Saturday, June 28, 2014

Reviews of Steepower® 18W / 2.1A Dual-Port Car Charger with Built-in Apple

Steepower® 18W / 2.1A Dual-Port Car Charger with Built-in Apple 8-Pin Lightning Coiled Cord for Apple Iphone 5, 5S, 5C, & New Ipad Mini, Ipods, Provide Simultaneous Full-Speed Charges to iPads and Smartphones - MFI Apple Approved!
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: $39.95
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The Steepower Micro USB Car Power Adapter is one of those perfect on-the-go car chargers for most people. Any device that uses a micro USB cord such as a Smartphone, MP 3 player, Kindle, or a digital camera can readily be charged. I especially like the built-in cable. No need to carry one along with you ... simply take the charger out of the glove box and you're good to go.

Another interesting thing is the fact that the micro USB spring cable, a full six feet in length, can uncoil and be used in the backseat of your vehicle. It's one of those plug and play type devices that make life so much easier. It's also very convenient in that you can charge two devices at once. One built in USB cable, the other you'll have to bring along.

The basic specs are on the side of the unit. The spring clips nicely secured the Steepower Micro USB Car Power Adapter into my lighter socket. Once inserted into the socket there was about 1 1/2" sticking out. The adapter works well, is very handy, especially when you're on-the-go and your phone or other small device needs a charge.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

► USB Car Charger with a coiled Micro USB Cable

► Quick start guide

SPECS:

♣ Input: 10 16V DC

♣ Micro connector output: 5VDC, 1A

♣ USB port output: 5VDC, 1A

FEATURES:

► Charges Many Micro USB Devices

► Simultaneously charges a second device using the additional USB Port

► Works in any vehicle that has a lighter socket or accessory outlet

► Compact one piece design with coiled cable

► Micro USB coiled cable can expand up to 6 feet

► Illuminating blue LED light to indicate that the charger has power (on the interface around the additional USB port)

Sample provided for review.

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Car chargers are one of those gizmos most people have to have today. I've used several good ones, but the Steepower dual-port charger is one of the most innovative ones. It has a fixed cable with a micro-USB plug, plus a USB port for another cable (not included). The fixed cable is coiled, the first coiled cable that I've seen on a car charger, and a very nice touch that keeps the cable short but stretches to allow using a cellphone without first unplugging the cable. Each of the two ports provides up to one ampere, which is adequate to charge cellphones and tablets.

I tested the charger with my Kindle Fire HD 7" and my wife's iPhone 4. Both were about 50% charged when we left the house, and both were turned on. After a 45-minute drive, making a couple of calls with the iPhone and playing music from the Kindle Fire, both devices had recharged considerably even while being used.

This is a nice charger. It's solidly made and fit snugly but smoothly in the 12V outlet in the dashboard of my car. I was impressed with it enough that it's the power adapter that I'll keep in the car now.

A product sample was provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.

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Steepower® 12W / 2.1A Dual-Port Car Charger provides power for two devices at the same time. One device can be charged through built-in micro USB adapter, the second through a regular USB charging cable (not included). Each port provides 1A of power, the total combined current output for devices connected to this power adapter is 2.0A MAX.

I tested Steepower® 12W / 2.1A Dual-Port Car Charger with Nexus 7 Tablet (JellyBean 4.3) and Samsung Galaxy Nexus cell phone (JellyBean 4.2.2). I tested each on both ports, as well as both devices at the same time. The results were different on each port and now I plug them in only in one configuration which tested best. You will find the results of my tests in the table below.

I own several car chargers and run the same set on tests on each of them, so they can be compared to each other using "apples to apples" comparison. This set of tests allows me to provide unbiased results as the numbers speak for the performance of each unit. My methodology is to charge each mobile device on each port of the unit for 10 minutes and measuring how much each unit was charge in that 10 minute period. Each line in the table below represents a separate 10 minute test. I use Battery App by Elvison to determine how each device recognized the charging source. 'AC' status means the charging is at full charging rate. 'USB' status indicates charging at a lower charging rate. 'Discharging' status means that the charging rate is below the power that the device is consuming so it slows down the discharge rate but does not re-charge.

To test this Steepower car charger I ran my 10 minute test on Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus phone on each of the 2 ports as well as both devices at the same time. I also tested using both a both a data cable and a charging cable as I noticed that Nexus 7 did not charge at all with a data cable (this is not the case with all car chargers). The data cable was able to charge the phone so the cable itself is functional.

A quick note about the difference between a power cable and a data cable:

Charging cables short the two data connections together (rendering them useless for data transfer), but this fools devices to see them as an AC power connection, and thus accept the higher current of the charging source.

This car charger makes a good contact with the car's power port. It did not wobble or got dislodged during our weekend trip on a number of unpaved roads when it was used to power Nexus 7 serving as a GPS. Its weight is 2.1 oz, it is 3.375" long, and front of the plug is 1.125" in diameter. The coiled cable is 22" (unstretched).

✔ Nexus 7 Tablet

--------------

Built in cable -AC ............. 2% change in charge in 10 minutes

Charging cable -AC ............. 3% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone

--------------------------

Built in cable -AC ............. 6% change in charge in 10 minutes

Charging cable -AC ............. 4% change in charge in 10 minutes

✔ Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone and Nexus 7 Tablet at the same time

--------------------------

Built in cable -AC ............. 5% change in charge in 10 minutes (Samsung Galaxy Nexus Phone)

Charging cable -AC ............. 4% change in charge in 10 minutes (Nexus 7 Tablet)

➨ Key finding:

------------------

This car charger worked very well. The phone worked best using the built-in cable and the tablet worked best using the charging cable. Since I did not expect the "best" port to be different between the two I re-run my tests several times and the results remained consistent.

I received this charger from the manufacture for testing and writing a review, be it positive or negative. I hope the numbers in my tests will help you compare different models as well as use this charger in the best configuration. Overall, I liked this charger and would recommend it.

Ali Julia review

Honest reviews on Steepower® 18W / 2.1A Dual-Port Car Charger with Built-in Apple

I received a review sample from the manufacturer and, frankly, expected another variation on a common car charger. How wrong I was.

Specs first: this charger has a fairly wide operating range of 10 to 16 volts DC for input and outputs 5 volts at 1 amp on the aux port and the cable (that is 1000 milliamps per the markings on the body). This easily charges my Samsung Galaxy Note II, which I connect to the cable and my friend's iPhone 4S (or her iPad when she brings it along) via the aux USB port. Each port outputs the 1000 mA, unlike some chargers that will split the output giving each device 500 mA. The micro USB end flawlessly inserts into my phone, which is something my previous charger did not. Indeed, the previous charger's micro USB plug has slightly distorted the phone's power port from poor tolerances.

Right out of the box the first thing I looked for was the weak link in every other changer I've owned: the nut that holds the spring loaded tip and fuse assembly in place. On others the nut covers the entire barrel of the portion that plugs into the lighter socket and typically has coarse threads that will inevitably back off. When that happens the fuse, tip and spring will fly in different directions and this has happened more than once. Not so this. That assembly is housed in a separate assembly that is screwed into the body. It's practically impossible to come loose on its own, but still makes it relatively easy to change the fuse if ever you need to do that.

The body of the device is solid and hefty. More importantly, it inserts and removes easily from my lighter socket, and the housing on the end for the second USB port is solid. In fact, the port is well designed and made because some ports even on computers and other devices require a little fumbling (and sometimes cursing) to insert the cable connector. This one does not exhibit that problem.

Finally the cable, probably the most important part of this charger, is

heavy-duty. In the past some of my chargers actually picked up my ignition system firing because of cheap cables and the fact that my car has a lot of radio frequency activity from the bluetooth connection to an FM retransmitter. This cable is ultra quiet and does not pick up external signals. If there is one complaint it's the cable is a tad too stiff. I have to exert a little more pull to extend it, but in the overall scheme of things that is a very minor complaint.

Bottom line: this charger is a keeper and I am betting that it will long outlast the others that I have used most of which fall apart of fail in some way after four to six months. This one is truly the Rolls-Royce of chargers.

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The Steepower® 12W / 2.1A Dual-Port Car Charger is ideal for the road warriors out there. This charger features one (1) USB charging port and one (1) USB coil cable featuring a Micro-B charger allowing you to charge up to 2 (two) devices simultaneously.

This charger appears of great quality and functions as it should. Individually, the coil cable and the separate USB charging port can provide up to 1A of power each. It's important to note the total maximum output is 2.1A. The charger features a dim blue circle indication light to let you know it is functioning properly. I find this light useful and the dull nature of the light helps to keep it from being too bright during nighttime driving.

The included and attached USB Micro-B cable is about 22" long and can stretch up to 6' in length. This is perfect for reaching the back seat to keep the kids games and gadgets powered during long car rides. It's also perfect to know you do not need to go looking for a spare cable to use with this charger and that it is always attached and available.

Over that last couple days of use, I have found the charger to work great with my Android phone, and have had no issues charging my Asus Nexus 7 at the same time. I have really grown to appreciate the permanently attached charging cable. The spare USB charging port allows me to charge my MP4 Player or GPS at the same time making it really versatile.

Overall, I think the Steepower® 12W / 2.1A Dual-Port Car Charger is a great charger, perfect for those who own devices that charge via Micro-B (most Amazon Kindle and Kindle Fire devices, most Android Devices, and so on). The additional USB charging port leaves room to share with passengers or whenever you need to charge two devices at once. This product is priced right and is a really good buy.

Disclosure: I received a sample product from the manufacturer for the purposes of providing this review. A review in exchange for the review sample was not promised. The views and opinions expressed in this review are my own, and in no way represent the views or opinions of the manufacturer or vendor.

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