Keeping electronics powered is a constant struggle. We use our smartphones so much that it can be hard to know if they’ll make it to the end of the night without needing a top-up. Meanwhile, the big screens on laptops and tablets suck down battery like a 7-Eleven Slurpee on a hot summer day. Carrying clunky chargers isn’t always an option, and isn’t always preferable even when it is an option. Enter Anker’s 511 Nano 3, an ultra-compact USB-C charger with a diminutive price that belies its ability to deliver gobs of power.
The Anker 511 Nano 3 uses gallium nitride, hardware that makes it more efficient at power delivery. This lets the little unit pump out a considerable 30W of juice, whereas other chargers of its size might be looking at 5W or 10 if they’re lucky. For just $23 (or less with any of the regular discounts on this type of product), Anker’s charger is still on the affordable side while offering performance and quality to set itself apart from dime-a-dozen competitors — plus, it comes in several snazzy colors (Anker even sells cables to match).
Smartphones, tablets and even lower-power laptops have a compact little partner in the Anker 511 Nano 3 to help keep them juiced up anywhere.
How I found the Anker 511 Nano 3
In just about every product category it enters, Anker is a force to be reckoned with. Its charging equipment often impresses with a balance of capabilities and price, and it’s been no slouch in the many other areas it has expanded into, like home security cameras, wireless audio gear and projectors. Given the company’s knack for sticking the landing with its products, it was natural for CNN Underscored to check out the Anker 511 Nano 3 for consideration among the best USB-C chargers, especially since its predecessor, the 511 Nano Pro, currently ranks among the best options out there.
Why it’s a score
The Anker 511 Nano 3 has one job, and it does it well. Charging my Pixel 7 Pro is no struggle for its 30W capacity. Even the larger Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus got a little over a quarter charge in just 20 minutes, which can come in clutch if you only have a little time to charge. I even put it up against a more power-hungry laptop that would normally run off of a 65W charger, and it managed to keep the laptop’s battery topped up throughout my use. When it’s pushed to the limit, it appears to lose a little efficiency, as I clocked it as pulling 33W to deliver its 30W as measured through a smart plug with a power meter. When swapped to a 65W GaN charger charging the same device, it took just the 30W needed. Efficiency at max load tends to dip some, so this isn’t bad behavior for the Anker charger. The charger also gets a little hot in this scenario, but not painfully so.
The Anker 511 Nano 3 supplying enough power to keep a laptop running is no small feat, especially in a form factor no bigger than an average marshmallow. One portable charger that can handle phones, tablets and even thin-and-light laptops can really come in clutch as a device to keep in a bag or backpack. The portability is an extra feather in Anker’s cap, as most higher-wattage chargers that’ll come with devices will be bulkier power bricks, and spring-loaded prongs that fold shut make the Anker 511 Nano 3 just that little bit more portable.
At $23, it’s not the cheapest USB-C charger you can get, but it’s offering more power and quality than cheaper options, and it’s even smaller than some of its 30W competitors like the Amazon Basics’ and Ugreen’s. If you don’t need the 30W, you could save and go with something else like Anker’s own 511 Nano Pro. But the flexibility to use with devices big and small will likely make the Anker 511 Nano 3 worth it for most users, regardless of whether they’re on the Mac and iPhone or the Windows and Android side of the divide.