Whatever kind of device you have, it doesn’t take long to be overwhelmed with the task of charging everything, all the time. While phones, tablets, cameras and other devices all ship with their own USB wall chargers, it turns out that smart multi-port chargers are a much smarter and more effective solution. Enter iClever and its range of inexpensive multi-port chargers, whether you’re USB 3.0 or USB-C…
If you’re new to the charging game, you might not realize that not all chargers are designed the same and that some devices want one level of power while others can charge faster if they receive more juice from the wall charger. In fact, devices range from 10W up to 24W, and the way to think of wattage is to imagine that it’s like water pressure in a pipe: your particular device might ship with a charger that offers a specific water pressure, but almost all of them can handle higher pressure and actually charge faster in that situation!
There’s a chip from Qualcomm that controls the smarts in a good charger, actually, called the Qualcomm QC 3.0, and that’s the heart of the iClever line, what they call SmartID Tech that recognizes the device that’s plugged in and offers that particular plug the maximum compatible power level. Plug in an iPhone or Galaxy S7 and it’ll charge significant faster, automatically!
What’s also good about the iClever line is that they’re all very reasonably priced, something important if you’ve had to buy a replacement USB-C charger for your Apple MacBook directly from Apple (where it’s quite costly).
Here are the three I examined:
As you can see, they all have the same square design and flip-out prongs (a great feature if you travel a lot: you can fold in the prongs when it’s in your suitcase or briefcase, then flip them out when you need to plug it into the wall).
Here’s a top-on view so you can see the differences:
The USB-C (leftmost) is the only one that doesn’t feature dual plugs, but instead has a charging status light (the top spot). The other two are different generations of the iClever dual-USB 3.0 smart charger, both featuring SmartID to maximize charge power and speed.
Not much else to say about these. They’re inexpensive, they work great, and each lets you quickly charge two devices, whether they’re Android, iOS, digital cameras, tablets, or any other device that plugs into a USB charger. The USB-C unit is specifically compatible with the Apple MacBook, Chromebook Pixel,Google Nexus 5X/6P and LG G5, among other USB-C devices.
Check them out:
- iClever 30W Dual USB 3.0 Charger: $16.99 with free Amazon Prime shipping.
- iClever 30W USB-C Rapid Charger: $24.99 with free Amazon Prime shipping.
Disclosure: iClever sent us a range of chargers to test and write about. Which my devices greatly appreciate!