Anker’s new charger with a screen would feel less gimmicky if it did more

The display is occasionally useful if you like to keep tabs on how much power your device is drawing, but the screen feels more like a marketing gimmick than a feature most consumers will actually benefit from. But it’s not the only upgrade that makes the charger worth considering.

The Nano’s hallmark feature is a roughly 1-inch-wide screen that takes up half of the charger’s glossy front panel. These sorts of screens are typically only found on Anker’s larger multi-port power stations, and are frequently limited in what information they display.

Anker promotes the Nano as “the world’s first smart display charger that knows your iPhone.” When you plug one in, the screen will briefly display your device’s name, then show how much power is being delivered and its battery level. But the charger is limited to Apple hardware and only recognizes a limited number of devices, including iPhone 15 and later models and iPad models from 2020 onward. I tested it with an iPhone 16 Pro and an iPad 10 from 2022, and both were recognized and identified.

The Nano also has a three-stage charging system that adjusts the power delivery rate to help prolong battery life. As the device’s charge level increases, power delivery is reduced. The stages are displayed as “fast,” “steady,” and “trickle” alongside the current wattage and an animated blob-like character whose expression often confuses me. Sometimes it’s sleepy, and other times it appears mad, even if that’s not intentional. When only a USB cable is plugged in, the character will occasionally take a swing at a baseball, or turn into a cookie that opens to reveal fortunes like “fun ahead,” which doesn’t mean anything at all.

Tapping a touch-sensitive indent next to the Nano’s USB-C port cycles through two additional screens, including a temperature display and one for switching between charging modes, or you can hold it for two seconds to flip the display 180 degrees as needed.

The default charging mode is auto (the charger resets to it every time it’s unplugged), and it adjusts the power delivery over time. Care mode reduces the power to help further prolong battery life by keeping your phone cooler. It’s designed for times when you’re not in a hurry to top up your device, such as charging overnight, and it displays the word “gentle” onscreen to remind you to switch to auto mode if you’re in a rush.

It doesn’t just stop working when connected to devices that aren’t officially supported. I tested it with a Kobo e-reader and a Playdate, and instead of identifying either device, the charger jumped straight to the charging status screen, displaying how much power was being delivered without their battery levels.

The display’s most useful feature is being able to check your iPhone or iPad’s charge level, but that’s information those devices already show. After a few seconds, the Nano charger’s screen automatically turns off, requiring you to reach over to the outlet with a tap to see the charging progress again. You can’t keep the display on at all times, so if your phone or tablet isn’t on the other side of the room and connected via a 60-foot USB cable, why not just reach for your device to check if it’s charged?

The Nano’s display would feel less gimmicky if it offered additional functionality, such as an estimate of how long it will take to fully charge, or an option to automatically switch to care mode overnight.

The most compelling reason to spend an extra $5 on the new $39.99 Nano charger instead of last year’s $34.99 model is its redesigned folding prongs. They now rotate 180 degrees, so you can plug the charger into an outlet in two different ways to reorient the screen or keep the USB-C port accessible. It’s a simple but clever design change that I wouldn’t be surprised to see Anker incorporate into other smaller chargers in the future.

Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge