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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program You can never have enough USB chargers, and so I added this one to my "arsenal". I have charged my Iphone4, iPad2, Kindle and a few other USB powered accessories with no problems at all.
=== The Good Stuff ===
* Of all my devices, the iPad seems to be the most stressful on charging systems. This charger was able to recharge the iPad in roughly the same amount of time as the Apple supplied charger.
* It is a nice size and reasonably ergonomically shaped.
* There are, thankfully, no LED's on the thing. My quest for darkness continues.
* I was not initally a fan of the green ring, but the touch of color made it much easier to find in my gadget bag.
=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===
* It runs a bit on the warm side. Not sure that is a real big deal, but it may bother some people.
* I'd prefer that a "travel" charger have a fold up AC plug to make it easier to pack, but I suspect the fixed plug is more reliable.
* There are no markings at all to indicate allowable input voltage, so not sure is 220v is OK or not.
=== Summary ===
It does what it is supposed to, and hasn't caused any problems. There could have been a few more features (2nd output plug, fold-up AC connector), but it is what it is.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Okay, to start off, this charger may or may not work on non-apple products as many other reviewers have stated. My review is focusing specifically on Apple devices, i.e., iphone, ipad, ipod, and ipad mini and even more specifically 4th generation as my review was completed in 2013 and I have the latest and greatest from apple. Also note, I am using the term "adapter" and "charger" interchangeably in my review.I have been confused over the years about the various adapters that come with my iphone and ipad and the charging rates. I wondered why it took so long to charge my ipad using my iphone adapter. Also, why is the adapter that comes with the ipad so big for the ipad vs the iphone? I did some in depth research to educate myself that I would also like to share with you.
First thing you need to know is that it's not the cable (on fourth generation i-devices using the smaller, fire-wire connections) that makes the difference in charging speed, it is the adapter (the thing you plug into the wall with the USB port). The Belkin will make a difference on the iphone and ipad mini as I describe the reason why below.
You need to understand wattage. Wattage (also know as power or amount of juice flowing to your device) equal voltage times amperage, so:
volts x amps = watts.
Not all adapters are the same or even labeled visibly, so really take a look at the technical specification before making purchases. All the apple products use 5-volt along with the Belkin charger which is also 5-volt. You can also quickly look at the amperage if watts isn't listed, to tell the difference in speed.
So, if you know at least 2 of the 3 (volts, amps, or watts), you can figure out the third. The iphone, ipod, and ipad mini all have the same adapter/charger and it list the volts and amps, but not the watts, but you can easily figure it out with the equation:
5 volts x 1 amps = 5 watts (iphone, ipod, ipadmini)
The ipad is printed loud and clear with the wattage: 12W. Apple does this since there's been so much confusion in the past since a similar looking charger was available in 5-watt and 10-watt versions.
5 volts x 2.4 amps = 12 watts
The Belkin adapter I am reviewing is 2.1 amps or 10 watts so it is slightly slower than the ipad adapter and twice the speed of the adapter included with the ipad, ipod, and ipadmini.
5 volts x 2.1 amps = 10 watts
So, what does this mean for the various apple i-devices as far as charge speed and how is this Belkin charger going to perform? Well, it all depend on how much the individual devices draw or pull from the power/wattage.
For example, if the unit draws 10 watts and you use a 10 watt adapter/charger it will charge at it's maximum speed. If the adapter is slower, like 5 watts, it's going to take twice as long to charge. If the adapter is faster, like 12 watts, it's only going to charge at the unit's maximum speed which is 10 watt*.
Here's the line-up of individual apple devices and their wattage.
iphone and ipod: 7.1 watt (comes with a 5 watt adapter)
ipadmini: 16.3 watt (comes with a 5 watt adapter)
ipad 2: 25 watt (comes with a 10 watt adapter)
ipad 3: 42 watt, the most power-hungry (comes with a 12-watt adapter)
So, compare that with the wattage of your adapter/charger with devices wattage:
The iphone and ipad will charge slightly faster with the Belkin 10-watt adapter (5 watts vs. 7.1 watts, since it will draw a maximum of 7.1 watts)
The ipadmini will charge significantly faster with the Belkin 10-watt adapter (5 watts vs. 16.3 watts with the Belkin)
The ipad 2 is identical to the Belkin 10-watt
The ipad 3 will charge slightly SLOWER with the Belkin 10-watt adapter!
Regarding your desktop or laptop computer USB port. At only 2.5-watt, it will take forever to charge your apple devices! Using your computer is the SLOWEST by far of charging any of your apple devices.
Tip: always charge your ipad, iphone, etc. with the screen powered off since it draws power from the device. In the case of the computer USB port it really won't charge if the device is on since all of the 2.5-watt power (of the computer's usb port) will be going to the screen display.
I have also been using the Ventev dual USB port adapter which I picked up at the at&t store. It is 10-watt on each of the ports and costs $25, but available for $15 on Amazon, wow, great deal! Ventev AC Wall Charger, Dual 2.1A Each USB Port WithOut Cable
Also, as far as charge "time". In the case of the ipad, if you use the ipad charger that come with the device (12-watt) it will take about 3-1/2 hours to charge (divide the devices wattage by the wattage of the adapter/charger, i.e, 42-watt/12=3.5). If you use the Belkin charger (10-watt) it will take about 4.2 hours to charge (i.e., 42-watt/10=4.2)
*Note: there seems to be some disagreement on the Internet about using an adapter with higher wattage than the devices wattage. In one place I read that it's okay to use an adapter of higher wattage than the device, but in another it could decrease the life of the battery (like using the 10-watt Belkin charger with the 7.1 watt iphone). I am not knowledgable enough to know the correct answer, so if there's any electrical engineers out there, please pipe in.
That's my 101 on wattage and the Belkin adapter is a great addition to the all of the apple "i" products. I will use it for travel since it is a catch-all for both my iphone and ipad with not alot of wait time on the recharge.
All-in-all I like this charger mainly because I can charge both my iphone and ipad with out the long recharge rate of the 5-watt on my ipad. It's about the same gross area of the apple adapter, but different proportions and I love the design (it's cool looking)
Best Deals for Belkin Home and Travel Wall Charger with USB Port - 1 AMP / 5 Watt
It does what it's supposed to although I'm not sure if it's the socket I have it plugged into or the plug itself, but it comes loose pretty easily and I don't think the original iPhone charger did that. Not sure. At any rate I love the look and the 6' Amazon Basic cable I ordered to go with it BRILLIANT!Honest reviews on Belkin Home and Travel Wall Charger with USB Port - 1 AMP / 5 Watt
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program The product comes in an attractive box and the charger itself is attractive. It's designers were definitely inspired by Apple as the charger has an "Apple-esque" feel. I opened it up and plugged in my phone (note that there are no cables included with this, it is solely the plug with a single female USB port on the outside) and noticed significantly faster charge times due to the higher wattage. When you hold this charger in hand you can tell that it is a high quality unit.Pros:
-Fast charging
-High quality
Cons:
-Power prongs don't fold down If it's advertised as a travel charger, I like to see the prongs fold down so it packs more easily
-Only 1 USB port would have liked to see 2
-Expensive
Overall it worked fine, got warm but not hot, and delivered the fast charging times as promised.
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