The Best Anker Power Bank for Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally X Is 50% Off for Black Friday

The Anker 737 is a hefty power bank, measuring 4.6"x2.2"x2" and weighing in at 1.4lbs. This is something you'd put in your travel bag or backpack instead of your pocket. It has two USB Type-C ports and one USB Type-A port. The USB Type-C ports support a maximum of 140W of power delivery. That means a single port could deliver 140W, or both ports will deliver a combination of 140W depending on which devices are plugged in (for example, 70W + 70W or 100W + 40W).

In terms of gaming handhelds, the Steam Deck supports up to 38W of charging, the Asus ROG Ally up to 65W, the Asus ROG Ally X up to 100W, and the Nintendo Switch up to 18W. That means the Anker Prime can easily charge all three gaming handhelds – even the ROG Ally X – at their maximum rate; you'll even be able to play and charge simultaneously.

A 20,000mAh battery equates to a 74Whr capacity. An 80% power efficiency rating (which is about standard for power banks) gives you about 59Whr of available charge. That means this power bank will charge a Steam Deck (40Whr) or Asus ROG Ally (40Whr) from empty to completely full 1.5 times, an Asus ROG Ally X (80Whr) 0.75 times, and a Nintendo Switch (16Whr) about 3.7 times. You can see here why we think a 20,000mAh capacity should be the bare minimum for more power hungry gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally (and especially the Ally X).

The Anker 737 is TSA-approved

TSA states that power banks must be under 100Whr in capacity for carry-on (check-in is not allowed under any circumstances). This Anker Prime is safely under that at 74Whr. You might get checked simply because the Anker 737 is a hefty-looking power bank, but you shouldn't have any problems getting it cleared. I've gone through plenty of airport checkpoints and have only been checked once – at Tokyo NRT – and cleared without a problem.

Alternative Deal: Anker Prime 20,000mAh Power Bank

Amazon is also offering the Anker Prime 20,000mAh USB Power Bank for only $77.99 after you clip the 40% off coupon on the product page. This is the best price we've seen for 2024 (the previous lowest price was $89.99 on Amazon Prime Day). The Anker Prime is the successor to the Anker 737 with a couple of noticeable upgrades like a higher power delivery output (200W vs 140W) and a higher charging rate through USB Type-A (65W vs 18W).

This Anker Power Bank Is Better for the Nintendo Switch

Amazon is also offering the Anker Zolo 10,000mAh 30W USB Power Bank for $12.94 after you clip the 17% off coupon on the product page. They're currently available in your choice of Black, Blue, Pink, and White. The Zolo power bank is compact, can completely recharge a Switch console more than once, and has a couple of unique nifty features, like a built-in USB cable and a discrete digital display. Plus, it's decked out in a rare pastel blue or pink color scheme if you desire.

There are two reasons why this power bank is a great battery backup for your Nintendo Switch console: capacity and charging rate. A 10,000mAh (37Whr) power bank can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED from completely empty to full about 1.9 times. Provided you fully charge your Switch from the get-go, that nearly triples your total playtime. At the same time, a 10,000mAh power bank still maintains a pretty small footprint; for example, this particular model is about the size of an iPhone and weighs under 8oz. The Anker Zolo power bank also boasts a 30W charging output over USB Type-C. The Nintendo Switch console accepts a maximum charging rate of 18W. That means this power bank will be able to charge your Switch at the same rate as the official Nintendo charger.

The Asus ROG Ally X Is the Best Windows Gaming Handheld

The Asus ROG Ally X was just released this past summer and has claimed the title as best Windows-based gaming handheld. It improves on the original ROG Ally in several ways, the biggest upgrades being a much bigger 80Whr battery with nearly the runtime, more RAM, a beefier cooling system, double the storage capacity on the base model, and better controls. It's not inexpensive starting at $799.99, but it's definitely an incredible piece of hardware.

Should You Buy Now or Wait for Black Friday?

Black Friday is only about a week away and in most cases it's better to wait to buy tech accessories. However, it's very unlikely that these two specific deals will get any better. Both the Anker 737 and the Anker Prime are already at their lowest historical prices, so we don't expect any further discounts to happen this year. However, if you're looking for a slimmer, smaller capacity power bank for travel, then you should definitely wait for more deals to drop on Black Friday.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.