Anker 36W 4-Port VS. 40W 5-Port USB Wall Chargers

I am constantly on the look out for ways to keep my devices charged. Between a phone, two tablets, a set of Bluetooth headphones, Bluetooth speakers and a mired of other device that all charge from a USB cable, it is imperative that I don’t have to stash devices in other parts of my office, or other parts of the house, to charge up. The last multi-port charger that I reviewed was one from Mpow. It offered 4 USB ports, two at 5V2A and two at 5V1A. It worked well enough and for $19.99 it is bargain. If you happen to have more than two power hungry devices that need to be charged in a hurry though, you will find yourself a little disappointed. This sparked me to reach out to one of my personal favorite external battery bank manufacturers, Anker, to check in on the latest product offerings in the multi-port wall charging line. They were kind enough to send over one of their 36w 4-port units and their newer 40w 5-port units.

What’s in the box:

Anker 36w 4-port

• Wall charging unit
• Instruction manual
• Related documentation

 Anker 40w 5-port

• 5-port charging unit
• 5 foot detachable power cord
• Instruction manual

 

Anker has been making a lot of strides in product design, functionality and ease of use over the years and it’s pretty apparent in the initial looks of both devices. Since this is dual-review / comparison I am going to start off with the 36w 4-port, then move to the 40w 5-port. I will then follow it up with thoughts and recommendations, like I usually do.

Anker 36w 4-Port Wall Charger Overview

Tech Specs:

• Input – AC 100 – 240v
• Apple Ports – 5v /2.1A max
• Android Ports – 5V/1.5A max
• Total output – 5v/7.2A max
• Power – 36w
• Size – 3.3 x 2.5 x 1 inches ( 83 x 63 x 26 mm)
• Weight – 3.5oz / 100g

 

The 36w 4-port unit offers two Android and two Apple specific ports. Each is rated for charging your devices accordingly. The outer casing is hardened plastic, with the bulk of the unit being white with the main plug area off white grey-ish color. I didn’t notice any gaps or lack of build quality between the white outer casing and the fitted housing that the plug sits in. It is very solidly built.

How does it perform?

It performs as expected. If you use a Note 2, Note 3 or other larger phablet style device you will want to use the Apple 2.1A out USB port. Yes, you can use the two Apple ports to achieve the speedy charge that you require, but it defeats the purpose of offering up the two varying ports in the first place.

As always, I hooked my T-Mobile Xperia Z to the charger in two 15 minute intervals. Once on the Android side and once to the Apple side. To track the charge rates and speed of charge I used the Battery Monitor Widget and set the readings to pull at every 1% increment. Here are the visual results and corresponding numbers for each,

Android Ports

Apple Ports

The results are pretty similar with approximately 11% gain in 15 minutes on the 2330 mAh battery in the Xperia Z. I then reran the same tests with multiple devices plugged in, two Lenovo tables, my wife’s HTC One S and the Xperia Z to see if the charge changed at all. It fluctuated, but not enough to think that there was any sort of issues charging multiple devices at full speeds. Factors such as emails, texts, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi being connected could play a role in the fluctuation. I would hardly say that coming from  4100 mV to 4060 mV constitutes an issue charging multiple devices.

What I like about the 36w 4-port wall charger

The white housing with and grey Anker logo makes it look very clean. Having 4-ports on one wall socket keeps multiple gadgets easily at hand. The price is right and can easily accommodate a multi device home with ease.

What I don’t like about the 36w 4-port wall charger

The charger plugs into the way straight off the back. That means it sticks out 3.3 inches from the wall. This creates quite the over hang. It certainly keeps the second socket plug available, but that could have also been achieved with a flip down plug on the bottom of the unit.

The only reason I feel that this is a negative design element is because of its weight and orientation of the USB ports. Depending on your wall outlets, it has the potential to fall out. On the flip side though, if you are going to be plugging it in straight down on, say a powerstrip, then this whole thing is negated.

Anker 40w 5-port USB Wall Charger Overview

Tech Specs: 

• Input AC 100 – 240V
• Total Max Output – 5V/8A
• Size – 3.6 x 2.3 x 1 Inches ( 91 x 58 x 26mm)
• Weight – 4.580z / 130g
• 5 foot power cable

The 40w 5-port wall charger is a completely different kind of beast all together. Unlike its predecessor, this one doesn’t have specific USB ports rated for specific devices. Rather all 5 ports use Anker’s PowerIQ universal port technology. This allows max charge speeds on any port for any device that is plugged in. This means that your power hungry Samsung Tablet, your moms iPad, your Nexus 5, your Nexus 7 and your Bluetooth Headphones can all charge as fast as possible in one location.

The 40w unit also has a 5 foot power cord with it. This frees you up to have it plugged in under your desk, behind the bed at the hotel or in that wall socket that is just a little to far away from your favorite chair.

How does it perform

I used the same Battery Monitor Widget app with 1% increment reporting and let it charge for 15 minutes on each port. As you can see in one set of results, the Xperia Z gained 12% during that 15 minute charge. It would have been closer to 13%, but you can see the first few minutes of the charge I had some messages and things pop through and I read and responded. Still, 12% in 15 minutes for the 2330 mAh battery found in the Xperia Z translates to a full charge from 0% in about 1 and a half hours. Your results will vary depending on device, battery size, if it is turned on/off, if you are using it ect. I again hooked up as many device to it as I had available and the results still came in at 12 to 13% gain in 15 minutes.

What I like about the 40w 5-Port USB Wall Charger

It is a little bigger than the 4-port version I talked about earlier, but dramatically smaller than the MPOW 4-port that I reviewed previously.

If I tried really hard, I could probably fit it inside an empty pack of cigarettes. So, the size is a really winning factor for me. The simple fact that they provide a 5-foot power cord gives you plenty of options and placement, both temporary or more permanent. With all 5 ports utilizing Anker‘s PowerIQ technology I don’t have to worry about what port I “should’ use for what devices. Simply plug it in and get to charging. It also doesn’t have an annoying LED light anywhere on it.

What I didn’t like about the 40w 5-port wall charger

I wasn’t able to find anything that I didn’t like about it.

36w vs. 40w Results

While the 36w wall charger pulled down similar charge rates as compared to the 5-port, the winner between the two in my book is the 40w 5-port unit. All five ports charge at max speeds for any device, alleviating the need to think about what to plug in to what port. It also boosted 1 to 2% charging over the 4-port variant, while not a huge difference, it is enough to be happier with another 5% – 10% battery in an hours time. The 5-foot power cord offers flexibility, portability and usability. You gain one more port for one more device. Let’s be honest, you probably had a tablet and a phone and bought a dual-port charger only to end up with 3 other things that need to be powered up often. The price tag also makes it a no brainer. The 36w 4-port is $19.99, where as you can get the 40w 5-port for $25.99. Only $6 more offers you quite a bit more bang for your buck.

Which one is right for you? That is a question you have to ask yourself and one I can not answer. Take the test results, the looks and think about what you need. Which ever one you choose, you will be certain to be happy with the quality of the products and the charge times you experience. So go ahead, spoil yourself and pick one, or more, up through the amazon links below.