## Is Anker’s $40 Nano 45W Charger Worth It? A Deep Dive and Test

The quest for the perfect charger is a modern-day holy grail. We want one small brick that can power everything from our phone to our laptop without taking up half the space in our bag. Anker has been a leader in this space, and their 45W Nano Charger (also known as the Anker 511) promises to be a pint-sized powerhouse. But at a price tag of around $40, does it deliver on its promises, or is it just an expensive accessory? We got our hands on one to find out.

### First Impressions: It’s Seriously Small

The first thing you notice about the Anker Nano 45W is its size. It’s tiny. Anker claims it’s 34% smaller than Apple’s original 45W charger, and it feels even smaller in person. It’s barely larger than the 5W cube that used to come with iPhones. The build quality feels solid and premium, as we’ve come to expect from Anker, and the foldable prongs are the single best feature for any travel charger, preventing scratches on your other gear when tossed in a bag. It features a single USB-C port, embracing the universal standard for modern electronics.

### The Magic Inside: GaN and PPS

So, how does Anker cram so much power into such a small package? The secret is Gallium Nitride, or GaN. This is the technology that has revolutionized the charger market. In simple terms, GaN components are far more efficient than traditional silicon, which means they can handle more power while generating less heat, allowing manufacturers to shrink them down.

But the tech doesn’t stop there. This charger is equipped with Power Delivery (PD) for broad compatibility with devices like iPhones and MacBooks. Crucially, it also supports Programmable Power Supply (PPS). This is a game-changer, especially for Samsung users. PPS allows the charger and the device to communicate and dynamically adjust the voltage and current for maximum charging efficiency. This is the technology required to unlock “Super Fast Charging 2.0” on high-end Samsung Galaxy devices, something many other chargers can’t do.

### Putting It to the Test

Specs on a box are one thing, but real-world performance is what matters. We plugged the Anker Nano 45W into a variety of devices to see how it stacked up.

**Test 1: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra**
This is where the charger truly shines. As soon as we plugged it in, the phone’s screen lit up with the coveted “Super Fast Charging 2.0″ message. It took the phone from near-empty to over 65% in just 30 minutes, matching the performance of Samsung’s own official 45W adapter. For a Samsung flagship owner, this feature alone could justify the price.

**Test 2: iPhone 15 Pro**
While iPhones don’t support the full 45W, the charger intelligently delivers the maximum power the iPhone can handle (around 27W). It charged our iPhone 15 Pro significantly faster than a standard 20W brick, hitting the 50% mark in well under 30 minutes. It’s more than enough power for any iPhone model.

**Test 3: MacBook Air (M2)**
This is the ultimate test for a compact charger. The M2 MacBook Air ships with a 30W or 35W charger, so the Anker Nano’s 45W output is more than capable. It charged the laptop efficiently, even while it was being used for light tasks like web browsing and word processing. While it would struggle to keep a powerful 16-inch MacBook Pro charged under heavy video editing, it’s the perfect travel companion for any ultrabook that charges via USB-C. It can easily keep you topped up on the go or fully charge your machine overnight.

Throughout our testing, the charger got warm to the touch under a sustained 45W load, which is completely normal for a GaN charger. It never became alarmingly hot, suggesting Anker’s ActiveShield 2.0 temperature monitoring system is doing its job.

### The Verdict: Who is This For?

After spending time with the Anker Nano 45W, its ideal user becomes very clear.

**You should buy this if:**
* **You’re a traveler:** Its tiny size and foldable prongs make it a dream for packing light.
* **You own a PPS-compatible device:** Especially for Samsung users, this is one of the smallest and best third-party chargers to unlock max charging speeds.
* **You want a single charger:** This can be the one brick that powers your phone, tablet, Nintendo Switch, and ultrabook like a MacBook Air or Dell XPS 13.
* **You value quality:** Anker’s reputation for reliability and safety is a major plus.

**You might want to skip this if:**
* You need to charge a high-powered laptop (like a MacBook Pro 14/16”) under heavy load. You’ll want a charger that’s 67W or higher.
* You need to charge multiple devices at once. This is a single-port solution.

For around $40, the Anker Nano 45W charger is an excellent investment. It delivers a powerful, versatile, and incredibly portable charging experience. It perfectly bridges the gap between a simple phone charger and a bulky laptop brick, creating a true one-charger solution for a huge number of people.