Anker USB-C PowerStrip with PD:
Got my hands on one of these recently at work, did a little looking and metering. Overall, good product, best used as a personal desktop solution, possibly a travel device if you want to ditch your PD adapter / charger. Here’s what I like:
Angled Three-Prong Plug
I don’t mean to exclude my non-US friends right off the bat, but this was the first thing that stuck out (or perhaps DIDNT stick out ) to me. The plug on this goes straight out sideways from the plug, allowing full access to the other plug in the wall. It’s the white one in the photo below:
Legitimate power delivery
Fully integrated into an all-in-one solution, this is a welcome addition to any power strip. While we are not quite 100% there yet, most flagship devices and laptops are coming with PD standard. It’s refreshing that we are beginning to have a single standard across the board (from moto to samsung to asus, chromebooks, and yes even APPLE), and this little guy is ready to meet your PD needs with only a USB-C to USB-C cord. See my Galaxy s9+ charging at its highest “fast charge” speed below:
Room for Friends!
You can charge four devices in addition to your PD device simultaneously here, making this and ideal desktop, bedside, or living room go-to charger. Here is one of the three prong ports charging my asus chromebook as quickly as it will take a charge:
Size
While smaller than the average power strip, which is a major plus in this area, this is not quite as small as the Anker Cube, which I prefer. It fits more sockets (3 x 3 prong & 3 x usb power IQ) in a smaller package. Unless PD is an absolute make or break for you in a charging strip, I would recommend the cube for travel and the PD for home/office:
As you can see, the total volume of the cube is lower, and it makes better use of the third dimension for packing plugs sockets onto the form factor.
Speed
Aside from the PD port, the speed of the usb sockets is pretty average device-dependent PowerIQ speed. Nothing to write home about aside from the usual Anker standard (which isn’t nothing, of course, but available on many other products). Here is an iPad plugged in:
Cons
- Price - at $36 in the US, this is expensive for a power strip, when you could have more outlets and a lower price, then plug in a $30 pd Atom (also Apple-level expensive, BTW) for PD and have a really portable PD setup, this is a tough sell.
- No USB-C cord included - When purchasing something like this, you’ll likely want a dedicated USB-C to USB-C cord to live with that PD plug. It would be nice if they included even a short one - 6 inches would be plenty for the desktop application.
- The weird button in the middle. I’m not sure why this is designed the way it is. I don’t really know why I don’t like it honestly, it just rubs me the wrong way.
Anyway, it;s a cool little addition for your desk, if you have pd devices lying around, which honestly I think we all will before too long. Maybe wait for the sale on this one to get it for yourself. Totally worth it at about $20-$25 if you want to spruce up that desk, bedside table, or couch charging station.