65W of juice for phones and laptops

Anker is a big name in the charging accessories business and often appears on lists of the best phone charging accessories. The company is entering the next generation of power plugs with its new slimmer and cooler Anker PowerPort III Pod, which supports the latest charging standard for programmable USB power supply (USB PD PSS).

With 65W of power on board, the PowerPort III Pod charges everything from smartphones to tablets and laptops at high speed. That’s a pretty compelling prospect for $ 39.99. So let’s do some tests and our Anker PowerPort III Pod review to find out just how universal this charger is.

What you need to know about the Anker PowerPort III Pod

Anker PowerPod III Pod in front

Recognition: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

  • Anker PowerPort III Pod 65W: $ 39.99 / £ 42.99 / € 39.99

In typical anchor fashion, the PowerPort III Pod is available in white. It is a relatively compact adapter with a nominal output of 65 W. The dimensions are 6.8 x 3.0 x 4.5 cm and weighs 132 grams. The connector type is determined by region. All variants for North America, Europe and Great Britain are available. The US version has folding teeth on the back. The scope of delivery does not include a USB-C cable. Therefore, for fast charging speeds you will need to bring your own cable that can withstand a current of 3 A or higher.

A single USB-C port on the front is equipped with Anker’s PowerIQ 3.0 technology. This connector supports proprietary branding and supports USB Power Delivery 3.0 and USB PD PPS. The latter is required to charge the Samsung Galaxy S21 series with 25W and the Galaxy S20 Ultra with 45W super-fast.

Further reading: Best USB C portable chargers

In particular, the charger’s USB PD mode can deliver 5V, 9V and 15V at 3A and 20V at 3.25A. The charger has a single USB-PD-PPS mode with a variable voltage between 3.3 V and 21 V and a current of up to 3.25 A. The energy conversion efficiency when charging averages a very good 85%.

What is good?

Anker PowerPod III Pod with Galaxy S21

Recognition: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Anker’s 65W pod can indeed charge anything we’ve thrown on it. USB power delivery is increasingly supported across the technology industry, including Apple’s iPhone and MacBook series, the Nintendo Switch, and a number of USB-C laptops and tablets. By integrating USB PD PPS, the PowerPort III Pod is also one of the few chargers with which the Samsung Galaxy S21 series can be charged super-fast and other Samsung smartphones can be selected at full speed.

Anker PowerPort III Pod 65W reviewSamsung Galaxy S21 UltraApple iPhone 12 Pro maxMicrosoft Surface Book X.Honor MagicBook Pro
USB performance test24.9 W / 25 W.20 W / 20 W.38.8 W / 60 W.61.1 W / 65 W.
Voltage current8.82 V, 2.82 A.8.88 V, 2.28 A.19.5 V, 1.99 A.19.7 V, 3.10 A.
Charging standardUSB PD PPSUSB PD 3.0USB PD 3.0USB PD 3.0
Electricity from the wall29.5 W.24W45.5 W.70.8 W.
Energy efficiency84.3%, good.84.4%, good.85.3%, very good.86.3%, very good.

65W is an overkill for smartphones. Instead, it’s useful to quickly charge laptops with larger battery capacities. Anker claims that it takes two hours and 14 minutes to fully charge a MacBook Pro 13. In my tests, charging an Honor MagicBook Pro laptop through the plug takes about an hour and 25 minutes. It’s as fast as the charger, but Anker’s plug is significantly smaller.

Portability is one of the pod’s biggest selling points. It’s definitely small and light enough to fit easily in a travel or laptop bag. However, UK and EU customers should note that these plugs put additional strain on the back of the charger. International variants do not quite fit in your pocket.

What’s not so good?

Anker PowerPod III Pod USB C connector

Recognition: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Despite supporting the latest USB-C charging standards, the plug doesn’t always charge as quickly as possible. The pod does not provide the full 60W charging power supported by Microsoft Surface X Pro. I also had to reconnect the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus once or twice before reaching a fast 25W charging speed. It can be a little trickier than other chargers.

65W is a lot of power, but Anker’s only USB-C port in the PowerPort III Pod prevents it from being as useful as some 60W + two-port chargers that cost about the same price. You are definitely paying for the compactness of the charger and USB PD PPS support at the expense of charging multiple devices.

The charger also gets a little warm when it pushes out its full 65W. It’s not hot enough to set off an alarm, but something to keep in mind when moving the plug after charging.

Anker PowerPort III Pod Review: Should I Buy It?

Anker PowerPod III Pod Box

Recognition: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

As a single charger for all your devices, the Anker PowerPort III Pod offers plenty of power and the latest USB-C charging standards for your high-end devices. The only downside to compatibility is the slower speeds I’ve seen the Surface Pro X and the rare issue where the Galaxy S21 couldn’t charge at full speed. Although this could be due to the handset.

The Anker PowerPort III Pod offers a lot of power for your high-end devices.

Whether Ankers 65W Pod is good value for money depends on what you need. It’s definitely a better deal than Apple’s 61W power adapter ($ 69) and Samsung’s 45W travel adapter ($ 50). Assuming you already have the required USB-C cable. However, those who want to charge multiple devices at the same time and don’t need USB PD PPS support will find multi-port chargers like the RavPower 65W 4-Port ($ 60) more versatile.

65 W on a single connection is more than any smartphone can use via USB PD. As such, the PowerPort III Pod only makes sense if you’re looking for a single plug that you can use to charge your phone, tablet, and laptop. If that is you, you can’t go wrong here.

Anker PowerPort III Pod 65W 65 W of power for all your USB-C devices

With an output of up to 65W, the PowerPort III Pod from Anker USB supports Power Delivery PPS to quickly charge everything from smartphones to tablets and laptops.

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