Two 100W GaN chargers from the same brand, both three ports, both folding plugs, both able to run a 14-inch laptop from a single USB-C port. The difference is a screen, and the question worth answering is what a screen on a charger is actually for.
What 100W means once you plug in a second device
Almost nobody buys a three-port charger to charge one thing. Yet the number on the box describes the one-port case. Anker publishes the full distribution for the Prime: one port is 100W, two ports is 65W + 35W, three ports is 89W total. That is an unusually honest disclosure, because it tells you the thing that actually happens in use — plug in a phone and your laptop drops to 65W, which is still enough for a MacBook Air and marginal for a 16-inch Pro under load.
The 100W Max publishes the headline and the per-port behaviour but not the split. That is not a lie, it is a marketing choice, and it is why the two chargers are not interchangeable even though the box numbers match. If you routinely charge a laptop plus two other devices, the published split table is the single most useful piece of documentation in this category.
| Anker PRIME 100W (A2688) | Anker 100W Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Total output | 100 W | 100 W |
| Ports | 3 (2 USB-C + 1 USB-A) | 3 (2 USB-C + 1 USB-A) |
| Single USB-C port | 100 W | 100 W |
| Two ports in use | 65 W + 35 W (published) | Not published as a split |
| Three ports in use | 89 W total (published) | Not published as a split |
| Size | 43.5 x 29 x 67.8 mm | 2.72 x 2.17 x 1.34 in |
| Weight | 170 g / 6 oz | Not stated in bullets |
| Display | None | Status, temperature, per-port output |
| Amazon base | Not captured this session | 4.7 on 1,565 |
Prices in this category move weekly, which is why both tables stop at specifications — the button under each pick shows what the charger costs today rather than a number that will be wrong by the time you read it.
1. Anker Prime 100W (A2688): the one that tells you its power split
Two USB-C and one USB-A, 100W on either USB-C solo, 65W + 35W with two devices, 89W with three, in a body of roughly 44 x 29 x 68 mm at 170 g. ActiveShield 2.0 samples temperature about three million times a day, which is the kind of claim that sounds like marketing until you have owned a cheap 100W brick that gets too hot to hold.
Anker’s own documentation carries a note worth reading before you buy: when both USB-C ports are in use, the laptop goes on the upper port. That single sentence is the difference between a charger that behaves and one that appears broken.
Buy it if you want to know exactly how the watts divide, and your laptop is 65W-class. Skip it if you want a display or you need a sustained 100W while charging a phone at the same time.
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2. Anker 100W Max: the one with the screen
A 100W output on any USB-C port, a foldable plug, 2.72 x 2.17 x 1.34 inches, touch control, and a high-definition display showing charging status, temperature and per-port output in real time. Anker claims it sustains peak output about twice as long as the average 100W charger, which is the claim that matters for a laptop under load — most compact bricks throttle after twenty minutes.
The display is not a gimmick in one specific situation: diagnosing a cable. When a device charges slowly, the screen tells you whether the charger is delivering 5W or 65W, which separates a bad cable from a bad port in about four seconds. That is a job people otherwise do by swapping cables and guessing.
What it does not publish is the two-port and three-port split, so if you charge three things at once and need to know where the power goes, the Prime is the better documented of the two.
Buy it if you troubleshoot slow charging and want to see what is happening. Skip it if you want a published power-distribution table more than a readout.
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The short version
Both are 100W until you plug in a second device, and then the documentation decides. Prime if you want the split published and the laptop on a known port. 100W Max if you want to see the watts and stop guessing about cables. Neither will run a 16-inch laptop at full speed and charge a phone at 100W at the same time — no three-port brick at this size will, whatever the box says.