Why does my most powerful Anker charger, charge my phone slower than other chargers?

#1

I have multiple USB-C chargers from Anker.

PowerPort Atom III - This has a single 30W USB-C output
PowerPort III Duo - 2 USB-C ports with 36W total output
PowerPort III 65W Pod - Single USB-C output with 65W output

Note that all 3 of these chargers have the IQ3 technology.

I noticed that the 65W charger will charge my Samsung Galaxy Note 9 far slower than the other 2 chargers.

As an example, I plug the phone into either the PowerPort Atom III or the PowerPort III Duo and both will cause the phone to indicate that it will take 1 hour and 12 minutes until full. Plug the phone into the PowerPort III 65W Pod and it says that it will take 2 hours to charge. What’s interesting is that it will indicate 1 hour and 12 minutes for a few seconds, and then drop to 2 hours. Almost like it is initially negotiating a faster charge rate and then dropping back.

Any logical reason for this?

#2

Nope, no logical reason, more random in truth, it’s a negotiation between two ends and they each settled on a different common denominator.

There is no justification for this, and why you buy from Anker so if you don’t like it return it in your return window $0 cost.

I could guess, but it unlikely correct. A common denominator “if any doubt” is 10W 5V 2A, but there are higher possibilities of 18W 9V 2A, etc up through. When they negotiate, some of these settle on 10W, some settle on 18W.

My advice is if you don’t like any Anker product is raise it quickly for a return.

I think the Atom III 30W is IQ3, the Duo is IQ3 and the Pod I know is PD PPS. I think what happened is the PD PPS defaulted to 10W 5V 2A while other IQ3 defaulted probably to 18W 9V 2A.

#3

This is very odd indeed. Have you tried running an app to see the data? Maybe try something like Ampere https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ampere-charger-testing/id1438386754 and test each for a day and see.

#4

The POD actually also has IQ3 in addition to PD and PPS. So basically, it has a superset of capabilities of the other chargers.

#5

Steven, I have not tried an app like that - did not realize that one even existed. Will try and then post back results, but will be a while before I am in a place I can test.

Thanks for the suggestion.

#6

You can have the most powerful charger but the charging it’s limited to the power your phone can draw

#7

Different chipset.

No I can’t give a logical reasoning.

Try different cables, different cable lengths. The negotiation if it cannot accomplish a higher voltage may then go for lower. I am not defending Anker, just sharing what may work.

#8

All those charges to beyond the draw and one would think they would all charge at the same speed. Unless the phone is just rolling the dice and seeing what come up.

#9

You can actually diagnose and debug if you’re prepared to buy a USB meter which shows which protocols are supported. There are a dozen of different protocols and its a device-cable-charge pair negotiation.

Personally I’d just observe what works best and use what works best.

Try different cables too, as some may work better.

#10

“You can have the most powerful charger but the charging it’s limited to the power your phone can draw”

Yeah - that’s stating the obvious. Also obvious is that the phone can clearly draw more more power as it does so with the the two charges that actually have lower total available output power, although all three easily exceed the max draw of the phone.

#11

So obvious yet you don’t get it lol

1 Like
#12

Not true.

A phone which is checked to handle only, say, 9V, if it were to let in 20V, would then cause sparking in the socket and in the phone.

So under the protocols there is a negotiation “I can take only 9V, can you offer 9V?” “nah, I can offer 5V or 12V, which do you want?”, “I’ll take the 5V”

Nothing to do with Watts at all.

This is down to protocols. A USB meter which can list all supported on both sides can debug this, but without spending about $30, best is to just consider it a riddle and accept what works.

1 Like
#13

I’m just going to pretend it is magic. :slight_smile: Too much thinking for a work day.

1 Like
#14

Wow, such a simple question and so many people who don’t understand how it is supposed to work. Saying it has nothing to do with watts is flat out wrong. Wattage is inextricably linked to this discussion. Wattage is voltage x current so it is impossible to seperate wattage from the equation. Yes, I am an Electrical Engineer who is intimately familiar with this, although this requires only the most rudimentary of understanding.

If a charger can output 5W total power at 5V that tells you that the total current capability is 1A. The higher the voltage negotiated, the less current draw is needed to attain the same same wattage output. Remember, a battery is rated in Watt Hours so the amount of time it takes to charge the battery is directly related to how many watts of energy you are putting into it.

The question was simply an attempt to understand why the one charger was not able to negotiate a higher charging rate given the fact that the specs clearly support the output modes that would be needed to support the higher charging rates.

In the meantime, I’ve verified that all 3 chargers are outputting the same voltage to the phone, however the Pod is supplying less current even though its specs indicate that it can supply far more current than the other chargers. More current at the same voltage means more wattage. Yes, the phone will only draw the amount of current for which it is designed, but the point was that it clearly can draw more current than the pod is supplying to it because it does exactly that with the other 2 chargers.

Thanks to all who responded.

#15

We’re not defending Anker, you’re demonstrating this product doesn’t do a decent job in this case.

The Pod is using USB PD PPS, and is the first from Anker. More PPS is coming. PPS is the most negotiated protocol I’ve ever seen, it is meant to allow any voltage and current up to a maximum of either side.

You should return the product if it fails to work satisfactory.

Screenshot_20200815_053654
Screenshot_20200815_053654.jpg2536Ă—939 184 KB

Your point a Watt is a Watt and all phones should accept all voltages and just a lower Voltage means higher current, in general is not true. For a given Wattage, a lower voltage forcing a higher current means a wire can exceed it’s ampage rating and overheat and melt. To avoid this the USB PD standard have chips in the cable to stop a 3A rated cable having 5A through it. Outside of USB-PD standard there are protocols like from OPPO when their device and their cable and their charge see each other, do 4A at a low voltage. If you are an electrical engineer you’ll know Power lost in cable is square of current times resistance so a much higher Amps through a given cable is square of the heat generated. So hence why PPS.

What you’re showing here is this charger is defaulting in this case to 5W. The others are defaulting to 10W. 5W is woefully low and no justification on cable ratings, voltage, it overly safe. So a bad product.

I’d still try different cables, for the reason above.

LoL, Watts, its all about Watts, so a USA 2KW kettle will work in UK, after all a Watt is just a Watt, nothing else matters, so the 115V to 230V is not relevant, the current increase is going to be fine, as a Watt is just a Watt. The kettle can just draw what it can handle. Hmm.