is providing, measured by the Klein. The Mac itself can verify the wattage it’s seeing, either through the graphical System Information utility, or via the command line:
% system_profiler SPPowerDataType
...
AC Charger Information:
Connected: Yes
Wattage (W): 12
Charging: NoThis Mac predates Apple’s adoption of the Power Delivery (USB-C PD) spec (which apparently started with the 2015 iPad Pro 12.9 and 2016 MacBook Pro), and apparently will only negotiate a very limited number of power options. And, apparently, the PowerCore’s USB-C port is limited to 5V at up to 3A, or 9V at up to 2.22A (the latter, 19.98W, evidently being the advertised 20W output).
The MacBook won’t ask for a 9V feed, and apparently won’t suck more than about 2A, so even though the PowerCore is capable of providing 20W, when used with this device it won’t provide more than about 10-12W. (This matches others’ observations and Kill-a-Watt measurements - my next step.) Which, honestly, is what any decent USB battery pack can put out these days. (I’m using both the stock Apple 29W charger, and the PowerCore, with the same cable, so that’s not a limiting factor.)
I’d love to do a deep dive and see what’s being negotiated between the two devices (though not sure if that software is still available?), so I could hunt for a battery pack that will actually provide closer to the 29W the OEM charger provides.
One site has compiled a list of volt / amp combinations the MacBook will accept (including 15V @ 1.18A, or about 18W) which may lead me to a working solution (but also notes the Anker PowerCore+ 26800mAh PD with 27W PD Portable Charger Bundle Over USB Power Delivery won’t charge it properly).
Other Options
Why is it so hard to find the volt/amp combos a device will support? This Mophie should be a contender ... 20,000 mAh, 18W USB-C output, but Google search long enough and you find the USB-C output configurations are 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 12V/1.5A.
This Omni brick might be an endgame device, it certainly supports enough different voltages it seems likely the MacBook could find one it was happy feasting on (Output: USB-PD, 5V – 9V – 12V – 15V – 20V, up to 3A, 60W max). But at $150 it’s more than the computer was! There’s a $99 version with half the battery capacity and less capability (I’ll never use the DC output ... will I?), but the manual doesn’t list technical specifications. Sigh. The product page does, though: Output: USB-PD, 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/2.25A, 45W max. At 47Wh it seems like it would be a good solution for the specific application of being able to recharge this MacBook, but not very future-proof. Still, the price is just within the arbitrary $100 threshold I set...
Wait, what about this Zendure Portable Charger 10000mAh PD 45W Mini Power Bank? USB-C: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/2.25A, 45W Max. $75. Or the Zendure Portable Charger 15000mAh Power Bank? $90, USB-C: 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/2.25A, 45W Max, and it’s a hub. 54 Wh. (Product page.)
Other Considerations - Efficiency
This Anker looks like it might be a better option for charging capability, even if the capacity is about the same as the PowerCore Fusion 10000. But as this video demonstrates, when running at 18W, efficiency drops to 47%!
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