This $12 portable charger is the best cheap Prime Day deal — I bought two

Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 with a Tom's Guide deal tag
(Image credit: Future)

During Prime Day sales, Amazon often shines the brightest spotlight on the savings on premium products like Apple MacBooks or LG OLEDs. But the best Prime Day deal this year will cost you less than $15. This Anker portable charger is the biggest bargain I’ve spotted over the last 48 hours, and even I'm tempted to buy another. 

For a limited time, the Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 is on sale for $12 at Amazon. That’s nearly half-off its regular price, and while it’s not quite the lowest price ever (it was briefly $10 last month), it’s still an unmissable bargain for an accessory that comes with me literally anytime I leave my house for an extended period of time. 

Anker PowerCore Slim 10000: was $21 now $12 @ Amazon

Anker PowerCore Slim 10000: was $21 now $12 @ Amazon
The Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 is one of the best portable chargers you can buy. It's able to charge up your smartphone multiple times and the 10,000 mAh battery comes housed in a rugged casing. This travel essential is now on sale for just $12 but you'll need an Amazon Prime subscription to get this deal for yourself. 

I love this Anker accessory so much that I’ve already bought two in the past, and I'm now considering buying a third as a backup thanks to this Prime Big Deal Days sale. 

It's not just me that highly-rates the Anker PowerCore Slim 10000 either. It currently features on our list of the best portable chargers you can buy. This particular model offers a battery capacity of 10,000 mAh which is enough to fully charge up a smartphone between two and three times, depending on the model and battery age. 

It’s also great for giving your phone a power boost in a pinch. During our testing, we got an additional 21% worth of charge in just 15 minutes, and 76% in an hour with an iPhone 12. And it's also fully compatible with the latest iPhone models including the brand-new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro devices. 

This Anker power bank also comes sporting a rugged design that allows you to throw it into a bag or shove it into a pocket without fear of it getting damaged or badly scuffed. In fact, I’ve been extensively using mine for more than three years and there’s barely a scratch on it. Anker also claims it’s been subject to various drop tests and survived intact. We wouldn’t recommend putting those claims to the test, but it’s reassuring to know it can survive a fall or two.

My single disappointment with the Anker PowerCore Slim is that the USB-C port is input only. It can be used to charge up the power bank itself, but has no output function so is unable to juice up your phone or other devices. But other than this (relatively minor) issue, it's a power bank that has never failed me after years of use. 

If you're looking for more Prime Day savings that won't sting your wallet, check out our live blog covering all the best Prime Day deals under $25 including Ring video doorbells, Fire TV Sticks and more. And don't forget to stick with Tom's Guide over the next few weeks as we move into the Black Friday sales period. 

Rory Mellon
Entertainment Editor (UK)

Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team. 

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