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List Price: $19.99
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I give it five stars because it is a good unit that does exactly what it claims to do in its packaging, and as written on its sides.
Since the product page is capable of showing four different devices, I wanted to be crystal clear about the fact that I'm writing about all four devices, here.
I'm not shown as a verified purchaser, here, because I am very familiar with all four of these devices by other means. They're all excellent! However, the amperage is misleading. It's not 3.6 amps at 5 volts and 18 watts out of either USB port; in other words, if only one device were plugged-in to it, said device would not have the entire 3.6 amps available to it. If you enlarge the photos of the devices (or use the little hover-over magnifier thingy on the product page), you can see that it says, on the side of at least the 120VAC wall outlet device...
OUTPUT: APPLE 2.1 A, ANDROID 1.5A
...and then next to the ports there are pointers to which port is which, Apple vs Android. So it's telling us that the "Apple" port is limited to outputting 2.1 amps, and the "Android" port is limited to outputting 1.5 amps.
Though the limit-per-port is not made clear on the other three car-charger devices, their ports are nevertheless also labeled "Apple" and "Android," and the same port limits for each exist even on the car-chargers.
However, even an Android device, if plugged-in to the "Apple 2.1A" jack will get 2.1 amps, and vice versa. And so even owners of such as the "phablet" Samsung Galaxy Note II, like I have, which requires a 2 amp charge in order to recharge at full speed, can use this device. In fact, it's absolutly perfect for my wife and my phones... hers is a Samsung Exhilarate which requires about an amp to recharge at full speed; and so I can plug my Note II into the 2.1 amp Apple port, and she can plug her Exhilarate into the 1.5 amp Android port, and both devices get the same maximum-required-for-full-speed-charge amperage as if they were using the chargers that shipped with them (that is, assuming we're using USB cables capable of carrying up to 2.1 amps... which, of course, we are).
So, then, in the end, everything works out; but just make sure you understand how the amperage is allocated so you don't think that you'll get access to 3.6 amps if you plug your big tablet (which needs, let's say, 2.5 amps, minimum, in order to charge at normal speed), alone, into the device.
And remember that when I say "available to it," I mean exactly that: available to it, not how much current it was actually drawing. If a device is rated at needing 2 amps in order to fully charge at full speed, then that's all it will draw (assuming its USB cable can handle that kind of load), no matter how many amps are "available to it." So, in other words, a phone or tablet needing 2.1 amps current in order to fully charge at full speed will not draw 3.6 amps, and charge even faster, if that larger amperage is made available to it. That's not how these sorts of things work. Unlike voltage, amperage is a "pull" or "draw" sort of thing; a device pulls only what it needs (or is rated at), no matter what's available to it. Voltage, on the other hand... er... well... wait a minute... now I'm starting to get into a lecture about Ohm's Law. Just trust that I know what I'm talking about, here.
So, BOTTOM LINE...
All four of these devices -the one for the 120VAC wall outlet, and the three for the 12VDC car cigarette lighter sockets -are all capable of delivering up to 3.6 amps of current.
If two devices requiring 2.1 amps each are simultaneously plugged-in to both ports, then the one plugged-in to the 1.5 amp port will be limited to only 1.5 amps of current, and so will charge a little slower than if it were using its native 2.1 amp charger. On the other hand, if two devices requiring only 1.2 amps of current, each, are simultaneously plugged-in to both ports, then they will each draw only 1.2 amps of current, even though they both have more amperage available to them.
All four divices will, in any case, not burn-up or "blow," like a fuse, if phones or tablets requiring more amperage than the chargers' ports can provide are plugged-in to them. Rather, each charger's port will provide the maximum that it can, up to whatever is the port's limit, and that's the simple end of it. However slow or fast the phone or tablet charges, as a result, will simply depend on the circumstances. There's all kinds of safety, in any case, built-in to these devices... fear not.
Do ensure, though, that whatever USB cable you use is intended for use in charging as well as data transfer; and is also capable of carrying whatever amperage your device requires. To play it the safest, simply ensure that the USB data/charging cable you use is rated at up to 2.5 amps for charging purposes. That rating will easily handle the needs of pretty much any smartphone or tablet of pretty much any make or model out there. Only a much larger tablet might (and I stress that word) require more than 2.5 -in fact, more than only 2.1, truth be known -amps at 5 volts. USB cables rated at only 2.1 amps are probably more than adequate for pretty much any and all phone/tablet charging purposes. Beyond that, so that they may also be used for data transfer, simply make sure that they have enough wires in them, routed to the appropriate pins, to be data transfer cables, as well. Most USB cables used with smartphones and tablets are intended for both data transfer and charging; however, not all of them are capable of handling up to 2.1 amps... so that's usually the only part you have to double-check. However, if you're anally-retentive, like me, you check all aspects of the cable to eliminate all possibility of problems. But, hey... that's just me.
Hope that helps!
Gregg L. DesElms
Napa, California USA
gregg at greggdeselms dot com
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I call this a companion piece because you may want to pick it up to charge an Anker Astro E5. The Anker E5 description tells you that to charge the device faster you will need to use a 5V / 1.5A adapter. They do not tell you that it requires a USB charging port. The Anker® 18W / 3.6A Wall Charger is NOT EVEN mentioned as a nice addition to the battery back up. (Strange indeed) After some research, I purchased the wall charger based only on the fact that they are made by the same company and I figure they were designed to go together. The device is sturdy, well made, and heavier than I thought it would be. The main problem is that the MICOSCOPIC lettering on the sides is also very close in color to the housing (silver on white) making it twice as hard to see which USB port is designed for Apple and which is for Android. You may just take a marker and write on the appropriate side. As far as I can tell it only comes in white which does not coordinate with the black unit.
Best Deals for Anker® 18W /3.6A Dual-Port Wall Charger for iPhone 5S, 5C, 5, 4S
The 18W 2-port charger and its performance was superb. I usually carry this charger in my backpack to work because of its portability and size. Love how this charger free up space on my power strip. But if you're a gadget junkie, the 25W Anker 5-port charger is the one for you. So far, I've only tried charging an iPhone 5, iPad (3rd Gen), an iPod Touch, and a bluetooth headset. I left them charging overnight and it was flawless. Charging is much faster with this product compared to charging my iPhone and iPad Mini utilizing Apple's 5W power adapter. Tis perfect for a quick charge! Overall, craftmanship is the best and I recommend this product as a must-have for every home or just stuff one into your backpack/luggage for travel use (it's multi-voltage so you can use it anywhere in the world). I'm buying more to give out as gifts.
Honest reviews on Anker® 18W /3.6A Dual-Port Wall Charger for iPhone 5S, 5C, 5, 4S
Piece of junk. Both ports stopped working after 8 hours of use. Don't waste your time. Very disappointing and frustrating.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Anker® 18W /3.6A Dual-Port Wall Charger for iPhone 5S, 5C, 5, 4S
I purchased this charger after reviewing many. Seemed like a solid product. Received it yesterday and it worked just fine.... for 2 hours! After that, non-functional! Neither port worked. Tried a different outlet, made sure the outlets were working, etc. Nope. Nothing. So, I hope this is a fluke and not representative of the quality of the product. I am on the fence whether to replace it with the same thing or go another direction.
Update:
I contacted the manufacturer @ the email provided in the product packaging as an after-thought after I had already put the product in the mail to return it to Amazon. I received a phone call the next day with apologies for my defective unit and they sent me a new unit which I received within a day or two. As of this writing, so far, no problems. I was very impressed with their customer service and prompt response, as well as their effort to make it right. I am assuming, as with all things, there are occasionally "lemons" out there. Apparently my first unit fell into this category. Considering their quick response to make things right, I am revising my initial review.
2nd Update:
Well, I received the replacement unit. Worked fine for a day. Then I started getting an error message "charging is not supported with this accessory" on my iphone when it had finished charging. Double checked to make sure I had it plugged in the correct port (yes). Even tried plugging it in to the other port same message. I contacted the company to let them know. They did offer to send me yet another replacement, but I have declined. Will look for something more reliable.
