Overall we love the USB hub, it fits our needs and charges our gear quickly and in one central place. Now we can charge our devices at the same time and keep them in one room and not depend on the power blocks that came with our devices. Because of the hub, we can keep our power blocks plugged in the bed room and use them if we need more power during the night.
Charging Speed
We can charge our almost dead (under 10% charger) devices to 80+% in about an hour and have a full charge in about an hour and half and that’s with all 6 ports plugged in and charging devices. I even found it charges my Asus Windows 8.1 (upgraded to 10) T100TAF if I use an Anker USB Micro USB charging cable. Before this, I had to use an aftermarket power cord and charger when the one that came with the tablet wasn’t powerful enough to charge it. Plus, all that charging doesn’t heat up the device and our devices stay in the safe operating temperatures designed by the manufactures.
Anker Power Port 6 Lite verses Anker PowerPort 6
The difference between the Anker PowerPort 6 Lite and the PowerPort 6 is the lite only has 3 PowerIQ ports and 3 regular ports and the PowerPort 6 has 6 PowerIQ ports. So if you need more ports that are PowerIQ enabled then you need to get the PowerPort 6 its only $9 more (at the time this review was written). At the time of purchase, I would have chosen the PowerPort 6 over the lite version (if it was able at the time of purchase) for future mobile devices that will be added to the family.
Horizontal Verses Vertical Placement
As to desktop placement, you can setup the charger for horizontal use or vertical use. If you use it vertically, then you might want to use the double sided tape to hold it in place. It doesn’t come with a base and its tends to fall over when plugging and unplugging cables. I really don’t like the idea of adding sticky tape to my desk. It really needs a stand, and one should have been provided instead of the tape. Its not only sticky/ugly, it can damage an old desk when removing the tape. Even if they say it doesn’t damage surfaces. I’ve seen this type of tape with the promises of not damaging surfaces and it still pulls the paint off the surface.
When placed on its side, works well, just takes up a little more room.
Another great feature is the power cord. Its not to short but long enough you can place it on your desk and run it to a nearby outlet or power strip. As to my setup, I have a power strip on my desk and the hub sits a few inches away. I use the supplied hook and loop cable strap to shorten the cable and keep it untangled.+
Build Quality
The Anker PowerPort 6 Lite is a small plastic rectangular box in matte black (comes in white as well) with ends in gloss black with a sturdy and thick power cord.
Unlike many of the other charging hubs out there, this one is solid but light weight that makes easy to put in your travel bag and not worry about weight or if will survive if it bounces around in the bag. In other words its made well.
18 Month Warranty and Customer Service Experience
As with all of Anker’s products, it comes with an almost unheard of 18 month warranty! With a warranty like this they stand by their products and know they are designed to work and last. If your product doesn’t last the 18 months or you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Anker.com. They will work with you to resolve your issues.
The only customer service experiences I have had were general questions about a product I had purchase and one that I had during one of their giveaways last year. Both times they were quick to respond and answered my questions quickly. Make sure to check their hours of operation. If you send them a request or an email after hours, they may not be able to answer as quickly as when they are fully staffed.
I have heard almost nothing but good stories about their customer service team. Just check the reviews of their products on Amazon. Their are a few examples of customers that have faulty or damaged products that they simply replaced or resolved the issue and made the customers happy.
My Recommendation
If you are needing a mobile charging hub to charge your family collection of mobile devices then the Anker PowerPort 6 LiteAnker PowerPort 6 Lite or the Anker PowerPort 6 is the charging hub for you.