Anker
| Anker | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Steven Yang |
| Headquarters | Changsha, Hunan, China |
| Products | Chargers, power banks, audio, smart home, VR accessories |
| Website | https://www.anker.com |
Anker (legally Anker Innovations Co., Ltd) is a Chinese consumer electronics company best known for mobile charging products such as power banks, wall chargers, and cables. It was founded in 2011 by Steven Yang, a former Google software engineer, in Shenzhen, and later moved its headquarters to Changsha, Hunan.[1] The company has since expanded well beyond charging into audio, smart home, and portable power through a family of sub-brands, and it sells a range of accessories for Virtual Reality headsets, most visibly under its Soundcore audio label.[2]
Anker does not make a VR or AR headset of its own. Its relevance in the Extended Reality space comes from peripherals: wireless gaming earbuds, charging docks, replacement head straps, and link cables built for headsets such as the Meta Quest 2. In 2022 its Soundcore brand released the VR P10, which the company described as the first true wireless earbuds officially endorsed for the Quest 2 under Meta's accessory program.[2][3]
History
Anker Innovations was established in 2011 by Steven Yang, who had earned a master's degree in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin and then worked as a senior software engineer at Google before leaving to start the company.[1][4] The business began by selling replacement laptop batteries and quickly moved into phone chargers, power banks, and cables as smartphones created broad demand for portable power. Over the following decade it grew into a multi-brand consumer electronics group whose catalog spans chargers, power banks, earbuds, headphones, speakers, data hubs, charging cables, portable power stations, home solar batteries, and smart home devices.[1]
Anker went public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on August 24, 2020, under the ticker 300866.[5] For the 2024 financial year the company reported revenue of about 24.7 billion yuan, up roughly 41 percent year over year.[6] The group operates through several consumer sub-brands, including Soundcore for audio, Eufy for smart home and security, Nebula for projectors, and Anker SOLIX for portable and home energy.[1]
VR and AR products
Anker's footprint in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality is built entirely from accessories rather than headsets. The products fall into four groups: audio, charging, comfort, and connectivity.
Soundcore VR P10
The Soundcore VR P10 is a pair of true wireless gaming earbuds announced on October 18, 2022, and pitched as the first audio product to receive an official endorsement for the Meta Quest 2 under Meta's accessory program.[2][3] The earbuds connect through an included USB-C 2.4GHz wireless dongle, which Soundcore markets under the name LightningSync, and reach a latency as low as 30 milliseconds, well under the lag of typical Bluetooth audio.[2][7] They use 11mm drivers, support Bluetooth 5.2 for phones, and provide about 6 hours of playtime per charge or roughly 24 hours with the charging case.[3][7] Beyond the Quest 2, reviewers confirmed the dongle works with the Steam Deck, Pico 4, PlayStation 4 and 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, making the VR P10 a general low-latency gaming earbud rather than a Quest-only device.[7] It launched at 99.99 US dollars.[2][3]
Charging dock for Quest 2
Anker sells an Oculus-certified charging dock for the Meta Quest 2 that holds the headset on a stand and recharges both the headset and its two controllers. The kit ships with a USB-C wall charger and cable, two rechargeable AA batteries with battery covers for the controllers, and a magnetic USB-C connector that attaches to the headset so it charges when set on the dock.[8][9] Anker also offers a replacement head strap compatible with the Quest 2 as a separate part.[10]
VR link cables
Anker markets several of its USB-C to USB-C cables as VR link cables for connecting a standalone headset to a gaming PC, comparable in role to Meta's own Link Cable. The company rates the cables to withstand up to 35,000 bends and to carry 480 Mbps data alongside power delivery, with options at lengths such as 10 feet.[11]
Soundcore audio glasses
Through Soundcore, Anker also sells Bluetooth audio glasses called Soundcore Frames, first shipped in late 2021. These are open-ear audio eyewear with speakers built into the temples and interchangeable front frames; they have no display, camera, or Augmented Reality capability, so they sit closer to wearable audio than to Smart glasses in the AR sense.[12] The basic kit launched at 199.99 US dollars with additional front frames sold separately, and the glasses provide roughly 5.5 hours of audio playback per charge. The companion Soundcore app does include a feature to virtually try on frames using augmented reality, but the hardware itself does not render AR content.[12]
Products
The table below lists Anker's VR and AR related accessories, not the company's broader charging and audio catalog.
| Product | Year | Brand | Type | Notable details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundcore Frames | 2021 | Soundcore | Bluetooth audio glasses | Open-ear speakers, interchangeable front frames, ~5.5 h playback, no display or camera; from 199.99 US dollars[12] |
| Charging dock for Quest 2 | 2021 | Anker | Charging accessory | Oculus-certified stand that charges the Meta Quest 2 headset and controllers; includes USB-C charger, magnetic headset connector, and rechargeable AA batteries[8][9] |
| Soundcore VR P10 | 2022 | Soundcore | True wireless gaming earbuds | First earbuds endorsed for the Meta Quest 2 under Meta's accessory program; USB-C 2.4GHz dongle, ~30 ms latency, 11mm drivers, ~24 h with case; 99.99 US dollars[2][3][7] |
| VR link cables | Ongoing | Anker | Connectivity | USB-C cables marketed for tethering a headset to a PC; rated for up to 35,000 bends and 480 Mbps data[11] |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Anker". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anker.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Soundcore's VR P10 Are First True Wireless Gaming Earbuds Designed For Meta Quest 2". October 18, 2022. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/soundcores-vr-p10-are-first-true-wireless-gaming-earbuds-designed-for-meta-quest-2-301652539.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Soundcore VR P10 Gaming Earbuds are the first TWS products with official Meta Quest 2 compatibility". October 19, 2022. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Soundcore-VR-P10-Gaming-Earbuds-are-the-first-TWS-products-with-official-Meta-Quest-2-compatibility.662902.0.html.
- ↑ "Steven Yang - Founder of Anker Innovations Co., Ltd.". https://baike.baidu.com/en/item/Steven%20Yang/27602.
- ↑ "Anker Innovations Statistics By Revenue, Products and Facts". https://electroiq.com/stats/anker-innovations-statistics/.
- ↑ "Anker Innovations (SHE:300866) Revenue". https://stockanalysis.com/quote/she/300866/revenue/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Anker Soundcore VR P10 Wireless Earbud Review". https://gamerant.com/anker-soundcore-vr-p10-wireless-earbud-review/.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Anker Charging Dock for Oculus Quest 2, Oculus Certified Charging Station Stand Set". https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Certified-Controller-Rechargeable-Batteries/dp/B08NDYQSXZ.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Anker Charging Dock with Rechargeable Batteries for Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset and Controllers". https://www.verizon.com/products/anker-charging-dock-with-rechargeable-batteries-for-oculus-quest-2-vr-headset-and-controllers/.
- ↑ "Anker Head Strap Compatible with Oculus Quest 2". https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Compatible-Adjustable-Replacement-Charging/dp/B0BM96Q79G.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "VR Link Cable". https://www.anker.com/collections/vr-link-cable.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Review: Anker's Soundcore Frames Offer Bluetooth Audio Eyewear in a Range of Styles". November 1, 2021. https://www.macrumors.com/review/anker-soundcore-frames/.