Anker Powercore III Review

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When I’m out exploring somewhere new or taking part in an activity, it’s often that my phone will burn through its battery pretty rapidly. Even though batteries are improving with each generation of smartphone, our smartphones are becoming quicker and more powerful than before. In turn making them become more power-hungry. As I use my phone as a camera, note-taker and maps even on small visits this means I need to carry a power bank everywhere I go.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Anker products and used many of their power banks in the past. The Powercore III was the first one I came across with wireless charging capabilities. Since then it’s become a lot more common but this is the standard I have come to compare them too.  It’s come in handy when I have forgotten a cable. And although I tend to prefer wired due to its fast speed and stability. 

Anker products always feel well-built. The Powercore III is made of plastic, and it has a bit of weight to it. The plastic feels thick and durable, but it isn’t rubberised at all which wouldn’t be the best for drops. Still, the solid design means it will hold up against scratches and survive knocks in your bag. As with any electrical item though its worth taking care and knowing how to use a power bank safely.

One cool addition that makes this charger stand out from others is the stand feature. It lets you prop your phone up for watching Netflix or prime video. This is a great idea as I love to keep my phone on charge while commuting so it is at 100% when I get to my destination.

Unfortunately, what it gains in ingenuity it lacks in actual execution. The stand isn’t large enough to accommodate a phone with a case, if it was just a little larger this would have been a game-changer for me but unfortunately, it comes up short and becomes redundant. 

I have found wireless charging to be incredibly useful on this battery pack. And it has become the standard that I compare other wireless chargers too. Like all wireless charging you have to ensure it remains in the sweet spot. But this is made significantly easier by the rubber grip to hold it in place. It was a complaint I had with the Otterbox Wireless charger I reviewed earlier this year that it had nothing to keep the phone in place. 

It’s always worth checking if your case is compatible with wireless charging, but with it being the norm of modern phones now it’s unlikely to cause an issue. Of course wireless charging is slower than wired but with the passthrough it is really useful when travelling.

So the charging speeds on the Anker Powercore III match the Otterbox Wireless Charger. 18w for wired and 10w for wireless. A fair bit slower than the newer GaN chargers. And with the recent iPhone 15 Pro quoted at 20w, it’ll only be a little slower than from an outlet. However, some devices like the S23 Ultra can reach up to 45w. Charging the Powercore III itself takes around 4.5 hours.

However it’s worth taking into consideration that these are much newer devices and the Powercore III is a few years old. Anker does supply newer battery packs which can match these speeds, but that only feels necessary if your device can support it and you are heavily reliant on your battery pack.

This is one of my favourite features of the Powercore III. When you are charging the powerbank up at night, you can use the wireless charging. Meaning in the morning you have a fully charged phone and power bank, all from just the one cable. It’s a simple yet efficient design that makes it stand out from others on the market. 

This model is 10,000 mAh. That’s enough to charge most Samsung devices 1.5 times, or Apple and Google devices more than twice. It’s rare that I need more than one full charge in a day. And as I use the passthrough charging at night to top up both the Powercore III and my phone simultaneously it starts each day ready to go.

This is definitely becoming my go-to charger. It’s a vast improvement on others in the market. Instead of simply accepting the standard they have attempted to innovate. The stand may not work great with cases. I have tried other brands with middling success, like Juice’s Eco 3 despite being similar spec have failed to impress.

But what impresses most me is the passthrough charging. Anker has clearly put a lot of thought into when wireless charging will be used most often and how it can be more useful than just for when you forget a cable.