Anker PowerPort Wireless 5 Pad Review

Design

The new Anker PowerPort Wireless 5 Pad is a Qi charger that provides a large, flat surface for your phone. While you still need to generally center your phone on the pad in order to charge, I still find it easier to use than many smaller Qi charging pads.

The pad has a non-slip surface that helps keep your phone in place, so if you’re a popular person who receives a lot of notifications, your phone should not vibrate off the pad. The non-slip surface does seem to attract dust and typically requires a slightly damp lint-free towel to clean (while it’s unplugged, of course).

On the top of the pad near the left side is a subtle blue LED light that confirms that you have set down your device properly and it is charging. The LED will blink to let you know if there is a problem that is preventing charging. I found this to be the case if I placed an unsupported phone on the charger, so it’s good to know that Anker has some safety checks in place.

Performance

Although this Qi charger requires a 10-watt power adapter (5V 2A USB charger, such as an iPad charger), the Anker PowerPort Wireless 5 Pad only outputs 5-watts. It therefore does not support the iPhone’s ability to charge at 7.5-watts. However, Anker claims that it delivers a more efficient 5-watt charge — even through cases — than many other wireless Qi chargers.

Testing out the PowerPort Wireless 5, I did find that it successfully charges my iPhone X. My phone seemed to charge just as fast as using this pad compared to using a cable, even with a third-party case on my phone. The pad will work with most Qi-enabled Android phones as well. I’ve also tested it with an iPhone 6S in a special Qi-enabled charging case and it works fine with this Anker PowerPort Pad.

Features

It’s important to note that this charger does not come with an AC adapter. Anker recommends using a 5V 2A charging brick with this stand, such as an iPad charger or one of Anker’s wall chargers. The Anker stand does come with a Micro USB cable that you can plug your charger into the back of the stand.