This tiny 45W charger is smarter than it has any right to be (review)

The Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° Foldable) – that’s its real name – is the smartest wall charger I’ve ever used. It recognizes my iPhone and iPad when I plug them in and even displays the device’s current battery level.

I can set it to fast or slow boot my device to help protect its battery. Or tell it to slow charge my phone overnight.

Here’s why I love Anker’s little new charger after a few weeks of testing.

Review of Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° Foldable).

The days when we expect a wall charger to only draw electricity are quickly coming to an end. Now the good ones include a screen that shows you how much power is flowing.

The Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° foldable) takes it to the next level, using the screen to show you that it knows exactly which iPhone or iPad is connected and what the current battery level is, assuring you that it will send the right amount of power to properly treat your computer. Oh yeah, it also tells you how much power is flowing.

Contents: Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° Foldable) review

A small charger with big functions

I’m surprised Anker managed to cram as much as they did into this tiny accessory. Measuring just 1.6 inches x 1.3 inches x 1.4 inches and weighing less than 0.2 pounds, the name Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° Foldable) is bigger than it is!

The “180° Foldable” bit in the name means that the folding forks open outward 90 degrees and then can rotate another 90 degrees. This makes it easier to squeeze the charger into tight spaces. It also allows you to arrange the charger so that its screen faces you, allowing you to monitor the charging status.

The screen shows the intelligence of the charger

When I plug the handset into the Nano Charger, the 0.75″ x 0.45″ screen lights up and says “iPhone 17”, then shows my device’s current battery level and how much power is being transferred. The same trick works on my iPad.

These numbers are accompanied by a happy face that seems to indicate that Anker’s charger is very excited to mess with my computers.

I am fully aware that this screen is not really necessary. I could use a basic $10 wall charger to power my iPhone without being told how much power is flowing. However, I love this information – it makes me feel like I have some control over how fast my phone charges.

And I especially enjoy it when the charger display shows the battery status of my iPhone. It is often more convenient to look at it there than on the handset.

Although the display is a bit small, it is colorful and bright enough to be easy to read. But it turns itself off after a while. Just tap the button on one side of the charger to turn it back on.

To be clear, the nano charger can juice up other devices and works with them to send just the right amount of power to recharge them without damaging them. However, only the amount of energy flowing can be displayed on the screen.

Fast or slow charging

Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° Foldable) allows me to choose between fast and slow charging. Both have their uses.

Sometimes I need to charge my iPhone as fast as possible. Like, I have a meeting in half an hour and my phone battery is at 15%. But fast charging is not the best for iPhone. It generates heat and thus aging the battery.

That’s why Anker built a “Care” mode into the Nano charger. Switch to this and your device will charge slowly – perfect for overnight.

Switching between fast and slow charging is as easy as pressing a button on the side of the accessory.

To avoid confusion, no charger will pour a lot of power into your iPhone when its battery is close to 100%. Anker’s product starts in “Fast” mode when the battery is close to 0%, then goes into “Steady” mode and later switches to what it calls “Trickle” mode to avoid damaging the phone’s battery.

Power 45W

Since this product is called the Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° Foldable), it will certainly not surprise anyone that it can output up to 45 watts.

I tested it with my iPhone and was able to increase the battery level by 60% in half an hour. That’s more than fast enough for Apple to call it fast charging. At its peak, the phone drew 31 watts, which is the maximum.

When I tested it with my 13-inch iPad Pro, the tablet’s battery went from 15% to 60% in half an hour. That’s a respectable speed – you won’t find a faster option, as the Nano Charger puts out 43W, which is as much power as the tablet can handle.

But MacBooks support higher performances. The 45W Anker Nano Charger can certainly power your laptop, but it won’t be particularly fast.

Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° foldable) review: Final thoughts

I love how smart this little wall charger is. I connect it to my iPhone 17 and it recognizes my handset and knows the battery level of the handset. There is no risk of overcharging.

Any charger will power my device. This one does that while showing me that nothing happened.

And the 180 degree electric forks are genius.

★★★★★

Prices

The Anker Nano Charger (45W, Smart Display, 180° foldable) retails for $39.99. At the time of writing, Amazon is discounting this cost by a sweet 25%.

Note that there are other versions of the Anker Nano Charger. Make sure you order the model you want.

Anker provided Cult of Mac with the evaluation unit for this article. See our review policy for more detailed reviews of Apple-related items.