One of the downsides of being a tech nerd is keeping all those devices charged up. Until a few months ago, I maintained a collection of power strips and USB wall adapters, which I had setup in a few places – my bedside table, my office at work, and a portable solution for traveling. Finding a USB cable to charge my stuff was never an issue – finding the USB wall adapter was usually more of a hassle.
A few months ago, my dad bought me one of these new-fangled USB desktop charging things. It works well, and has six USB ports, which is more than enough for my various devices. The problem with it is that the casing is thin plastic, and every single one of those USB ports has a MASSIVE blue LED associated with it. This LED is lit whenever the port is “live”, and the result can be blinding. I have to put a hand towel over it at night, just so I can get to sleep.
Thus, when I was offered the chance to test the iClever 6-port Fast USB Desktop Charger, I figured I might as well.
The iClever 6-port Fast USB Desktop Charger is pretty small – it only measures 7.09 in x 1.97 in x 4.33 in. This is roughly the same size as the other desktop charger that I had, except for that here, the ports are stacked vertically, which is much more organized.
The other thing that I really love is the weight of it – 11.36oz, or nearly 3/4 of a pound. Normally, lighter is better, but for something like this, with 6 USB cables sticking out of it, the opposite is true. The heavier device stays put much better on my nightstand than the blue one did, and is less likely to be moved around as I connect and disconnect various devices.
Earlier I mentioned the ridiculously bright blue LEDs on my previous unit. I was pleased to see that the iClever USB desktop charger only has a single green LED, and it’s TINY. I can see if it I look directly at it, but it doesn’t light up my entire room, which is a huge plus.
Each of the six USB ports support output up to 5V 2.4A, and they include “SmartID”, which is described by the company as
Enhanced by the SmartID technology, our smart USB port is capable of identifying a specific device, and thus ensuring maximum charging efficiency and speed. With SmartID, our charger knows your device and charges at full throttle.
This means you can connect anything from an older phone to a newer iPad and get the appropriate amount of power. The unit itself plugs into the wall with an included 5-foot power cord, which should be plenty to position it wherever you need it.
One thing to note is that the iClever USB desktop charger does not come with any USB cables in the box – you’ll need to provide your own. For most people, this probably isn’t an issue, since all your gadgets came with their own power cord anyways. However, it’s something to note. You can pick up a 5-pack of USB cables for $10, if you need to.
Despite the “Fast” part of the name, you should be aware that the iClever 6-port Fast USB Desktop Charger does *not* support Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology. It charges your gadgets plenty quickly, though.
At roughly the cost of a quality surge protector, the iClever 6-port Fast USB Desktop Charger is a great little gadget. I would actually like to see them add some additional weight to it, but other than that, it’s perfect.
Disclaimer: the iClever 6-port Fast USB Desktop Charger was provided to me by the company for this review. Also, this post contains affiliate links to the product listing on Amazon. Because I need to buy new gadgets, and the alternative is ugly banner ads.
