Tech Up! Anker PowerWave Base Pad

Anker is a well-known and respected brand whose main focus, at the moment, is supplying consumers with options regarding power. Its most popular products include power banks for Switch, among many others, so it's an interesting deviation for them to invest in wireless charging. 

This wireless charger comes in some nice slim packaging branded in Anker style, with embossed box decoration, and all the package is cardboard, meaning it's easy to recycle once you have tried the item. It comes packaged with a micro-USB cable meaning those who don't have any spare can get charging straight away. Being a third party, Anker, supports not only Android but IOS devices! On supported phones, the charger can do fast charging at a full 10W (though this may only work with an Anker power brick, unfortunately, the information there was a bit sparse), so if you have the compatibility it's an even better purchase! 

The power pad itself is not the prettiest, being quite long, and a tiny bit thicker than expected, but it has probably the best feature of any wireless charger, with slip proofing not only on its feet, but also on the top, so that phones stay in place even when in vibrate mode. At $13.99 or £19.99, which is a huge mark-up on the UK version, but that aside this is the cheapest version of the Powerwave base available, and it offers plenty of bang for its buck. It's still a very nice piece of kit, with a satisfying weight, and aesthetics that will fit with most PCs with its sleek, black, curved-cornered design. It uses Micro-USB, which is a shame as USB C compatibility may have been able to provide more power for quicker charges via normal USB input. 

8/10

Great - Silver Award

What's here is a great cost-effective wireless charger, that looks rugged and long-lasting, with pretty fast charge times, four hours to full, on Pixel 3XL via PC USB power. If Anker is a name that means a lot to you then this is a definite must for all phone users who wish to preserve their charger slots!