Anker 20K vs UGREEN Nexode: which 20,000mAh wins

Key takeaways

• Both hold 20,000mAh and about 72 watt-hours, so both sit well under the 100Wh airline threshold and need no approval to fly.
• Single-port output is the real gap: the UGREEN Nexode delivers 100W from USB-C1, the Anker 65W from its USB-C port or built-in cable.
• The Anker’s headline 87W is a combined figure across three ports (65W + 22W), not a single-device number.
• Refill time favours UGREEN heavily — roughly 2 hours at 65W input, against Anker’s stated 4.5 hours from a 30W charger.
• The Anker weighs 440g with a built-in USB-C cable; the UGREEN weighs 476g and ships with a 23cm cable and cloth case but no mains charger.
• Anker publishes what most brands hide: 30–45% is lost to conversion, so a 20,000mAh bank delivers roughly 11,000–14,000mAh in practice.

At a glance

How we compared these two

This is a research-led comparison, and it’s worth being blunt about what that means: we have not physically handled either power bank. There’s no charge-cycle test here and no timings of our own. Everything below comes from published specifications and other people’s testing, which you can check yourself.

The evidence base is Anker’s and UGREEN’s own product pages and support documentation, plus seven independent reviews across the two units — including Macworld’s measurements of the UGREEN’s multi-port behaviour, SmartGadgetKit’s review of the Anker A1383, and hands-on write-ups from How-To Geek, MakeUseOf, Parka Blogs, TheXboxHub and Adobotech. Specifications and prices were checked on 30 July 2026.

Anker 20K vs UGREEN Nexode: the specs side by side

A note on UGREEN’s naming: the brand sells at least six 20,000mAh Nexode banks — 45W, 67W, 100W, 130W with TFT display, 130W with a built-in woven cable, and 165W with a retractable cable. Notebookcheck reports the built-in-cable 130W is almost identical to the display model, with one USB-C port swapped for the cable. This comparison covers the 130W with the smart display. Check the wattage and whether a cable is attached before you order.

The Clash Test: round by round

Round 1 — Charging a laptop

This is what people buy a £70 20,000mAh bank for. A phone needs 20W; a USB-C laptop wants 60W to 100W, and the single-port figure is what decides whether it charges at full speed or crawls.

The Anker Power Bank (20K, 87W) tops out at 65W from its USB-C port or its built-in cable. That’s genuine laptop charging — enough to run a MacBook Air or a typical ultrabook at full tilt, and more than most 20,000mAh banks manage. The 87W on the box is the combined total across three ports (65W plus 22W), which is a distinction Anker’s own specification makes clear but the marketing rather blurs.

The UGREEN Nexode 20000mAh 130W delivers 100W from USB-C1 alone, and 130W across two devices. Macworld’s testing found the picture gets more complicated with three devices attached: USB-C2 and USB-A drop to a shared 15W, bringing total output to 115W. Even so, 100W to a single laptop is a meaningful step above 65W, and it’s the difference between charging a larger MacBook Pro properly and merely holding it steady.

Round score: Anker 6/10, UGREEN 9/10. Winner: UGREEN — 100W from one port against 65W is the single biggest measurable gap between these two.

Round 2 — Refilling the bank itself

A 20,000mAh bank is dead weight until it’s full again, and on a multi-stop trip the recharge time matters as much as the output. This is where the two diverge sharply.

Anker states its 20K 87W bank takes about 4.5 hours to refill using a 30W USB-C charger at 25°C. That’s an overnight job, and Anker doesn’t publish a maximum input figure, so there’s no documented way to know whether a beefier charger would help much.

The UGREEN Nexode accepts up to 65W on USB-C1 and UGREEN claims a full refill in roughly two hours. Adobotech’s hands-on review broadly supports that, reporting 2 to 3 hours with an 80W or 100W charger. The catch is real, though: UGREEN doesn’t include a mains charger, so hitting two hours means buying a 65W-plus charger separately. Owners using whatever plug they already own will see nothing like the advertised figure.

Round score: Anker 5/10, UGREEN 8/10. Winner: UGREEN — roughly 2 hours against Anker’s stated 4.5, though only with a 65W charger UGREEN doesn’t supply.

Round 3 — Knowing how much is left

Guessing your remaining charge before a long flight is genuinely annoying, and this is the clearest quality-of-life split between the two units.

The Anker gives you four LED dots, each representing 25%. SmartGadgetKit’s review calls that precise enough to decide whether to top up before boarding, which is fair — but it’s a blunt instrument. At two dots you know only that you have somewhere between half and a quarter left.

The UGREEN Nexode has a TFT screen showing battery percentage, input and output wattage, voltage and current. Parka Blogs singled out the most useful part: the display estimates remaining battery life in hours and minutes based on the current charging speed. That turns a guess into a number. How-To Geek notes UGREEN even puts a small face on the display, which is either charming or twee depending on your temperament, but the underlying data is what earns the round.

Round score: Anker 5/10, UGREEN 9/10. Winner: UGREEN — a TFT readout with time-remaining estimates against four LED dots at 25% granularity.

Round 4 — Cables and what you have to pack

A power bank you can’t connect to anything is a brick, and on a trip the cable is the thing most likely to be forgotten. Anker takes this round on design rather than numbers.

The Anker’s USB-C cable is built into the body, sitting in a recessed slot at one end, and it carries the full 65W. SmartGadgetKit notes the cable has some stiffness, which helps when plugging into a laptop on a tray table. Nothing to pack, nothing to lose, and it still leaves a separate USB-C port and a USB-A port free.

The UGREEN ships with a 23cm USB-C to USB-C cable and a cloth carrying case, which is a nicer unboxing but two more things to keep track of. There’s a sting in the detail, too: UGREEN’s own listing advises using the supplied 5A cable and warns that non-certified or low-quality cables can cause unstable charging or reduced power. So the 100W figure is conditional on using the right cable — and 23cm is short if you want the bank in a bag and the phone in your hand.

Round score: Anker 8/10, UGREEN 6/10. Winner: Anker — an integrated 65W cable beats a 23cm loose cable that UGREEN warns must not be substituted.

Round 5 — Weight and shape in a bag

Neither of these is a pocket item, and anyone expecting one will be disappointed by both. The question is which is less of an imposition in a cabin bag.

The Anker weighs 440g according to SmartGadgetKit’s review, which describes it plainly as a bag item rather than a pocket carry. It’s a flat slab, which stacks reasonably against a laptop or a book but takes up a footprint.

The UGREEN is 476g — 36g heavier — in a 131 × 54 × 50.8mm column. Reviewers are split on whether that shape helps. Royal Strawberry’s review argues the tall column sits more naturally in a tech pouch or a backpack side pocket than a flat brick does. How-To Geek is blunter, calling it large and heavy, and Parka Blogs names size and weight as the main downside. UGREEN markets a slimmer, lighter profile, which is the sort of claim that doesn’t survive contact with a set of scales when the rival is lighter.

Round score: Anker 7/10, UGREEN 6/10. Winner: Anker — 36g lighter, and two independent reviewers name the UGREEN’s bulk as its main flaw.

Round 6 — Honesty about what you actually get

Every 20,000mAh power bank delivers substantially less than 20,000mAh to your devices, because energy is lost converting voltage inside the unit. Almost no brand volunteers this. One of these two does.

Anker publishes it in its own support documentation: 30 to 45 percent is lost in the battery cells and conversion circuitry, so a fully charged A1383 delivers an estimated 11,000 to 14,000mAh. Anker even supplies the arithmetic — multiply capacity by 0.65, divide by your device’s battery — which puts a 3,000mAh phone at roughly 4.3 charges rather than the six or seven a buyer might assume. That’s unusually candid for a spec sheet.

UGREEN doesn’t publish an equivalent usable-capacity figure, and the same physics applies to its bank. What it does publish is a longevity claim the Anker lacks: automotive-grade cells retaining over 80% capacity after 1,000 cycles, with real-time temperature monitoring. Useful, and more than many rivals offer — but it answers a different question from the one buyers get wrong.

Round score: Anker 7/10, UGREEN 5/10. Winner: Anker — it documents the 30–45% conversion loss and the resulting 11,000–14,000mAh reality; UGREEN publishes no equivalent.

Round 7 — Price and value

Here the comparison runs into a wall we have to be straight about. UGREEN lists the Nexode 20000mAh 130W at £69.99 on its UK site as of 30 July 2026, down from a £89.99 launch price reported by Macworld and TheXboxHub, and it discounts frequently — the 25,000mAh 200W sibling was showing £63.99 against £89.99 at the same time.

For the Anker, we could not verify a current UK price. Its US list price is $69.99 with sale pricing often around $49.99, and Best Buy was showing it at $49.99 reduced from $69.99. Converting US pricing into a British recommendation is exactly the sort of shortcut that produces a wrong number, so we’re not doing it.

What can be said on value is structural. If both land near £50–70, the UGREEN gives you more hardware for the money: 35W more single-port output, a proper screen, and a far faster refill. The Anker’s value case rests on the built-in cable and the lower weight, which are worth real money to some buyers and nothing to others. Anker also bundles a 30-day money-back guarantee alongside its standard warranty.

Round score: Anker 8/10, UGREEN 6/10. Winner: Anker on the available evidence — its US list price undercuts the UGREEN’s verified £69.99, but the UK figure is unconfirmed and could overturn this.

Round 8 — Which one earns its place in a carry-on

Both fly free. Both hold 72Wh, comfortably inside the 100Wh limit that would otherwise require airline approval, and under the UK rules in force since 27 March 2026 you can carry two of them in the cabin. So the deciding question isn’t compliance — it’s what the bank is for.

If a laptop is in the bag, the UGREEN Nexode 20000mAh 130W is the one to take. 100W from a single port charges a working machine properly, the screen tells you exactly where you stand before boarding, and a two-hour refill means it’s usable again the same day rather than the next morning. That combination is why several reviewers describe it as a genuine laptop bank rather than a phone bank with ambitions.

If it’s phones, tablets and earbuds, the Anker is the smarter carry. 65W is more than any phone can use, the cable is already attached so there’s one fewer thing to lose in a seat pocket, and it’s 36g lighter. Its weaknesses — the slow refill, the coarse LED readout, no pass-through charging — matter far less when the bank spends the flight topping up a phone.

Round score: Anker 7/10, UGREEN 8/10. Winner: UGREEN — laptop-capable output and a same-day refill make it the more complete travel bank, though the Anker is the better phone-only carry.

The scorecard

Four rounds each, and UGREEN ahead by four points. Read the shape rather than the total: UGREEN wins the engineering rounds — output, input, instrumentation — while Anker wins the living-with-it rounds — cable, weight, candour, and price on the evidence available. If you don’t charge a laptop, three of UGREEN’s four wins stop mattering to you, and the Anker becomes the better buy. The higher total is not automatically the right bank for you.

One caveat on the scorecard: Round 7 rests on an unverified UK price for the Anker. If it turns out to sell above £69.99 in Britain, that round flips and the totals close to 52–58 in UGREEN’s favour.

Who should buy which

If you work from a MacBook or USB-C laptop on the move

Buy the UGREEN Nexode 20000mAh 130W. 100W from a single port charges a working laptop at full speed where the Anker’s 65W merely keeps pace, and the two-hour refill means it’s ready again the same day.

If you fly with a phone and a tablet and nothing else

Buy the Anker 20K 87W. Its 65W is far more than a phone can draw, the built-in cable means one less thing in the seat pocket, and it’s 36g lighter for the same 72Wh of airline-legal capacity.

If you always forget your charging cable

Buy the Anker. The USB-C cable is integrated into the body at full 65W, so the bank and the cable cannot be separated. The UGREEN needs its supplied 5A cable to hit 100W, and UGREEN warns that substitutes can reduce output.

If you want to know exactly what’s left before boarding

Buy the UGREEN. Its TFT display shows percentage, wattage and an estimated time remaining at the current charging speed. The Anker’s four LED dots only tell you which quarter you’re in.

If you’re buying for a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch

Buy the UGREEN. Handhelds draw more than a phone and benefit from the higher single-port output, and the screen makes it easy to see what the console is actually pulling. Several reviewers pick it specifically for this use.

What we’d want to test

We haven’t handled either bank, so five questions stay open — and they’re the ones that would settle the rounds we scored most cautiously:

• Real usable capacity on both, measured against Anker’s published 11,000–14,000mAh estimate, since UGREEN publishes no equivalent figure.
• Whether the UGREEN supports pass-through charging. The Anker’s lack of it is documented; UGREEN’s status we could not confirm either way.
• The Anker’s maximum input, which Anker doesn’t publish — its 4.5-hour figure assumes only a 30W charger, so a faster plug might close the recharge gap.
• Sustained thermal behaviour. Both claim heat management, and UGREEN claims real-time temperature monitoring, but neither has been independently stress-tested at full output for long periods that we could find.
• Current UK pricing and Amazon UK ratings for both, the two evidence gaps flagged in our methodology.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Anker or UGREEN 20,000mAh power bank better?

The UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 130W wins on raw capability: 100W from a single USB-C port against the Anker’s 65W, a TFT screen instead of four LED dots, and a roughly 2-hour recharge against about 4.5 hours. The Anker Power Bank (20K, 87W) wins on practicality, with a built-in USB-C cable, a lighter 440g body and usually a lower price. Choose UGREEN for laptops, Anker for phones and tablets.

Are the Anker 20K and UGREEN Nexode 130W allowed on a plane?

Yes, both. Each holds 20,000mAh, which is roughly 72 watt-hours, comfortably below the 100Wh threshold that requires airline approval. Under the UK rules that took effect on 27 March 2026 you may carry a maximum of two power banks in cabin baggage only, and you must not recharge them on board. Neither may go in checked luggage.

Can the Anker 20K 87W charge a laptop?

Yes, at up to 65W from its USB-C port or its built-in cable, which is enough to fast-charge a MacBook Air or most USB-C ultrabooks at full speed. Its 87W total figure is the combined output across three ports, not a single-port number. For a larger laptop that wants 100W, the UGREEN Nexode 20000mAh 130W delivers 100W from one port instead.

How long does the UGREEN Nexode 20000mAh 130W take to recharge?

About two hours, but only with a 65W or higher USB-C charger, which UGREEN does not include in the box. Its USB-C1 port accepts up to 65W input. With a smaller charger it takes considerably longer. By comparison, Anker states its 20K 87W bank takes roughly 4.5 hours using a 30W USB-C charger at room temperature.

Why does a 20,000mAh power bank not fully charge my phone five times?

Because energy is lost converting voltage inside the bank. Anker publishes this openly: it states that 30 to 45 percent is lost in the cells and circuitry, so a fully charged 20,000mAh unit delivers roughly 11,000 to 14,000mAh to your devices. That applies to every brand at this capacity, including UGREEN, not just Anker.

Does the UGREEN Nexode 130W come with a charger?

No. The box contains the power bank, a short USB-C to USB-C cable of about 23cm and a cloth carrying case, but no mains charger. To reach the advertised two-hour recharge you need to supply your own 65W or higher USB-C charger. UGREEN also advises using the supplied 5A cable, warning that lower-quality cables can reduce charging power.

How much do the Anker 20K 87W and UGREEN Nexode 130W cost?

UGREEN lists the Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 130W at £69.99 on its UK site, checked 30 July 2026, down from a £89.99 launch price, and it is often discounted further. We could not verify a current UK price for the Anker Power Bank (20K, 87W) at the time of writing; its US list price is $69.99 with frequent sale pricing around $49.99. Check both retailers before buying.

Which UGREEN Nexode 20,000mAh model is which?

UGREEN sells several 20,000mAh Nexode banks that are easy to confuse: a 130W version with a TFT smart display, a newer 130W version that swaps one USB-C port for a built-in woven cable, plus 45W, 67W, 100W and 165W variants. This comparison covers the 130W model with the smart display. Check the wattage and whether a cable is attached before ordering.

Related on The Clash Test

• Power bank rules for flights: the UK guide for 2026 — the two-bank limit, the 100Wh threshold and the airline-by-airline differences behind this comparison.
• UK budget airline cabin bag sizes 2026 — the free-bag limits your power bank has to travel inside.
• Cabin Max Metz vs Narwey — two underseat bags to keep it accessible in.

Sources

All links checked 30 July 2026.

• Anker — Power Bank (20K, 87W, Built-In USB-C Cable) product page: anker.com (87W across three devices, 65W single-device output).
• Anker Support — A1383 product specifications and FAQ: support.anker.com (total output 87W as 65W + 22W; port-by-port figures; the 30–45% conversion loss and 11,000–14,000mAh usable estimate; 4.5-hour recharge with a 30W charger).
• UGREEN UK — Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh 130W: uk.ugreen.com (72Wh, 476g, 131×54×50.8mm, TFT display, £69.99, port outputs, 65W input, 1,000-cycle claim).
• UGREEN UK — Nexode power bank specification comparison: uk.ugreen.com (72Wh at 14.4V/5,000mAh; 100W / 30W / 22.5W port breakdown; 130W multi-port maximum).
• Macworld — UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh (130W) review: macworld.com (three-device throttling to a shared 15W and a 115W total; £89.99 UK launch price).
• SmartGadgetKit — Anker A1383 87W power bank review: smartgadgetkit.com (440g weight, about 72Wh, four LED dots, no pass-through charging, built-in cable stiffness).
• How-To Geek — UGREEN Nexode Power Bank 20000mAh review: howtogeek.com (size and weight criticism; display detail).
• Parka Blogs — UGREEN Nexode power bank review: parkablogs.com (time-remaining estimate on the display; size and weight as the main downside).
• MakeUseOf — UGREEN Nexode 20,000mAh 130W review: makeuseof.com (box contents: 23cm USB-C cable and cloth carrying case; sub-500g weight).
• Adobotech — UGREEN Nexode 20000mAh 130W review: adobotech.net (2–3 hour recharge with an 80W or 100W charger; no charger supplied).
• TheXboxHub — UGREEN Nexode power bank review: thexboxhub.com (£89.99 UK launch price corroboration).
• Notebookcheck — UGREEN launches Nexode 20000mAh with integrated cable: notebookcheck.net (the built-in-cable variant swaps a USB-C port for the cable).
• UK Civil Aviation Authority — lithium battery and power bank rules: caa.co.uk (100Wh threshold, two-bank limit, cabin-only carriage from 27 March 2026).

How we’re funded: The Clash Test can earn a commission from some retailer links. On this comparison we haven’t tested either power bank in person, so the “check current price” buttons above are plain, unmonetised links straight to the manufacturer — no affiliate tracking. We’d rather tell you what we don’t know than take a commission on a guess.