Up until a couple of months ago, charging my devices on a trip was truly a pain. Before I left the house, I would have to check to verify that I had all of my charging cables and the little bricks to plug into them. Whenever I travel, I usually bring with me four different devices: my phone, my iPad, my watch, and my laptop. Each of which requires different levels of power to charge. That meant that I would have to carry around four different power bricks so as to get the best charging performance. Keeping track of all of that was a nightmare. I needed a solution, and I needed one bad. Luckily I stumbled upon one of Anker's latest products - the Anker PowerPort III mini. It's a USB-C power adapter that currently costs $27.99 on Amazon.
After using the Anker PowerPort III mini for a little over two months now, I can confidently say that I will never travel without it again. Here's why.
 |
| Image Source: Anker |
The design.
It's really quite simple. Its a rounded brick with foldable plugs. The front of the brick has a Type-C port and a blue indicator light ring. That's it. For reference, look at the brick that comes with an iPad; they have a very similar design.
Why is it special?
Anker's IQ technology will use its smarts to detect what device it's being plugged into and adjust the power accordingly.
PowerIQ 3
Part of what makes this charger so special is PowerIQ 3, Anker's proprietary charging standard. It's kinda confusing, so let me explain in the best way that I can. Every device uses a type of charging standard to power a device. For example, you can't quick charge an iPhone with a Samsung Fast charger. They don't share the same charging standard.
Here is a list of which devices use what standard.
Here is a list of which devices use what standard.
Older Samsung Devices - Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging
Newer Samsung Devices - USB Power Delivery/Adaptive Fast Charging/Qualcomm Quick Charge
Google Pixel - USB Power Delivery
iPhones - USB Power Delivery
There are many more confusing device charging variants, but all of that is irrelevant with Ankers PowerIQ 3. PowerIQ 3 is pretty much a combination off all of those charging standards. It will literally quick charge just about any device using any charging standard. This means that you can charge your headphones, phone, iPad, Laptop, and Nintendo Switch all with Anker's PowerIQ 3.
My final thoughts.
This is literally a must-have for me as I no longer have to carry a bunch of different power adapters. I carry one, and it's this one. The only downside is that the max output is 30 watts. This means that although it will charge my laptop, it is very slow; most laptops charge at 60 watts.
Go save yourself some stress and buy this thing.