Anker's PowerIQ Charging Technology Explained by Engadget

PowerIQ has appeared on Anker chargers for years, but the label sits alongside other charging standards such as Quick Charge and Power Delivery. The report says chargers and electronics use several standards for sending and receiving power, and PowerIQ governs how quickly Anker chargers with the technology send power to a connected device's battery.

According to Anker, PowerIQ chargers can detect what device they are connected to and adjust output based on the voltage best suited to that battery. In theory, this lets them charge devices quickly without sending too much power and damaging the device. The report says PowerIQ chargers are generally considered safe for that reason. It adds that fast charging always carries some risk of reducing battery life over the long term, and while PowerIQ may offset that risk somewhat, it cannot eliminate it.

The report cautions that PowerIQ chargers are not necessarily faster than chargers using other standards. Charging speed is set by the device as much as by the charger, so raw power output can matter less than it appears. A device that accepts only 12W will not charge at 100W merely because a charger can deliver that much, the report says.

Compatibility also varies. Power Delivery is the most common standard, while Quick Charge is widely used in Android devices, according to the report. The distinctions have become less important because the latest versions of PD and QC, version 4.0, are partially cross-compatible. The report says the latest PowerIQ version, PIQ 4.0, is compatible with QC and PD 3.0, so newer PIQ chargers support fast charging on essentially any device.

Newer Anker chargers have displays that show information about connected devices. Because PowerIQ chargers monitor those devices, the chargers can display temperature and wattage in real time. The report says whether that information is useful is another matter, but it can be seen at a glance.