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Mobile accessory brand Anker is best known for its chargers and is, indeed, the best-selling brand in that category, but it makes more than power adapters and portable chargers. Anker’s products are frequently recommended by expert outlets and users who praise the company’s gadgets for being reliable and of high quality. That includes devices for the iPad that improve its functionality and overall user experience, whether you use your tablet for entertainment or productivity.
The right accessories can go so far as helping you use your iPad as a laptop replacement, but even if all you need is a faster charging brick, Anker has various options to suit different needs. Variety is great, but it can also make it hard to figure out which specific gadget is best for you, so we’ve put together this list to pick out the best Anker accessories for iPad users. Of course, there are several iPad models as well, so we’ll note where any of these picks apply only to specific versions of the tablet and provide alternatives where appropriate.
Anker 735 Charger
If you feel like your iPad isn’t charging fast enough, the fix may be as simple as getting a new power adapter. Your brick needs to deliver at least 20 watts to achieve fast charging of your iPad, with 30 watts or more being ideal, especially if you have an iPad Pro. If you’re planning to plug in multiple devices at once, you’ll need a more powerful adapter, as that maximum wattage is split between all the outlets in use.
Our recommendation is the Anker 735, a 65-watt wall charger available on Amazon for $29.99. It has three charging ports, one USB-C and two USB-C output ports, and can deliver between 40 and 65 watts, depending on how many ports you’re using at once. That’s pretty fast for an iPad, even the iPad Pro, but you’ll need an even faster adapter if you intend to connect other accessories via a USB-C hub (more on those later). The 100-watt Anker Prime Charger is a good option, but at $69.99 on Amazon, it may not be worth paying double the price if you don’t need all that power.
Given the company’s reputation, it shouldn’t be a surprise that users are happy with the Anker 735 and Anker Prime Chargers. Both have 4.7 stars (out of five) on Amazon based on thousands of customer ratings, plus an Amazon’s Choice badge denoting highly-rated products. Customer reviews are consistently positive, with many buyers saying the chargers are small, sturdy, and perfect for travel.
Anker Power Bank
Power banks are great for anyone who brings their iPad with them, particularly on long trips, and Anker makes a lot of different ones. How much capacity you need depends on which iPad model you have, as the tablet’s battery capacity ranges between the iPad Mini’s 5,078 milliampere-hour (mAh) and the 13-inch iPad Pro 13’s 10,290 mAh, with the base model falling between them, at 7,698 mAh. Ideally, you should be able to fully charge your device at least once (preferably two or more times) from a full power bank.
Regardless of which iPad you have, the Anker Prime Power Bank is highly rated. There’s a 26,250 mAh 300-watt version that’s good for lengthy travel days and shared use, but the 20,000 mAh model will probably be enough for the average user. It has a list price of $69.99 on Amazon, versus $229.99 for the higher-capacity model. Both have a rating of 4.6 stars on Amazon and fall within the TSA’s battery restrictions, so they’re approved for air travel.
Anker 555 USB-C Hub
One flaw of the iPad is that it only has one port, a USB-C port for charging, which is why a hub is one of the best accessories that can solve the iPad’s biggest problems. Of Anker’s different options, the 555 USB-C Hub is the best for most users and costs $49.99 on Amazon. This is a multifaceted hub, with a USB-C port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI jack, and an Ethernet port, along with a microSD/SD card reader and a USB-C input port for pass-through charging up to 85 watts.
Having extra ports is nice, but the Ethernet option is particularly useful if you want to use your iPad as a laptop or take a lot of video calls. Most won’t need it, but Ethernet is more reliable than Wi-Fi and is pretty much essential for those who use their iPad for gaming since cloud streaming and online multiplayer titles require a lot of bandwidth. There are dedicated Ethernet adapters available, but they make it impossible to charge your tablet while it’s connected. If you often use your tablet like a monitor, there’s also the Anker 551, which is a tablet stand that doubles as a USB-C hub. With various ports built into the base, this unit sells on Amazon for $99.99. It’s also important to know that both of these hubs need a 100-watt charger to work as intended.
The Anker 555 USB-C Hub has 4.3 stars on Amazon from over 9,000 ratings and user reviews that call it durable and reliable. While the lack of a second USB-C port is a downside given how many things have moved away from USB-A, it’s a solid hub that makes it possible to use wired peripherals with your iPad while it charges.
Anker USB-C to USB-C Cable
While they might look the same, not all USB-C cables are created equal. That’s because USB-C is a type of connector rather than the technology within the cord. Different types deliver different power output and features, which is why some USB-C cables charge faster than others and not all can be used for both charging and data transfer. Regardless of which functionality you need, investing in a high-quality cable is better than buying cheap ones that might not last longer than a couple of months. Our pick is the Anker USB-C to USB-C Cable, which delivers 240 watts of power and can transfer data at up to 480 megabits per second (Mbps). It comes in different lengths, ranging from one foot to ten feet (and ranging in price from $17.99 to $24.99) on Amazon.
This Anker cable is braided, which makes it more durable than the usual silicone ones while still being pretty flexible. It’s also made of recycled nylon, which is more environmentally friendly than many other tech accessories. There’s also the Anker Prime USB-C to USB-C Cable, which the company says is faster and more durable. It’s likely not worth paying an extra $10–$15 for those minor improvements for use with an iPad that doesn’t need as much power as a laptop, though.
Like other Anker products, the USB-C cable has good reviews, with a 4.8-star rating and Amazon’s Choice badge. It may be more expensive than those two-packs you can get for under $10, but if you need a high-quality fast charge, you’ll get that from Anker’s USB-C to USB-C Cable.
How we picked these accessories
Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images
To choose these products, we looked at what Anker offers and considered what kinds of accessories iPad users need or could greatly benefit from. Anker makes a lot of items that are pretty similar, so we looked at how specific devices fit the iPad and its various models based on technical specs and user experience. We kept it to one product per category (e.g., power bank, charging cable) but mentioned others where relevant either as alternatives or to compare them based on things like price and features. Finally, we only chose products that are available on Amazon and have received a rating of at least four stars out of five from the retailer’s customers.
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