The 535 Portable Power Station is the latest entrant in the PowerHouse lineup of large portable batteries for supporting electronic devices while camping, during power outages, and in other situations where you are off the grid.
I had a chance to try out the $500 Anker 535, which has a decent charging capacity and a handy set of options for charging up a variety of devices.
The 535 weighs in at a hefty 16.5 pounds, so it is not something you will want to carry with you on a hike, but it is small enough to be stored.
It was comforting to know that the Anker 535 was available during ice storms in my area, even though we did not experience anything, because I have been able to test it out around the house.
I haven't used the power station in a true off-the-grid scenario, but I have used it around the house to power up various devices and it has worked very well.
There are four AC outlets that support devices up to 500 watt, one of which supports fast charging at up to 60 watt. An integrated light bar on the front of the unit helps to illuminate your surroundings while also making it easy to manage all of the devices you might be connecting to.
The power station can be charged at 60 watt via the port on itsusb-c port. You can connect via both methods at the same time for even faster recharging. It can be charged via a vehicle power port, or via any 12V solar panel charger with an 8mm DC power connection.
On the front of the unit, there is an informativeLED display that shows the current battery level in both percentage and a rougher display, and it reports real-time input and output wattages, as well as the estimated time to fully recharged or to power connected devices. A series of icons across the top of the display can illuminate to let you know what types of devices are connected.
I like the amount of detail shown on the display, it lets you know which ports are active and gives you up-to-the-second data on input or output so you can tell how much battery life you have left or how long the station will last.
A power-saving mode can be turned on and off by a switch near the AC outlets. Once all connected devices are fully charged, the power station will turn off. It is possible to turn off the power for devices that are connected to the power station.
I found the 535 power station to offer plenty of power for the claims it made, even though I didn't test them specifically.
It took about an hour and a half for the iPad Air to be fully charged from the station's port. I tested a number of other devices at the same time, and the Anker 535 had no problems keeping up.
The 500- watt limit for the station means that it won't be able to power high-load devices like hot plates, toasters, and hairdryers.
The company has several other options at different price points, but the company's 535 portable power station is the most expensive. The 521 model has half the capacity of the 535, but it is also half the price. Two AC outlets instead of four, and two USB-A ports instead of three, are what it does.
The 511 model has a single 100 watt AC outlet, a 45 watt USB-C port, and two USB-A ports, and is normally priced at $219.99.
There are two older models, the 389 watt-hour 533 model and the highest-capacity 545 model, both of which are priced at $469.
The 535 Portable Power Station was given to MacRumors by Anker. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner. We may receive a small payment when you click a link and make a purchase.
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