The Anker 547 Charger has four USB-C ports, with one that’s able to pump out 100W. | Image: Anker
Anker’s newly available 547 Charger may be a power brick to consider if you frequently travel with lots of USB-C devices or are in charge of keeping your family’s devices topped up (via 9to5Toys). Despite its relatively compact size, it packs four USB-C ports that are capable of putting out 120W of power at once.
The $120 charger has two 20 watt ports for phones or tablets and two higher-power ports, one of which is capable of providing up to 100W (or 90W if you have a phone plugged into one of the 20W ports).
Charging bricks with four USB-C ports aren’t exactly common, which can be annoying now that so many devices are compatible with the standard. Plus, with 120W, you should be able to charge a maxed-out 14-inch MacBook Pro and a phone at the same time, though it is a bit of a bummer that you’ll be doing so at 90 / 20W instead of 100 / 20 (we’ll get into some more weirdness around this in just a moment).
Along with the high price, there are also a few quirks to this charger. Instead of having some flip-out prongs, it uses a nearly five-foot-long cable. While that’s good for some situations, it’s not the most compact thing for travel (though it is thankfully detachable).
You’ll also probably want to keep the chart showing it adjusts output wattages around. You’ll get different charging speeds depending on which port you’re plugged into and how many devices you have plugged in. While it’s understandable that each port can’t supply 100W no matter what, you won’t be able to just plug in your most power-hungry laptop without thinking. Thankfully, the two ports on the right should be good for charging phones at a reasonable speed in any configuration, and there are little icons to show you which ports are designated for phones or higher-power devices.
Image: Anker
You’ll definitely have to pay attention to which ports you’re plugging things into.
While it doesn’t seem like we’ve got the perfect charger just yet, this seems like a good addition to the lineup. If you’ve got a bunch of USB-C devices and need to charge them all at once with a relatively compact brick, the 547 Charger is definitely worth a look.
If you’re still living with some USB-A devices, Anker also sells the 100W PowerPort Atom PD 4, with two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports. You can currently get it on Amazon for $110 if you use the $20-off coupon (there’s also a 65W version with one USB-A port for $70). If you tend to travel light and use lower-power devices, you could also check out the two-port USB chargers available from brands like RavPower and Anker.