Review: Anker PowerDrive+2 Car Charger with Quick Charge 3.0

Anker PowerDrive+2 Car Charger with Quick Charge 3.0

9.4

Power

9.0/10

Design

10.0/10

Build

10.0/10

Reliability

8.5/10

Pros

  • Quick Charge 3.0 & 2.0
  • PoweriQ For A Single Port
  • Good Safety Tech
  • Small Size

Cons

  • No PowerIQ for Both Ports
  • Don't Purchase if You're not using QC Device to Charge
(Last Updated On: May 8, 2019)

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Car chargers kind of have it hard nowadays with their minimal usage and their expectations of being powerful, compact and built to last.

Although the expectations of a car charger that you get should be high, what are your needs for a car charger you’re looking?

The Anker PowerDrive+2 that features Quick Charge 3.0, is a 2-port car charger that takes two-port car charging to a whole other level with the tech side and the price side of $28.99.

Find out if it’s really worth the price or should you settle for a car charger that still holds strong quality, minus the tech benefits and high price tag.

Other Types of Dual Port Quick Charge Car Chargers:

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Power

 

This is where the PowerDrive car charger excels the most. The car charger has 2 charging ports that feature Quick Charge technology.

One port features Quick Charge 3.0 and you’ll know that it has QC 3.0 because of the QC 3.0 logo that’s next to the charging ports.

The other charging port features Quick Charge 2.0 and Anker’s PoweriQ charging that is able to send a maximum charging speed to non-Quick Charge devices.

It’s an absolutely powerful car charger that delivers on both charging ports but there’s a limit for the Quick Charge 3.0 port. The QC 3.0 charging port does not have PoweriQ and that means it won’t be able to charge non-Quick Charge devices at maximum speed if they require higher Amperage amount into the 2.4 Amps category

Quick Charge 3.0 Charging SpeedsQuick Charge 2.0 Charging Speed and PoweriQ
Quick Charge 3.0: 3.6-9V / 3A
Quick Charge 2.0: 3.6-6.5V / 3A
Quick Charge 2.0: 3.6-6.5V / 3ANon-Quick Charge (PoweriQ):
5V / 2A
Non-Quick Charge:
9-12V / 2A

Take a look at the above table. If you’re using the Quick Charge 3.0 port with a Quick Charge 3.0 device then you’re going to receive fast QC 3.0 charging speeds. Similar to connecting a QC 2.0 device and receiving fast Quick Charge 2.0 charging speed because QC 3.0 is backward compatible with QC 2.0 devices.

However, if you’re connecting a non-Quick Charge compatible device to the 3.0 charging port, you’re going to potentially get a charging speed of 5V/2.0A of charging speed.

So it’s important to know that the Quick Charge 3.0 charging port does NOT feature PoweriQ and will not charge at 5V/2.4A.

The Quick Charge 2.0 port will deliver to QC 2.0 charging speeds to Quick Charge 2.0 and 3.0 devices. PoweriQ will deliver a maximum charging speed of 2.4 amps to non-Quick Charge devices.

Power for this car is at an all-time high if you’re going to be strictly using Quick Charge compatible devices that will charge at 3.0 Amps.

However, if you’re searching for a car charger that’s going to charge non-Quick Charge devices as fast as possible we recommend getting a standard car charger without the QC tech, like this RAVPower car charger.

This is a car charger more meant for the Quick Charge users.

Read Review for Anker PowerDrive 4

Design

 

It’s simple to look at, understand and use.

The PowerDrive+2 presents itself with a highly objective design that tries to make the tech inside as compact as possible.

We say that because the car charger is integrated with 3 main technologies like Quick Charge 2.0, Quick Charge 3.0 and PoweriQ. The fact that they only put PoweriQ into a single port only signifies that the more charging tech they put into the charger, the bigger it would be.

It’s alright, though since Anker has done a great job by constructing the design around the tech quite seamlessly, even though it’s not the smallest or low profile 2-port car charger.

The PowerDrive is about 3 inches long with about 1 inch of it sticking out. The 1 inch that sticks out is the charging end with the charging ports.

The car charger was designed to make sure that the stem of the charger wouldn’t be sticking out too much or not all and they’ve done a great.

The charging head of the car charger is 1.5 inches long, which is quite big for a car charger and the distance between the two charging ports is about an inch. It’s a very simple looking design that has the Quick Charge and PoweriQ capabilities for each port labeled.

Ultimately, does the charger look big and bulky? No, not really. It’s definitely a bulkier look than most 2-port car chargers but considering the tech that’s inside, the general size of the car charger makes sense.

The car charger has a red ring that wraps around the charging head and it turns on a LED light when the car charger is on. It’s a nice feature that lets you see the car charger during night rides without being obstructive.

Read Best Quick Charge Car Chargers

Build

The build of the car charger is substantially better than most high-quality car chargers.

The body of the car charger may not be uni-body but the main two pieces of the car charger which is the charging head and stem are both put together very well. The charging receptacles on the stems are strongly installed and placed inward to the car charger rather than outward.

 

The safety tech of the car charger and for any car charger is the most important thing. Chargers can become hot and as a result, they need to have the correct tech to adapt to their surroundings.

For car chargers, safety tech should be mandatory, because during those hot summer days a car charger can overheat. In this case with the PowerDrive+2 car charger.

With Temperature control, current control and Surge protections, it’s able to fluctuate the speed of charging to match the safety of the device. This means if the car charger becomes very hot, then the charging current of the car charger will decrease in order to cool down the car charger.

It’s the build features on the inside that count more than the ones on the outside. After all car chargers are mostly sedentary chargers.

Similar Car Charger

Reliability

The PowerDrive+2 Car charger is HIGHLY reliable for those that have the tech to match it. If you have, let’s say two Quick Charge compatible device.

Then it would be a good idea to get this car charger that features both Quick Charge 3.0 and Quick Charge 2.0 because both of your devices will be charging at Quick Charge blazing speeds.

If you have a single device that is Quick Charge compatible, you’re going to use the other charging port with just normal charging then we recommend a car charger with either a single Quick Charge port or a 2-port car charger that has a Quick Charge and Normal charging port with standard fast charging.

If don’t own a Quick Charge compatible device then we recommend not getting this car charger simply because the price tag is too high and you won’t be relying on the main features of the car charger; Which is the Quick Charge technology.

This is a car charger that was made for Quick Charge users to take advantage of and although it’s got the tech for normal devices, it’s not worth the price.

Two Quick Charge DeviecsOne Quick Charge DeviecsNo Quick Charge Deviecs
ReliabilityHighMediumLow
UsageYou'll be able to charge BOTH devices at Quick Charge speedsYou'll be able to charge ONE device at Quick Charge speeds and the other at or near maximum standard charging speedYour Non-Quick Charge devices will charging either at 5V/2A charging speed and 5V/2.4 maximum charging speed. There is no Quick Charge happening

Read Best Chargers for Galaxy S8

Summary

Power:

Both of the ports on this car charger have Quick Charge. One port has Quick Charge 3.0 only and the other port has Quick Charge 2.0 along with PoweriQ.

It’s definitely got a lot of power for those with Quick Charge devices and with non-Quick Charge devices. However, we found it a little odd that both of the ports didn’t feature PoweriQ.

Design:

The design of the car charger is perfectly in line with the tech that it has. It’s rather bigger than your traditional 2-port car charger but that’s because of the Quick Charge and PoweriQ capabilities.

It takes a proud advantage of its size with an objective design and cool LED light to let you see the car charger easily in a dark setting.

Build:

It’s a well-built car charger if we’re talking about structure. However, the car charger’s build scheme really shines when you take into account the safety tech that is very useful with the special charging tech that’s installed within the car charger.

It’s able to regulate charging current through the temperature control mechanism.

Reliability:

Reliability is a concern for this car charger because it may just be too reliable for what you’re searching for. If you plan on taking advantage of the Quick Charge tech fully, then it’s fully reliable.

If you’re only using a single port for Quick Charge, then search for a car charger with just a single Quick Charge charging port.

If you don’t have any devices that are Quick Charge compatible, then don’t bother with this car charger because you won’t be relying on it fully and the price won’t be worth it.

Specs of the Anker PowerDrive+2 Car Charger with Quick Charge 3.0:

  • # Of Ports: 2
  • Output:

Quick Charge 3.0 Speeds: 3.6-6.5V/3.0A | 6.5-9V/2.7A | 9-12V/2.0A

Quick Charge 2.0 Speeds: 5V/2.4A | 9V/2.0A | 12V/1.5A

Non-Quick Charge (PoweriQ): 5V / 2A

  • LED Power Indicators: Yes
  • Size: 1.9 x 1.4 x 2.8
  • Weight: 0.8 Ounces
  • 18-month warranty

Conclusion:

The PowerDrive+2 Car charger with Quick Charge 3.0 is a great car charger.

There’s no doubt that it’s a powerful car charger; With its Quick Charge capabilities and PoweriQ. It has a design that is rather bigger than most 2-port car chargers but it takes advantage of its shape and does well to make itself low profile and stylish.

Smart safety technology makes the car charger safe to use as it adapts to the environment. With all that said, the car charger is really meant for those with Quick Charge devices.

That’s because users will get the most out of the car charger by charging it at Quick Charge speeds; If not, then the $28.99 price tag is not worth it.

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