Presented by Anker

We escaped load-shedding with the new Anker 535 PowerHouse portable power station

 ·11 Jul 2023

Anker has launched two portable power stations in South Africa, bringing dependable and affordable load-shedding relief to local households.

The Anker PowerHouse 521 and 535 models are now available from local retailers, and there is a third model on the way, too – the larger Anker PowerHouse 757.

We got our hands on the 512Wh PowerHouse 535 to review, and were impressed with what it offers.

This included us charging multiple smartphones and a laptop while running a TV, computer monitor, Wi-Fi router, and DStv decoder – all at the same time.

Every home needs a hero

The Anker 535 PowerHouse can power multiple devices at once thanks to its high-capacity battery.

In practical terms, this gives Anker 535 PowerHouse users the ability to fully charge their laptops, smartphones, and tablets multiple times during load-shedding.

Alternatively, the power station can be used to run lamps, small fridges, electric blankets, and similar appliances when Eskom is unable to deliver electricity.

The large capacity of the 535 PowerHouse is thanks to its LiFePO4 battery, which will last for around 3,000 cycles.

This means that even if you discharge it twice a day, it will keep working optimally for several years.

The 535 PowerHouse’s 5-year warranty further proves this, and Anker said it designed the PowerHouse with the idea that people can power their devices every day for 10 years with it.

This is simply not possible with other products that use inferior battery technologies, like lead acid.

How it works

To power your devices, the Anker 535 PowerHouse offers an excellent selection of ports and plugs.

This includes:

  • 2x Two-prong AC sockets totalling 500W
  • 3x 12W USB-A ports
  • 1x 60W USB-C port
  • 1x 120W car socket

Anker also includes a handy 3-pin South African plug adapter that enabled us to connect a wide selection of devices to the two-prong sockets.

Once these devices had eventually depleted our power station, it only took 2.5 hours to charge it from 0-80% and 4.5 hours to charge it from 0-100% using its support for 180W fast-charging.

This is achieved by using the included 120W AC-to-DC power brick, as well as the additional 60W of fast-charging capacity through the USB-C port.

When using both fast charging technologies in tandem, we were able to fully recharge our 535 PowerHouse between load-shedding periods – even at higher stages.

The Anker 535 PowerHouse also allows pass-through charging, which means that on a long drive in the car, for example, you can use it to power tablets and laptops while simultaneously charging it using your vehicle’s 12V output.

Easy management

Another feature we enjoyed when using the Anker 535 PowerHouse was its LED display.

This showed us the percentage of battery capacity remaining and the amount of time we could continue drawing our current power usage before the power station would run out of charge.

For example: if we just had a laptop plugged in, it would display the current draw (roughly 30W) and show how much longer we could continue drawing 30W based on the remaining charge of our power station.

On a full charge, it showed around 13 hours remaining when drawing 30W.

When we plugged in an additional 20W phone charger, it reflected the additional draw and showed that we had approximately 10 hours of charge remaining when drawing 50W.

The verdict

This is one of the most useful devices we’ve reviewed to date, providing an easy-to-use escape from load-shedding.

It is also one of the more affordable power stations on the market.

When you couple this with its durable build, high-capacity battery, extensive port selection, and useful LED display, it is a great choice for anyone looking to beat load-shedding.

Click here to buy the Anker 535 PowerHouse.

Watch our full review of the Anker 535 PowerHouse below.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter