Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 Review In 2023

Anker is among the top brands that provide quality mobile tech gadgets like their wireless earbuds. But today, we will take a closer look at the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 to see what makes it the best travel power bank.

The Metro Essential 20000 is a unique and affordable power bank that interests many people, especially travelers.

Aside from appealing to the eye, it comes with some premium features that are rear to find on an affordable power bank.

Anker produces a wide range of power banks that serve the same purpose, but you begin to notice the difference when looking at their features.

The Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 definitely wouldn’t go unnoticed because its features are irresistible even for the price.

Let’s take a closer look at what this power bank has to offer and why you may want to consider adding it to your gadget to improve and optimize your workspace.

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Design

At first glance, looking at the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 is very appealing to the eye, especially when holding it in your hand or placing it on a desk.

Unfortunately for some people, it comes in only black or white color depending on which you want. You would not find any more color variants in the market aside from those default colors.

The material used in producing this Anker power bank is made with quality plastic that won’t break so easily. The plastic design has a unique texture that will prevent severe scratches.

The Aker logo design on the plastic material is written, which rhymes with the overall look. The unique rough texture materials have curved rounded edges around the metallic 4 corners of the power bank.

A rounded power button and the Anker logo are placed on the plastic, giving a beautiful yet simple design.

The Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 is thick, giving it a rounded four metal corners. The four corners are iron materials, making the power bank durable enough to withstand a one-meter drop.

The ports are located at the bottom side of the power bank, which is excellent. You will find 4 ports on the bottom side with two USB ports on the left side and a micro USB and Type C port on the right side.

Overall, the design on the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 is sleek and good-looking when you introduce it to your mobile gadgets.

Portability

In terms of size, the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 comes with a decent size recommended for a power bank.

It has a 6.22 x 2.93 x 0.76 inches size, close to the usual average standard you would find on any power bank.

The length of the Anker power bank isn’t too long, which means that it can easily fit in a purse or a bag. Also, the power bank isn’t too thick, making it perfect for holding with your hand.

Holding the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 has an excellent grip due to its rough texture on the plastic casing material.

This power bank is a portable device that fits perfectly in any bag or purse that wouldn’t burden you.

Also, if you are the type of person that prefers holding your power bank on your hand or keeping it in your pocket, the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 is portable enough to handle that.

Charging and features

When it comes to charging, there are different important things to look at in a power bank to know if it is of quality or not.

The Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 shows several important charging features that make it to be considered a quality power bank.

It has a massive 20000mah cell capacity which isn’t common on power banks that are this affordable. The 20000ma is powerful enough to charge an iPhone more than 5 times, a Samsung phone more than 5 times, and other low electrical gadgets more than 4 times.

That amount of charge is enough for your to power all your handheld gadgets in a single day without any physical wall charging.

This Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 power bank has advanced charging technology from Anker.

The technology, Ankers’ exclusive PowerIQ, and VoltageBoost is combined to give you an optimized quality charger to all your devices.

It also comes with the trickle charging mode feature designed to deliver a specially optimized charging to devices with low power, such as several Bluetooth devices.

Another cool feature that this Anker power bank offers is simultaneous charging because of its twin usb ports.

The Twin USB ports give you the ability to charge a maximum of two devices simultaneously, which is an excellent feature for those that love walking with multiple devices.

Unfortunately, the USB-C port cannot charge devices because it only serves as an input for charging the power bank itself.

When charging the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000, you can take advantage of the versatile recharging using either the micro USB or the USB port.

Charging the power bank with a 10W charger will take up to 10 to 11 hours to fully charge, while charging it with a 5W charger will take up to 20 hours.

Using the right charger watts is important if you are concerned about how fast you want to charge the power bank.

Comparison With The Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 PD

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There are two types of the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential that many people mix up. There’s the PowerCore Essential 20k, which is what we are reviewing in this article and there’s the PowerCore Essential 20000 PD.

Both products are manufactured by Anker and designed in a similar fashion but have some major differences.

Both devices support a 20000mah cell capacity which is an ideal amount of power storage a standard power bank should have.

The PowerCore essential 20k supports versatile recharging, while the PowerCore essential PD supports quick charge.

Quick charge is self-explanatory, while versatile recharging is a way of charging the power bank faster depending on the charger brick you use.

The PowerCore metro essential 20000 comes with two USB ports, while the PowerCore essential PD comes with a single USB port.

Both have a USB C port that is only used for charging the power bank and not for charging external gadgets. That means that the only port that you can use to charge your devices will be the regular USB Ports.

They both share the same design, with the rounded power button located at the bottom center of the power bank.

The only noticeable difference is the main USB port, where one has two while the other has one.

How Long Does It Take To Charge Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000?

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Depending on the charging brick you use, it can take up to 5 hours or 20 hours. The time it takes to charge the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 depends primarily on the charger you use.

Using a 5W charger to charge the power bank will take up to 20 hours to charge fully, but if you use a 10W charger instead, it will take up to 10 hours to charge fully.

The lower the charger watts, the longer it will take to charge the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000.

If you really want to charge the power bank quickly without spending too many hours charging, your best option is to go for a 24W charging brick. This will cut your charging time in half and speed things up quickly.

Can Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 Charge A Laptop?

Unfortunately, the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 cannot charge a laptop because it cannot deliver a 30W output.

It was designed to charge smaller devices like phones, earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, pocket Wi-Fi, and other handheld gadgets.

The requirement for a power bank to charge a laptop is not met by this Anker device because it cannot deliver the right amount of power.

To charge a laptop with an Anker power bank would require the power bank to be able to provide a 30W output.

One of the best Anker products that fits this category is the Anker PowerCore+ 26800mAh PD which has a 45W output and can charge any laptop at full speed.

Best Anker Power Bank To Charge Laptop

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How Long Does The Anker PowerCore 20000 Last?

A 20000mah Anker power bank can last for up to a week if it is only to keep an iPhone or a Samsung phone running.

In reality, if you decide to charge all your gadgets with the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000, it will probably last you for the whole day, which would charge your devices up to 3 times each.

An Anker PowerCore with a 20000mah cell battery can charge a Samsung flagship phone 3 to 4 times and an iPhone flagship 2 to 3 times.

It is safe to say that a 20000mah Anker power bank is perfect for travel when you will be away from electricity for the whole day.

How To Use Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000

The Metro Essential 20000 is straightforward and similar to any other power bank. All it requires is the correct cable going into the right port.

You would want to take note of the ports that are either input or output.

The input port is the type C port that can only be used to charge the power bank and not charge your gadgets.

The output ports are the 2 USB ports used to charge any of your gadgets but cannot be used to charge the power bank itself.

How To Check Battery Level On Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000

 Luckily, this power bank comes along with a LED to monitor the level of the battery. With the LED, you can easily tell if you have enough battery charge or you need to charge the power bank.

To check the battery level, click on the power button once, and you will see 4 blinking LEDs. The amount of LEDs you can see is the amount of battery charge you have left.

The LEDs rotate at the top of the power button in an animated fashion. 4 blinking LEDs indicate that you have a full charge while anything else less than 4 LEDs indicates that the power bank isn’t fully charged.

Unfortunately, there’s no other way to know the battery status aside from the LEDs on the main power button.

How to Charge Phone With Anker PowerCore 20000?

If you are using the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 for the first time, you may wonder how to charge your phone with it.

Charging your phone with this Anker power bank is very similar to charging your phone with other power bank brands.

All you need is a fully charged power bank and the right cable connected to the right port.

Here’s how to charge your phone with it:

1. Make sure the power bank is charged.

2. Plug in the USB cable to any of the main two USB ports.

3. Connect the other end of the cable to your phone.

4. Click on the power button once to begin charging your phone.

How Do I Know If My Anker PowerCore Essential 20000 Is Charging?

Unfortunately, this Anker power bank doesn’t show a green light to indicate that it is charging or fully charged.

In most cases, it doesn’t even show anything when it is charging. All you need to do is make sure the socket you’re charging the power bank with.

The Anker power bank is smart enough to know when a cable is plugged into it for charging. Once the device notices a cable, it automatically begins to charge.

You must note that you can only charge the Anker power bank using its type C port. The type C cable and the charging brick you use will determine the amount of time it takes for the power bank to fully charge.

The best charging brick to charge the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 faster will be any charging brick above 10W or 20W

How Do I Know When My Anker PowerCore 20000 Is Fully Charged?

The simplest way to know that your Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 is fully charged is when all 4 LEDs display a white light simultaneously.

The LEDs on the power button are indicators to let you know the battery level.

4 LEDs indicate that the power bank is fully charged, and anything less than 4 shows that the battery has lost some power.

When you notice that only one LED  or no LED is blinking, you should know that you have a low battery and need to recharge.

Is A 20000mah Power Bank Worth It?

If you are on the move and spending your time in an area where you may not be able to charge. A 20000mah power bank is worth it.

A 2000mah power bank can charge your phones 4 to 5 times, your iPad 3 to 4 times, and all of your gadgets multiple times.

The power it stores is enough to last you for the whole day if you decide to charge devices continuously for the whole day.

In reality, you may only need to charge most of your gadgets once or twice, and they will last you throughout the day, which means that you will still have more power to charge the following day.

Overall the Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 is a powerful power bank that is great for travel and can hold enough power to get you through the day with ease.

Manual And Instructions

The Anker PowerCore Metro Essential 20000 should have manual instruction inside its packaging. If you have misplaced yours or can’t find the manual in the packaging, you should download it from this website.