When it comes to portable chargers for your phone, laptop, camera, tablet – or any device that has a USB-C port, there are few brand names as big as Anker. The China-based charger behemoth is ubiquitous on Amazon, at Best Buy, and in just about any reputable electronics store. That’s why the recall of more than 1 million portable chargers came as such a shock last week.
If you bought the Anker PowerCore 10000 power bank (Model A1263), which was on sale between June 2016 and December 2022 and sold for about $27, it’s one of the affected chargers.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that “Anker has received 19 reports of fires and explosions. This includes two reports of minor burn injuries not requiring medical attention and 11 reports of property damage totaling over $60,700.”
Some 1,158,000 PowerCore 10000 power banks are affected by the recall.
Anker will ship a replacement to you, and if a replacement is unavailable, Anker is offering a $30 gift card to its website.
The CPSC also offers these details about affected chargers: "The model number ‘A1263’ and serial number 'SN' are printed on the bottom. Only model number A1263 power banks sold in the U.S. with qualifying serial numbers are included in the recall.”
If you have one of these chargers, getting rid of them can be tricky because they’re a fire hazard. Here’s the CPSC again:
“Note: Do not throw this recalled lithium-ion battery or device in the trash, in the general recycling stream (e.g., street-level or curbside recycling bins), or in used battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores. Recalled lithium-ion batteries must be disposed of differently than other batteries, because they present a greater risk of fire. Your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center may accept this recalled lithium-ion battery or device for disposal. Before taking your battery or device to a HHW collection center, contact it ahead of time and ask whether it accepts recalled lithium-ion batteries. If it does not, contact your municipality for further guidance.”
With that said, here are five power banks to buy if you have one of those Anker chargers affected by the recall.
