For the record, this is not a sponsored post. I’m just frugal, and I like to travel as lightly as possible. Every piece of tech in my tightly packed bag needs to earn its keep by doing at least two jobs.
As such, I’m a sucker for anything that can serve more than one purpose and does so on the cheap. Anker happens to make a lot of that type of stuff.
If you’ve bought an aftermarket charger or power bank in the last decade, you’ve probably seen the name. I’ve found their gear to be equal parts reliable and budget-friendly in an age where buying off-brand tech accessories is a total crapshoot.
So, if you’re ready to ditch the dead weight, here are three inexpensive, multitasking gadgets from a company that’ll still be around tomorrow.
Power bank/wall charger combo
You’ve spent an hour and a half doom-scrolling at your gate and now that it’s time to board the airplane, your phone’s battery is sitting at a stressful 11%. The seatback outlet is either nonexistent, not working, or just refuses to grip your plug.
The small but mighty Anker Nano is your insurance policy against a dead device and the resulting boredom. It’s a compact slab of power that’ll recharge your phone a couple of times over, and it’ll only set you back around 50 bucks.
As a bonus, once you reach your destination, it doubles as an in-wall charger for another device—even a laptop. No need to pack a bunch of extra power accessories.
Noise-canceling earbuds with phone stand
Once your phone’s alive, you’ve got to deal with the noise. The engine’s an unrelenting drone, the baby across the aisle won’t stop wailing, and the flight attendant can’t seem to stay off the PA system.
While top-tier active noise cancellation can cost a pretty penny, you can pick up the Soundcore P30i wireless noise-canceling earbuds for $40.
Don’t let the low price fool you, though. These earbuds reduce noise by 40-plus decibels, sport eight-hour battery life, and feature a transparency mode if you want to hear what’s going on around you, and their touch controls can be customized.
Best of all: The charging case doubles as a phone stand—perfect for kicking back and watching a movie once your tray table can come down.
3-in-1 fold-up charging station
If you’re all in on Apple devices and you hate a mess of cables on your nightstand as much as I do, the MagGo UFO 3-in-1 charging station is a godsend.
Folded up, it’s about the size of a meatball. Once you get to your destination, it unfurls to two charging pads—one for your phone and one for your AirPods case—and an Apple Watch connector. It comes with a cable and wall plug as well.
At $90, it’s stretching the meaning of “inexpensive.” But most other 3-in-1 chargers are well north of $100 and can’t fit in your pocket.