Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD Safe for use on the Nintendo Switch?

#1

Hello Anker and community,

So there’s been quite a bit of chatter floating about with regards Nintendo’s proprietary implementation of their USB-C charging port. Third party manufacturers have been developing alternate charge docking stations that have been reported to brick / fry Nintendo Switch devices.

There’s a rather informative video that goes into great depth on this specific subject here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Tc0DP7IGA
I’m in no way affiliated with that YouTube channel, nor has the author been informed of this initiative.

That said, Anker/Nintendo’s officially licensed PowerCore 20100 for the Switch by definition is “Optimized for Flawless Compatibility with Nintendo Switch” This statement is intentionally vague and offers no actual useful information that would allow consumers to make an informed decision when spending 60 dollars vs half the price for the non-Nintendo branded variant. I have two questions for you Anker -

  • What does “Optimized” in this context, really mean from a manufacturing / engineering perspective.
  • What are the hardware / firmware variances between the Nintendo Switch branded Model (PowerCore 20100) and the original Anker branded model? - If for whatever reason you’re not able to disseminate this information, it would be prefered if the reason be provided in complete.
  • Is the Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD and other lesser PD enabled models SAFE to use in the Nintendo Switch and if so/not, what forms of validation have been performed to validate said claim.
  • Lastly, and this question is more for Nintendo although I wouldn’t expect that this message get to them in any reasonable fashion - how is it acceptable or responsible to intentionally withhold this information from consumers who have been experiencing device failures as the result of the above. Granted, some of these instances are likely the result of gross negligence however, while it can be argued that these users were intentionally doing so on their own accord, despite the several obvious warnings that are publicly available.


Thank you kindly for reading and hopefully taking the time to comment on any of the above.

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#2

With how proprietary the switch appears to be I don’t think anyone can say for certain that anything that isn’t licensed by Nintendo is safe for the switch.

Optimized is just Ankers and Nintendo’s vague way of saying that the 2 devices know how to communicate with one another. How? Both companies don’t really want to give concrete answers on that.

I will not recommend using the Anker Powercore+ 26800 PD with the switch, but I bought it a year for my switch and my switch is still working.

2 Likes
#3

Thanks for weighing in C4RB1N3,

From my perspective, i’m of the opinion that the “optimized” verbiage is just marketing fluff and doesn’t really mean anything outside of perhaps a series of unit tests performed by licensed professionals to measure the consistently of delivering power within the range of a very specific, predefined tolerance level. Since Anker is known for the quality of their products, one could assert that other like models would offer similar “optimized” features.

Why wouldn’t you personally recommend the 26800 power bank you’ve been using for the past year?

#4

You may be right, since the other model you mentioned is extremely similar to the Nintendo branded model.

I wont recommend it because it’s not licensed by Nintendo. Nathan K has some good articles on third party charger and cables. I would recommend googling him and reading some of his stuff. :slight_smile:

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#5

I just bought the Anker Powercore+ 26800. It is my personal opinion that any Anker product should be able to charge the Nintendo Switch, and that a “specific” branded power bank is all about marketing and $$$. With that being said, my brand new Anker Powercore+ 26800 WILL NOT charge my switch. NOTHING happens, and I am mad. I am using the official USB-C wire that came with my Nintendo Pro Controller (tried 2 of the same wires at this point). My guess is that a firmware update in the Nintendo Switch or a manufacturing change in the Anker Powercore+ 26800 (and other products) was introduced to push sales of the “officially Nintendo licensed” power bank, to get you to spend more $$$. This is ridiculous and i’m considering returning my Anker Powercore+ 26800 now. This is all about paying more for an inferior product (less capacity and USB ports) that is the same product as my power bank. Any comments/experience/ideas are much welcomed.

#6

@meziane.salah

1 Like
#7

Please research the downfalls of using non certified products with the Nintendo Switch.

As for you power bank, in order for it to output a charge via the USB-C port you have to press the power button Before plugging in your device to charge