Review - It doesn't get more perfect than Anker's Charging Dock for Quest 2 - Android

Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2: Price and availability

Anker announced and released the Anker Chaging Dock for Oculus Quest 2 at the tail end of 2020, but the unit was a bit hard to come by for the first two months of 2021. Now, you can readily find the Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2 for $86.99 at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, as well as straight from the Anker or Oculus websites.

As an officially-licensed product recommended by Facebook for the Oculus Quest 2, Anker's dock is linked right from the official accessories page for the Quest 2. Anker is also currently in the position of supplying the only charging dock available for the Oculus Quest 2.

The Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2 is currently only available in white. Thankfully, that white matches the exact hue that the Oculus Quest 2 uses, making it a perfect match.

The real deal

Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2: Like it was meant to be

One of the most puzzling parts of the Oculus Quest 2's design is the fact that AA batteries power the controllers. In 2021, it's far less common to find products using AA batteries over built-in rechargeable battery packs, but this is something Oculus has been doing for years. While one could argue that AA batteries are best for quick swap-outs when you forget to charge, this doesn't really apply to the Quest 2. Why is that? Because the Quest 2's controllers will last most people 3-4 months on a single charge, which negates any positives this strategy would create.

That makes the Quest 2 — particularly the controllers — the perfect example of a product that would benefit from a single rechargeable built-in battery pack. The Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2 comes with what appears to be a funny-looking AA battery to stick in each controller, but these batteries differ from a standard rechargeable in one big physical way; they sport metal plates on the sides that connect to the battery door's metal charging Pogo pins.

There's no difference in weight or bulk compared to using normal AA batteries or the standard cover.

Other than the small Pogo pins themselves, you'd never know there was anything different about the Quest 2 controllers when you've got Anker's rechargeable solution installed. There's no difference in weight when compared to using normal AA batteries or the standard cover, no added bulk of any kind, and everything is 100% compatible with accessories of all kinds for the Quest 2. That's great if you've got grips or a gunstock that you like to use since you can just pop the controllers out and drop them on the dock to charge.

Anker's rechargeable battery definitely has a reduced capacity compared to a normal AA battery, as I found my controllers dropping under 80% after just a few days' use. While that might be a concern if you had to swap them out regularly, the packs are just designed to be dropped in the charger after every use, giving you a fully topped-up experience every time.

Overload, overcharge, and overcurrent protection is built into the Anker Charging Dock to protect your batteries.

While it's not typically good to leave rechargeable batteries on a charger at full capacity for a long time — overcharging can significantly reduce the lifetime of the battery and cause other safety-related issues — overload, overcharge, and overcurrent protection is built into the Anker Charging Dock. While that's important enough for the controller batteries, it's even more important for the main headset battery since you can't remove it.

The headset charges via a magnetic connector which connects itself automatically when dropping the Quest 2 into the dock, afforded by an ingenious little metal connector that fits inside the USB Type-C port on the Quest 2. This little metal disc is barely larger than the USB Type-C port itself and adds no bulk to the headset — something you definitely don't want when playing something like Beat Saber or another highly-active game where you might clip the side of the headset.

It fits perfectly in the entertainment unit under my TV to keep things charged and organized.

Aesthetically, the dock itself is ideal. It's perfectly sized to charge the headset and both controllers at the same without being too bulky. It even fits in the entertainment unit under my TV, which was important to me since I prefer to keep all of my consoles and other electronics inside and hidden away when not in use. It's also nice and heavy and has a solid rubber pad on the underside, keeping it held in place when pulling the headset away from the magnetic connector. Each spot has an LED underneath it that indicates charging status; amber for charging, green for finished.

Some accessories won't apply

Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2: Basically nothing to improve