Maximally charge two of your devices simultaneously using iClever SmartID technology
Whether you are in a dorm room, home office, or work office we all must play power outlet Tetris. When most breakers in a home are capable of 15A current, it does not make sense to limit oneself to a single 1A USB power brick. With so many of our devices requiring USB power, finding a multi-USB charging device is a must. The BoostCube charger arrived in a 4 1/8 inches wide by 3 7/8 inches tall by 2 1/4 inches thick retail package. The outer slipcover intelligently utilized white front/reverse panels and an attractive sea blue color for the top/bottom panels. The front panel provided a medium display of the black charger and the USB 3.1 A to USB C cable. As a consumer, I was neither pleased with the size nor clarity of this image. I felt that iClever missed out on a prime opportunity for their product. The Model IC-WQ22B QC 3.0 charger is capable of accepting 100-240V 50/60 Hz 0.9A input. The 3.7 oz charger has two USB-A output ports. The lower USB-A QC 3.0 port is capable of DC 3.6V-6.5V/3A, 6.5V-9V/2A, 9V-12V/1.5A and the upper Smart ID PORT will provide 5V/2.4A power. Removing the slipcover, you will find a plain cardboard box with iClever title/logo on the cover and the required technology symbols on the back. Within the packaging, you will find the 2 5/16 inches wide by 2 5/16 inches tall by 1 1/8 inches thick charger, a six-panel instruction manual and a 48 1/2 inches long USB A 3.0 to USB C cable. The cable conveniently has a grey velcro cable strap with an attractive white “iClever” logo.
The glossy black charger has a classy silver “iClever” logo and the iClever symbol on the left side of the device. The coloration was quite pleasing but the finish seemed to act as a magnet for fingerprints, skin oil and scuffs. The front of the device has 2 USB-A ports, a blue lower USB 3.0 and upper USB 2.0 output port. Flipping the charger onto its face, you will see the incredibly convenient retractable type A wall outlet plug. I was thankful that iClever made the prongs retractable as this improves the portability and packability of the device. However, I was not a fan of the fact that the prongs stuck up above the top of the charger. Placing this into a pocket or a mesh bag, the prongs will catch and snag. The bottom of the charger has the Model, input and output data imprinted upon the surface as well as the product symbols. The charger is made of 94V0 fireproof materials, capable of elevated temperatures. I was pleased that iClever chose these safety features (750C/1382F). The weight was perfect for portability, and the included USB 3.0 to USB C cable was unexpected. Some may wish that there was a bag/carry case for the wall charger/cable. However, I typically use a PCS™ Packing Cube Small | Maxpedition – MAXPEDITION inside of my carryon/luggage for my cables/chargers, which works perfectly for my travel needs.
The well-written instruction manual detailed the smartID tech. Each of the output ports will charge at the maximum speed of the device requesting the power. The maximum output for each port is up to 5V/2.4A and is protected by over-voltage protection, over-current protection, high-temperature protection (above 90C/194F). Using a Drok USB-C LCD multimeter, I wanted to test the output parameters of the charger. The USB ports were secure and allowed placement of the multimeter and a variety of USB cables. You can plug the charger into either the top or bottom wall port, which was yet another convenience of the device. With an iPad Mini 4 charging on the non-blue port and the USB multimeter plugged into the Blue USB 3.0 port, I plugged my iPhone X via Lightning to USB cable into the multimeter. I was able to generate 5V/1.5A while charging the iPad mini 4. I left this setup plugged into the wall for 10 minutes and found about 1% increase per 1.5 minutes. I swapped the ports and found the charging speed to be the same. I swapped devices and found the iPad to call for 5V/1.9A, but the test was essentially the same as for my iPhone X. The only piece of tech that I have currently that charges via USB C is my Nintendo switch. The multimeter would not accept USB A input and monitor USB C output, and thus I was not able to test the values. I was excited to have another way to charge my Nintendo Switch and as noted above, was impressed that the cable was included.
The dual USB output charger provided the needed power for my home/personal tech. The portability of the device, the retractability of the wall prongs, the QC 3.0/SmartID tech and the included 4-foot USB-A 3,0 to USB-C cable passed every test that I threw at it. I did not like that the prongs stuck up above the top of the charger, nor the pro-smudge finish of the charger. The lack of a carry case for the device/charger was not that big of a deal to me. Overall I would rate the charger at 4/5 stars. With all of my USB powered devices, I will not even consider a charger with less than two USB outputs. As an Apple Fan, I also cannot truly use the full output capabilities of the QC 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 tech.
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