Anker PowerCore Play 6K Review: Stable in Your Hands

POSITIVES

✓ Build Quality

Solid weight and feel

✓ Added Battery Life

Additional 6K battery is plenty for pack

✓ Ports

USB-C and A cover all bases

NEGATIVES

✘ Fan Noise

Might restrict places you can play discreetly

✘ Compatible Phones

Phones are way too big now to fit

✘ Flimsy Kickstand

Doesn't stay in place with finger input

Purchase Price: $35.99

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If you own a modern smartphone, you’ve most likely dabbled in some sort of mobile gaming over the years. I for one almost exclusively game on my phone now simply due to how flexible gaming can be when you can literally just do it anywhere. On the flip side, if you don’t own a gaming phone, battery life and overheating are core issues that plague the gaming experience on handheld devices. While portable battery packs have always been an accessory for smartphone users, we’ve recently seen a rise in power packs that double up as a controller sized grip. I came across one from Anker while shopping at Marshalls one afternoon called the PowerCore Play 6K. It immediately stood out to me for a couple of reasons. Is this a product that will bridge the gaming landscape between convenience and functionality?

Stand out quality

I’ve had just as many different attachment controllers as I have purchased portable battery banks of various shapes and sizes. To combine that into one product has its pros and cons. I made the decision to buy the $35 grip charger simply because the box felt lofty. This did not have an aura of a cheaply made plastic material that many of these form factors usually come in. Holding the controller in my hands for the first time validated my initial interest in the PowerCore. While the entire product is made from plastic (as far as I can see), there’s enough of a contradiction through textured, glossy, matte and rubber finishes for your fingers to dictate a favorable sensation. Without a phone mounted on it, I’d say that this was a very nice feeling controller grip to hold. 

While the handle grips aren’t particularly long, they’re stubby and weighty enough to comfortably merge into the palm of my hands. My pinkies give additional support under this short grip form factor to be able to game for a decent amount of time. On the left side of the PowerCore is a 4 LED light battery indicator that can be inspected by pressing a small button to the side of it. Directly above it are the only two ports on the product. Both the 10W USB-C and 12 W USB A port can source power to a smartphone through an accompanying cable. I’ve plugged in a Lightning to USB-C cable into the USB-C port on my iPhone 13 Pro with no issues at all. On Android, I’ve used a USB-C to USB A cable into the USB A port and it charged the phone exactly the same.

There’s a built-in cooling fan that assists in managing not only the smartphone’s thermals, but the battery pack in the controller. Anker put a combined 6700 mAh battery into this package. There’s actually two 3350 mAh battery packs split evenly for what I assume was weight distribution. Anker says this battery can add “30 more hours of extra power” on the packaging. I don’t advise anyone to run a game or any application for 30 consecutive hours regardless of circumstance, but from my usage, I did add a couple hours of additional gaming time to my day after initially depleting my iPhone battery prior to testing. Not only did the PowerCore Play hold the current charge, it did progressively charge up my phone during the gaming session.

Fan Noise

This does come at a cost as the fan kicks in immediately after plugging the phone in. As a battery pack, there are many things that need to be regulated to maintain optimal battery perseverance. Anker says it uses PowerIQ technology to adapt charging outputs in order to reach maximum charging capabilities. While I haven’t really experienced any uncomforting heat, the fan noise is rather loud for a mobile product. This is something that you probably shouldn’t pull out in a quiet environment for a stealthy gaming session like a classroom or library. 

Use Cases

As far as phone compatibility is concerned, my iPhone 13 Pro is about the maximum size the PowerCore can extend to accommodate. Anker says the grip stretches from 5.7 to 6.45 inches. Something like the Google Pixel 6 Pro is too large to even come close to mounting. I have a decently thick case on my iPhone 13 Pro and it fits snugly on the Anker PowerCore Play. I’ve shaken the mounted phone upside down, sideways and any way possible without much of any movement from the phone. It does warrant good reliability in that aspect. There’s also a mini kickstand built-into the body of the device. It’s like the one featured on the first-gen Nintendo Switch. Due to the flimsiness of the kickstand, I don’t really use this as much as I’d like to. With it propped open, it’s fine for video consumption, but don’t expect to run auto-quests in the games you play that require some input from your fingers as the PowerCore can’t sit in place with the slightest pressure applied to it.

Buyers need to also consider the potential use cases that are applicable which are determined by the games you play. If you’re looking for a battery pack for all-purpose gaming, something like this might not work for you. You can’t really use this in an effective manner playing vertical oriented games like Pokemon Go, Fire Emblem Heroes or Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links. It actually detracts from the gaming experience plugging this in with vertical games. Also, unlike Bluetooth controllers, there aren’t additional triggers or buttons that map with your phone. FPS mobile gamers would ideally want those added benefits in a mobile grip controller. This here is simply a battery grip.

So what exactly would be the optimal activity to use this with? When I was an addict to Korean gacha games like Seven Knights and Epic Seven, this form factor would have been perfect to farm on. If only the kickstand was more sturdy, I would have highly recommended any gamers of that grouping, who don’t play on their PC, to pick something like this up. All in all, I’m pretty impressed with the build quality and the feel of the PowerCore Play 6K in your hands. It does what it sets out to do and I don’t feel like this is some cheap product that many of the competitors out there push to consumers through Amazon. This actually felt like a quality minimalistic gaming accessory that does add value to select gaming experiences.

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