MobileTechTalk If you need something portable, with the ability to charge a number of devices, like I do, take a look at my thoughts on the RAVPower Bolt 4-Port Desktop USB Charger.
First impressions…what a mess that picture is right? This is precisely why I wanted a specific station on which to charge my devices.
To clarify in this case the items that are plugged in are:
- Bluetooth speaker
- Sony Smartwatch 3
- iPad Air 2
- EC Technology Wireless Bluetooth 4.1 Stereo Headphones/Headsets for Running/Sport
So what to do sort this mess out. Well a USB charging hub was certainly a good idea and we’ve reviewed a few here (which I’ll link below) so that is what I did. Amazon here I come.
- iClever 6 port USB Charger reviewed by Mark
- EC Technology 5 USB Charger with Qi reviewed by Mark
Just looking around on Amazon it is clear that they are many many options at many differing prices. To see what I mean just search “usb charging hub” into Amazon (Using our affiliate link here of course) and you’ll see what I mean.
So what made me buy this particular charger. Well at £11.99 there are cheaper options but there are also more expensive options. At £11.99 it’s fair to say that it’s certainly mid priced and it has the right amount of USB ports. But the biggest feature is the iSmart Technology. All this means is that it detects the best output for each device, something that various different companies are starting to adopt. It also has a total output of 8 amps, which once again is plenty for me and when coupled with the number of ports means devices are going to charge nice and fast.
Opening the box your are instantly greeted with the good stuff – the device itself and the power lead. Pulling out the little cardboard tray you find a quick start and a warranty card. Nice and simple. Just the way I like it.
One thing I did notice in the Amazon description is that it says “Total 8A output and each port could be 2.4A Max for charging 4 tablets at the same time with full speed“. Now if you do the maths 2.4 amps times 4 is 9.6 amps. Now this isn’t an issue for me as like I said 8 amps is sufficient but I imagine it being an issue for some people.
On the Amazon page it features the image above which I thought was rather odd. It has iSmart which is supposed to automatically push the optimum charge to each connected device. Though I suppose it explains the maths.
Now you may be asking is – Chris for an extra £5 you can get USB hub from RAV Power with 3 iSmart ports and a quick charge port, why didn’t you purchase that? Well the answer is quite simple really. I don’t have a quick charge device. After all my daily driver is a HTC One M8 and despite it having quick charge it didn’t come with a quick charge plug so I’ve just never used it. It was also, money really. When you don’t have an extra £5 available at the time, you go with what you have.
Despite me knocking it for the odd way it outputs the power, it does actually perform as described. In real world testing it seems to output to devices just fine so it may be some paperwork issues – the truth is I’m not sure but like I mentioned it works fine in the real world.
So would I recommend the RAVPower Bolt 4-Port Desktop USB Charger? Simple answer; yes. Performance wise it performs great. The fact that the bottom of the unit has a rubber strip going across the bottom of the device means that it doesn’t slide around on what ever flat surface you place it on. At £11.99 it is also reasonably priced. All of these positive points easily out way the weird, possibly incorrect, description of how the power is output.
RAVPower Bolt 4-Port Desktop USB Charger
£11.99
Pros
- Space saver
- Saves wall Sockets
- Works great
- Decent price
Cons
- Weird printed paperwork on Amazon
