Anker PowerPort III Nano: does it have what it takes for the new universal smartphone power supply?

In the test: Anker PowerPort III Nano

I'm in relatively close contact with Anker and I often get power banks, hubs or charging plugs sent over for testing. This time, however, the package from Anker came under a new aspect. The company's public relations department wanted me to Anker PowerPort III Nano try it out and say whether it can be recommended as a future universal power supply for smartphones.

7,83 EUR
Anker 511 (Nano) 20W iPhone USB C charger, PIQ 3.0 mini charger, suitable for iPhone...
  • FOR THE IPHONE: Introducing your iPhone's good friend! With its 20W output power, Anker Nano is the...
  • STORE WITH STYLE: Now available in four fresh colors - black, white, lavender and mint green.
  • COMPACT DESIGN: The ultimate design from Anker: Fantastic efficiency with less heat generation in a small, ...

No more charging plugs with your smartphone in the future?

The aim of the question is that in the foreseeable future, in order to avoid electronic waste, we may no longer find charging plugs in the smartphone packaging and that buyers - if necessary - will have to take care of an appropriate power supply unit themselves.

Personally, I think this decision is very good, because I don't need an additional power supply with the next iPhone or iPad. And I'm sure many other people feel the same way.

Was the iPhone 11 the last iPhone model to come with a power adapter? (Photos: Sir Apfelot)
Was the iPhone 11 the last iPhone model to come with a power adapter? (Photos: Sir Apfelot)

Apple original power supply rather inadequate

In addition, the power supply that Apple has been supplying with the iPhone for years is really a weak point. It only offers 5 watts of power and thus cannot even keep up with the already weak Qi charging.

With the iPhone 11 Pro (mind you ONLY with the Pro model) they finally deliver a USB-C power supply with 18 watts of power, but all other models, like the iPhone 11, iPhone Xr, iPhone SE 2020 and all older ones continue to come with the old 5-watt charging plug.

With the iPad Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro, you get a USB-C power adapter for the first time, which also supports USB Power Delivery (photos: Sir Apfelot).
With the iPad Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro, you get a USB-C power adapter for the first time, which also supports USB Power Delivery (photos: Sir Apfelot).

Also one Support of USB Power Delivery, which enables you to charge the iPhone by 30% in approx. 50 minutes, you will look in vain for the 5W power supply. However, since Apple's smartphones themselves have long mastered the charging standard, it is all the more incomprehensible why Apple is adding this 5-watt cucumber to their premium smartphone (including the iPhone 11).

From my point of view, there has long been a need to buy a better power adapter for the iPhone - if one shouldn't have one yet.

On the left the Anker PowerPort III Nano and on the right the well-known 5W power supply from Apple (Photos: Sir Apfelot).
On the left the Anker PowerPort III Nano and on the right the well-known 5W power supply from Apple (Photos: Sir Apfelot).

Technical data of the Anker PowerPort III Nano

I have put together the technical data of the anchor power plug here, which in practice is the 5 watt plugr or that 18 watt USB-C power supplyl to replace by Apple.

  • Performance: 18 W
  • Front dimensions: 35,6 x 27,4 mm
  • Charging technology: PowerIQ 3.0
  • Fast charging option for Apple and Samsung devices
  • USB-PD compatible: yes
  • Electronics: Gallium nitride (GaN)
  • Standby consumption: 0,02 W
  • Input: 100 - 240V ~ 1.15A / 50 - 60Hz
  • Power: 5V ⎓ 2.4A / 9V ⎓ 2A
  • Price: approx. 20 EUR at Amazon

Size comparison Apple and Anker power supply

If you look at the 5W power supply from Apple and the Anker PowerPort III Nano, so  you can see that the construction is different, but the size is roughly similar.

The power supply from Apple may be a bit fancier because it is built in a continuous form, but when I have to choose between 5 watts and 18 watts of power in practice, the design plays a subordinate role.

Apple 18 watt USB-C power supply vs. Anker PowerPort III Nano

We shouldn't ignore the new 18 watt USB-C power supply from Apple. I also have this on hand as it was included with my iPad Pro 2020. In terms of design, Apple has certainly produced better things. Personally, I don't like the look of Apple's USB-C power supply.

In a visual comparison between the Apple and the Anker charger, the Anker power pack is clearly ahead.

Here you can see the power supply units in comparison: on the left the 5W device from Apple, in the middle the Anker PowerPort III Nano with 18 watts and on the right the 18 watt USB-C power supply unit from Apple.
Here you can see the power supply units in comparison: on the left the 5W device from Apple, in the middle the Anker PowerPort III Nano with 18 watts and on the right the 18 watt USB-C power supply unit from Apple.

Power output in comparison

Incidentally, the performance of the two power supplies (Apple USB-C and PowerPort III Nano) is the same. Both have a power output of 18 watts and offer USB-PD with 5 or 9 volts - but no higher voltages. Technically, they are equal to each other.

Price comparison Apple vs. Anker

Of course, everything speaks for anchors here. At Apple The 18 watt USB-C power supply costs around 34 euros, while the Anker PowerPort III Nano for just under 20 euros at Amazon is listed. You can click directly on a 30% code, which then lowers the price to 14 euros. This means that the Anker Power Adapter only costs a third of the Apple original.

Measurement results for the Anker PowerPort III Nano

As always, I also try to use my limited measurement options (Thank you for a USB multimeter!) to bring some light into the dark when it comes to the practical values ​​of the devices. There are a few areas of the Anker PowerPort III Nano that I would like to take a closer look at.

Standby power consumption

I find the power consumption of the power supply unit when no device is connected to be particularly important with such charging plugs, as they usually remain plugged in all the time.

I measure standby power consumption with a meter called Voltcraft Energy Logger 4000that can even record a consumption of 0,1 watt. With this device, the standby power consumption will show 0,0 W, which means that the consumption must be very low. I had read something about 0,02 watts somewhere in an English-language test report, but unfortunately I could no longer find the source.

The standby power consumption of the Anker PowerPort III Nano is less than 0,1 watts and is therefore not recognized by the measuring device (photos: Sir Apfelot).
The standby power consumption of the Anker PowerPort III Nano is less than 0,1 watts and is therefore not recognized by the measuring device (photos: Sir Apfelot).

Just to complement: The 5 W and 18 W power supplies from Apple have the same standby power consumption of 0,0 W in the display.

Charge the iPhone at the PowerPort III Nano

My iPhone Xs supports charging with USB Power Delivery and accordingly the charging voltage goes up from 5 to 9 volts. When the iPhone is almost full, however, it does not use the 9 volts - presumably to save the battery. This means that you only benefit from fast charging when the battery level is below 70 to 80%.

With my iPhone Xs I had about 50% battery level and it was about 9 volts and 1,5 to 1,8 Ampere charged. So about 13 to 16 watts - it's difficult to say exactly because the current has changed again and again and even went up to 2 amperes for a short time.

The iPhone Xs charges quickly with 9 volts in USB PD mode.
The iPhone Xs charges quickly with 9 volts in USB PD mode.

But you can see: The Anker PowerPort III Nano power supply provides enough power to charge the iPhone in fast mode - this should also work with the larger iPhone 11 Pro Max models.

iPad Pro 12,9 inch charging at the PowerPort III Nano

The iPad Pro is of course a different house number and has a significantly larger battery than the iPhone Xs (36,71 Wh to 10,13 Wh). Quick note: here is this List of battery capacities of the iPhone modele and here the battery capacities of the iPad modele

For the test, I brought my iPad Pro 2020 to below 30% battery level and then connected the PowerPort III Nano. After a few seconds, the voltage jumped to the expected 9 volts and the current to almost 2 amps, so that we land at the 18 watts advertised by Anker.

As a test, I connected the iPad Pro to my MacBook Pro power adapter to see if it “draws” more power when it could get more. Here the current jumped to 2,4 amps (at 9 volts) and thus the output was almost 22 watts.

The PowerPort III Nano can still charge the 12,9 inch iPad Pro from 2020 quite quickly.
The 12,9-inch iPad Pro from 2020 can still charge the PowerPort III Nano quite quickly, but the iPad Pro would also be able to use 4 watts more.

You can see that a larger power supply would ensure faster charging, but with a higher battery level the iPad Pro changes back to a charging voltage of 5 volts anyway, so that the advantage of USB-PD charging is not always given in practice.

Charge your MacBook 12 inch with the PowerPort III Nano

The last test was to charge my MacBook (without Pro or Air) with the 12 inch screen via the PowerPort III Nano. Something interesting happens here: even though the MacBook could charge at 9 volts, it only gets 5 volts. This is because it will either accept the 20 volts you want or go down to 5 volts. It cannot use an intermediate stage of 9, 12 or 15 volts.

This of course means that charging with the Anker PowerPort III Nano is not as efficient as it is only charged with just under 4,9 volts and 2,3 amps with 11,3 watts. If you hang the MacBook on the large MacBook Pro power supply unit, it charges with 20 volts and almost 30 watts - almost three times as much power as with the Anker PowerPort III Nano.

The Anker PowerPort III Nano has to fit with the MacBook - while a sufficiently large power supply unit can charge the small Apple laptop with 30 watts, the Anker power supply unit only manages 11 watts of power.
The Anker PowerPort III Nano has to fit with the MacBook - while a sufficiently large power supply unit can charge the small Apple laptop with 30 watts, the Anker power supply unit only manages 11 watts of power.

The USB-C power supply from Apple is no better here either and also only charges the MacBook Pro with approx. 11 watts at 5 volts.

My conclusion on the PowerPort III Nano

The small Anker USB-C power supply unit is an all-round charging solution for smartphones and tablets. Thanks to the USB power delivery function, it is able to quickly charge the modern Apple iPhone and iPad models.

As far as I've read, it supports it too QuickChargewhat is the fast charging standard for the Samsung devices.

You only notice how small the Anker PowerPort III Nano actually is when you plug it into a socket.
You only notice how small the Anker PowerPort III Nano actually is when you plug it into a socket.

The Anker power supply reaches its limits if you want to use it for laptops. A MacBook will certainly still be able to charge it - if not quickly, but a MacBook Pro is completely hopeless. The Anker PowerPort III Nano was not designed for this either.

From my point of view you can Anker PowerPort III Nano absolutely recommend as a power supply for all current iPhone and iPad models. Anyone looking for a small but powerful USB-C travel power supply will also be well served with the PowerPort III Nano.

7,83 EUR
Anker 511 (Nano) 20W iPhone USB C charger, PIQ 3.0 mini charger, suitable for iPhone...
  • FOR THE IPHONE: Introducing your iPhone's good friend! With its 20W output power, Anker Nano is the...
  • STORE WITH STYLE: Now available in four fresh colors - black, white, lavender and mint green.
  • COMPACT DESIGN: The ultimate design from Anker: Fantastic efficiency with less heat generation in a small, ...
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The page contains affiliate links / images: Amazon.de

5 Responses to "Anker PowerPort III Nano: Does it have what it takes for the new universal smartphone power supply?"

  1. a port power supplies I find crap.
    Most of the iPhones remained in the box.
    I always have at least 2 devices:
    iPhone, AppleWatch and then if necessary again MicroUSB for something.
    So only the 4 port is used.

    1. Hello Raffael! Yes, of course you're right. I can easily fill 2-3 of the multiport charging stations with kids, women and my own stuff. The Anker PowerPort III Nano is actually only interesting as a replacement for the included power supply. If you don't use it anyway, you can get something bigger right away.

  2. I bought an Anker power port iii nano. I found that it won't charge my iPhone. Anker was ready to replace it but suggested unplugging it for 5 minutes and then trying again. That worked. I sort of restarted it. Never have I ever rebooted a charger. But I don't know why it was necessary. It has been working perfectly since then.

    1. Hi Lorenzo! Interesting... this is also new to me that you "boot" chargers. But maybe – if that's the case – yours has made an update?! :D

      1. I bought the Anker PowerPort III Nano two about 2 weeks ago, it was with one, but then it wasn't loaded. Anker didn't call it reboot, just unplug it for 5 minutes and then try again what worked. Maybe it's an overheat shutdown, but it wasn't hot when I pulled the plug. Maybe the PIQ 3 is involved? My phone is old and doesn't work like this. It has been working perfectly since then.

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