Anker PowerPort III Pod review: 65W of portable power for phones and laptops

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

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

What you need to know about the Anker PowerPort III Pod

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

In typical Anker fashion, the PowerPort III Pod comes in white. It’s a reasonably compact adapter given its 65W power rating. Dimensions measure 6.8 x 3.0 x 4.5cm, with a weight of 132 grams. The plug type is fixed based on your region, with North American, European, and UK variants all available. The US version has folding prongs on the back. There’s no USB-C cable included in the box, so you’ll need to bring your own capable of withstanding 3A or higher current for fast charging speeds.

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

Further reading: Best USB C portable chargers

Specifically, the charger’s USB PD mode can supply 5V, 9V, and 15V at 3A, as well as 20V at 3.25A. The charger sports a single USB PD PPS mode with a variable voltage between 3.3V and 21V with up to 3.25A of current. Energy conversion efficiency while charging clocks in at a very good 85% on average.

What’s good?

Anker’s 65W Pod can indeed charge up everything we threw at it. USB Power Delivery is increasingly widely supported across the technology industry, including by Apple’s iPhone and MacBook series, the Nintendo Switch, and a range of USB-C laptops and tablets. The inclusion of USB PD PPS also makes the PowerPort III Pod one of the few chargers that can super fast charge the Samsung Galaxy S21 series and select other Samsung smartphones at full speed.

65W is overkill for smartphones. Instead, it’s useful to quickly charge up laptops with larger battery capacities. Anker claims it takes two hours, 14 minutes to fully charge a MacBook Pro 13. In my tests, the plug takes approximately one hour, 25 minutes to fully charge an HONOR MagicBook Pro laptop. That’s as quick as the boxed charger but Anker’s plug is significantly smaller.

Portability is one of the Pod’s bigger selling points. It’s definitely small and lightweight enough to fit into a travel or laptop bag without issue. However, UK and EU customers should note that these plugs add some additional bulk to the back of the charger. So international variants won’t quite fit in your pocket.

What’s not so good?

Despite supporting the latest USB-C charging standards, the plug doesn’t always charge as quickly as possible. The Pod doesn’t provide the full 60W charging power supported by Microsoft’s Surface X Pro. One or twice, I also had to reconnect the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus before obtaining 25W fast charging speeds. It can be a bit more finicky than other chargers.

65W is a lot of power but Anker’s single USB-C port in the PowerPort III Pod prevents it from being quite as useful as some dual-port 60W+ chargers that cost around the same price. You’re definitely paying for the charger’s compact nature and USB PD PPS support at the expense of multi-device charging.

The charger also becomes a little warm when pushing out its full 65W. It’s not hot enough to cause alarm, but something to be aware of when moving the plug after charging.

Anker PowerPort III Pod review: Should I buy it?

As a single charger to power all your gadgets, the Anker PowerPort III Pod offers plenty of power and the latest USB-C charging standards for your high-end gadgets. The only blemish on its compatibility is the slower speeds I saw from the Surface Pro X and the rare issue where the Galaxy S21 wouldn’t charge at full speed. Although that could be down to the handset.

Whether Anker’s 65W Pod represents 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). Providing you already have the necessary USB-C cable. However, those looking to charge multiple devices at once, who don’t need USB PD PPS support, will find multi-port chargers, such as the RavPower 65W 4 port ($60) more versatile.

65W from a single port is more than any smartphone can make use of over USB PD, so the PowerPort III Pod only makes sense if you’re looking for a single plug to charge your phone, tablet, and laptop with. If that’s you, then you can’t go wrong here.