Many of us now own several devices that charge via USB, such as an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, external batteries, wireless headphones, etc. It is a pain to carry around lots of wall chargers when you travel, but if you decide to double-up — using, for example, a single iPad charger to also charge your iPhone and Apple Watch — your devices need to take turns getting back to a 100% charge. A good alternative is to use a multi-port USB hub. For the last few weeks, I've been using the Anker PowerPort 6, which has a list price of $99 but which I bought on Amazon in August of 2015 when it was $24. (The price fluctuates; as I write this, it is selling for $36.) The Anker PowerPort 6 works great, and I can recommend it both as a travel charger and if you want a single item on your desk in which you can plug in and charge multiple USB devices.
The back of the PowerPort 6 has a spot to plug-in a (removable) cord that connects to an outlet. The front has six USB outlets. As you can see, the model that I bought is black, but there is also a white model that costs the same. The product seems sturdy and seem to have good build quality.
The device can provide up to 12 amps across the six ports, with up to 2.4 amps per port. For example, the charger that comes with a new iPhone is a 1 amp charger, although the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s can use a 2.1 amp charger to charge faster. The iPad comes with a 2.1 amp charger. Many other USB devices take only a 0.5 amp charge. With 12 amps to work with, it is no problem to charge a combination of iPads, iPhones and other devices. Unless you regularly charge six iPads all at the same time, you should have no trouble charging all of your devices as fast as possible. (You could charge six iPads at once, but it will just take longer to get them to 100%.)
Some chargers have ports with different designations, such as a 1 amp port and a 2.1 amp port. Anker instead uses what Anker calls PowerIQ Technology to determine how much power is needed for each port, so you can just plug in to any port and the device takes care of the rest.
Anker sells lots of different PowerPort models, so the model that I picked might not be the best one for your needs. For example, in an article for the The Wirecutter, Nick Guy picks the Anker 36W 4-Port USB Wall Charger, which delivers 7.2 amps overall to four ports, as the best multiport USB wall charger, although he also likes the PowerPort 6 for those looking for something a little more powerful. There are two reasons that the PowerPort 6 was best for me.
First, I like having six USB ports. I use this device primarily when I travel, and I usually have an iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and one or two external batteries. It is nice to be able to charge all of those at the same time. And if I am traveling with my wife, she will usually have both an iPhone and an iPad with her. If my two kids are with us, they may have an iPhone (an old one, without a cellular connection) or an iPad to use while on the plane or in the car. So having six USB ports is nice when it is just me, and it is darn near essential when I'm traveling with others.
Second, I like that the PowerPort 6 has a five-foot long cord to connect to an outlet. More often than not, I find that I am in a hotel room in which the only available outlet is located near the floor. I can plug in the PowerPort 6 at that inconvenient location, then set the box itself (which is 3.9×2.8×1 inches) on the desk in a hotel room. The device that The Wirecutter picked is made to plug directly in to an outlet, which makes it more compact for travel, but less convenient to use — who wants to charge devices on the floor? For me, that five-foot long cord doesn't add too much extra bulk, and makes all the difference in the world when an outlet is not in a good location.
I've also used this device during a deposition when I wanted to keep my iPad plugged in and charging. Having the extra ports that can be shared makes you popular with your co-counsel.
While I use this mostly when I travel, I can also understand how useful this device can be for folks who want to keep it in a single location, such as a desk in an office or a table in a room. You might even want to place one of these in a conference room or reception area so that visitors to your law office can easily recharge their devices. Keep it plugged in to an outlet, and then the box itself can sit on the flat surface and always be available for when you need to charge. According to a test done by Nick Guy at The Wirecutter, the PowerPort 6 draws virtually no power when it is plugged in to the wall but no USB devices are plugged in to it. Thus, you don't need to worry about vampire power.
Although this is the first time that I have purchased an Anker device, the company typically gets good reviews, and now I can see why. This product has worked very well for me. If you have a need to charge multiple USB devices and you like the convenience of being able to charge them all at once, I suspect that you'll find the Anker PowerPort 6 as useful as I do.
Click here for Anker PowerPort 6 on Amazon ($35.99)
