HISTORY: I have reviewed several Anker products. It seems like every product I buy from them, has been a solid made unit with great features for the money. Plus, Anker has an excellent support staff, and I've even seen their posts on Amazon helping those in need with their device. I've reviewed the Anker 15,000MAH battery, the 5-port wall charger, the 4-panel solar charger, and the 4 port USB 3.0 data hub. Today I am going to be looking at the massive 26,800MAH battery from Anker.PACKAGING: One of the things that always impresses me about Anker, is that they don't try to invest a bunch of money in fancy looking packaging. Instead, they invest their money in functional packaging that actually protects the product inside. All you need is a knife to remove the protective plastic over the box, and then the box opens up like a shell. The battery is inside a foam bag which is located on top of a smaller box, that contains the protective meshed pouch with the elastic closure, as well as the charging cables.SIZE: This battery is huge, it weighs in just over 1-pound or 17 ounces. And the dimensions of the battery are, 7-inches long, by 3.1-inches wide, and 0.9 inches deep. This puts the battery in the carry case within a backpack or purse class. Its far too big to be pocket-able, and its also too big for a fanny pack. This type of battery is best served for folks who might suffer power outages for long periods of time. Its also best for those who like to travel, or go hiking. Anker does make smaller batteries that weigh less, have less power capacity, however are more suited for the portable on the go pocket-able types.CASE: The Hermit Shell case does not come with the battery, however, can be purchased along with the battery. It is highly recommended by other's, and I have to recommend it as well. Its a really well made case with two zippers for enclosure, and also comes with a carabiner, so that you can hang it off your backpack while hiking. Inside the case, there are 2 slots. The bottom slot is used for the battery, and the top meshed slot is used for either storing your phone inside the case to charge, or for storing your charging cables. I prefer to use it for my charging cables.CABLES: The cables that come with the battery are low quality, which is really surprising considering the price you pay for this flagship battery pack. I however always listen to other people's recommendations, especially when thousands of them agree. So along with the battery and case, I also purchased the twin pack, of the red braided cables from Anker. I am so pleased with these cables, as I am able to unwind them from their coiled state easily, the cables do not fight me. And the cables use high quality USB plugs on them, and use a Velcro tie rap to secure them when coiled, I like that! The charging speed will be increased when using these cables as well, so they are a good buy.QUALITY: This battery comes with many certifications, and has built in safety features, so as to avoid certain inflammations, as seen from a popular phone maker, who's phone, literally was quite fired up. The battery uses Japanese capacitors on the PCB board, and uses 8-Japanese Panasonic brand, lithium 18650 cells. These are the same battery cells used in many CREE LED flashlights used today, and are also found in many notebook battery packs. The case surrounding the battery is made of anodized aluminum with plastic end caps. Aluminum is great for heat dissipation and ads durability, which I like.CAPACITY: This battery has a capacity of 26,800-MAH or 96-watt hours, which puts it just bellow the FFA regulations of 100-watt max, for bringing the battery with you on a plane. I've heard that China has stricter policies and they may still confiscate it. The battery can by charged by one cable, but will only provide a 2-AMP charge, and at that rate, it would take 14-hours to charge. By using two of the recommended red braided cables, you will get a 4-AMP charge, which reduces charge time to 7-hours. However, the battery came 75% charged from the factory, as lithium batteries cannot be shipped dead, and so it only took about an hour to top the battery off.The battery has a max output capacity of 6-AMPS, but can only deliver 3-AMPS per port. 3-AMPS is more then enough for all USB devices today, even the fanciest tablets don't require more then that to charge them. This battery charged my Alcatel Android phone 8-times! It can also charge my Dragontouch Android tablet 4-times. On average use of the battery, you can expect the charge to last a week.POWER AUGMENTATION: Most people will use these as battery chargers. But did you know that these can be used for power augmentation? For example, my tablet doesn't have the best battery inside it. Depending on what I am doing with the tablet, I can expect anywhere from 5 hours, to 1 hour of use. Using this battery, I can get at least 8-hours of use out of my tablet. However, I am not hooking it up via a standard USB cable, I am using a USB A to DC MINI jack. The reason for this, is because my tablet limits the charge AMPS through the USB port, however, allows for higher AMPS, through the DC charge port. This insures the battery in the tablet, does not drop bellow 100%, while connected to the battery.The main reason I bought the flagship battery pack, was for power outages. In the Pacific North West, we get major wind storms during the winter time. And every year, the power will get knocked out. Sometimes the power will only be out for 1-minute, other times, 1-day, or 1-week! I live in modern times, we don't live out in the wilderness telling each other camp fire stories and singing coombyaa. I live in the city darnnit, and I need my digital entertainment! I love playing Plants Vs Zombies during a power outage don't you? There is nothing better then slaying zombies with plants while your in the dark, waiting for the power to come back on.And then when the power does finally come back on, and everything suddenly becomes lighted up like a baseball stadium, no you didn't die and go to heaven, you've just been returned to modern civilization, welcome back.HEAT: The battery never really gets hot when charging my phone, tablet, or other devices. It however does get warm, when being used as augmented power, for the tablet.PORTS: This unit has 5-ports on one end of the battery, as well as a power switch on the side, and battery level indicators, in blue, on the front face of the battery. Two of the USB ports are MICRO USB, which are used for the twin cable charging system, to charge the battery. The other 3-ports are standard USB A 3-AMP charge ports, to charge your devices with. As stated before, the battery has a max capacity of 6-AMPS output charge. If using 2-ports at the same time, each device will get 3-AMPS per device MAX. If using all three ports, you can expect the charge rate to drop to 2-AMPS MAX.If you use an APP on your phone for detecting charge voltage and amperage, and you notice that your phone is only getting a 1-AMP charge, this is not the batteries fault, its your phone's programming, preventing a higher AMP charge to the phone.CHARGING: I really appreciate all the safety features and technology that go into making these battery packs. One of the features that I love, is that I don't have to turn the battery on, to start charging it. Just plug the cables into it, and it auto turns on, and shows level of charge, all throughout the charge time. I also don't have to worry about turning the battery off after charging. The battery automatically detects when its fully charged, and it will shut itself off. That takes a lot of guess work out when it comes to charging. To use the battery Just press the power button once to turn it on, and hold it down for 6-seconds to turn it off. The battery also has auto shutoff if no charging is being applied to a device for a given amount of time.CONCLUSION: This is by far, the best battery I've ever owned. If you have a thirsty for power personality, or a device that is power hungry, or you just want bragging rights against your friend, you definitely are going to want this battery pack. It has more then enough power for my needs, and then some. It has all the features I need out of a battery, and not useless ones like an LED light, as seen on previous years models. I recommend that you get the Hermit Shell case with yours, as well as the twin pack of RED braided cables. And I highly recommend this battery from Anker, 5 out of 5!UPDATE! NOV 22 2019I wanted to give you guys an update, since I've owned this battery for over a year now. I've read several reviews from people, where they said their battery worked for several months, but then failed. One popular review in particular, stated that their battery lasted 9-months and failed. Good on Anker however, for replacing their battery under warranty! My only guess as to what is going on, is that some people have gotten defective batteries..I however, haven't had any problems with my Anker 26,800MAH battery pack. It still takes a charge, just as it did before. And it still lasts just as long, just as it did before. Infact, I used it a few months ago, and was able to power my Tablet for up to 3-days, before my battery went down to a single LED! A good rule of thumb when it comes to lithium batteries, when you see the charge indicator get down to a single LED, immediately stop using the battery, and put it on a charge.Lithium technology shares a common problem with Lead Acid batteries. If you let them sit dead for too long, they will go bad, so just keep them charged, and as long as your battery is not defective, should last you a long time. As far as the actual aesthetics of my battery pack, it still looks the way it did when I bought it, aside from being a bit dusty lol. The battery has never overheated, and there are no strange blemishes on it. The ports are also still functional with no damage.Ideally, with proper care, lithium technology should last 5-years. Weather or not this battery will last 5-years, will just have to wait and see. But so far its passed the 1-year test. I still stand by with everything I originally said in this review. Its a quality battery pack, and I highly recommend it, 5 out of 5 STARS!UPDATE! NOV 6th 2020It has been yet another year, which makes my Anker battery now, 3-years old! This has been a tough year for most, and if you lose power, these battery packs are the best option, for keeping your phone charged. I don't know about you, but I consider my phone as a life line, incase something goes wrong. Plus, during a power outage, these are great for keeping the tablet going.Over the years, there have been many no-name brands of battery packs on the market, who try to compete against the Anker. But those battery packs have a short lifespan, or are defective out of the box, which is why I wouldn't ever trust them, I only trust Anker, and they are who I buy my battery packs from. I know that Anker batteries cost more, but you get what you pay for.You will be happy to know that my Anker 26,800MAH battery pack still holds a solid charge after all these years. Of course, I've rarely had to use it, its mostly for power outages, or for when I don't have an outlet to plug into somewhere. But it always performs flawlessly, everytime that I use it, and I never have any issues with it.I got a Moto G6 phone, which has a USB-C port, the phone came with its own USB cable, but I hate those cheap things. I bought a set of high quality JSAUX USB-A to USB-C cables, and they function as well as they look, and allow me to get a full charging speed from my Anker battery. Additionally, I charge my Anker battery using an Anker branded 60W 10-port wall charger.In conclusion, I have to say, after a good solid 3-years, Anker continues to surprise me, their quality is unmatched from what I have seen. I recommend Anker battery packs to everybody I know who is looking for one. I gave my old Anker 14,500MAH battery pack to a family member, and they liked it so much, that they wanted the newer 20,000MAH battery pack, so I will be doing a review on that soon I am sure. My rating stands at a whopping 5 out of 5 stars! :)