Affordable USB car chargers
HELP YOUR DEVICES REACH THEIR DESTINATION WITH THESE CHEAP AND CHEERFUL IN-CAR CHARGERS.
NOTHING IS WORSE than hitting the road, only to realise your phone as a GPS won’t make it to your destination before running out of juice. Car chargers are a great way to keep your devices topped up when on the go, but are easy to lose and break. There are plenty of wizz-bang models for $50 and up with all sorts of features, but what about just the el-cheapo chargers? It’s possible to buy them for as little as $1 (including delivery!) from eBay — which is ridiculously cheap. But then, when you’re plugging in an expensive device such as a smartphone, it makes no sense to risk a dodgy charger, even if the chances of damage are very low. Here in Australia, reasonable-quality single-port chargers from known larger brands start from about $15 at most retailers. Better models with more USB ports, higher charging current and can be found for under $30, so we’ve put 10 of the most affordable to the test.
Rock USB Car Charger FOR ALL YOUR DEVICES.
AIMED AT TECH lovers, the Rock charger has three USB ports, and a total output of 6.3A. That’s shared across the ports in a specific way — you can draw up to 2.4A from two ports, and the remaining port will get 1.5A.
In testing, the charger was happy to perform under load, and the third port actually gave a little extra, at 1.7A. It doesn’t matter which ports you plug into, but plug whatever device you are happy to charge slowest in last.
The charger itself is quite well built, with a combination of aluminium and plastic. The three ports squeezed into a wider than usual but still compact array 3.8cm across — small enough for most sockets. The charger will run on 12V or 24V, and has an indicator to show its getting power.
No cable is included, but that’s expected at this price point. The Rock charger can be a little hard to buy, but can be found for under $25 online — don’t forget to check eBay.
Belkin MIXIT Metallic Car Charger FOR WHEN QUALITY MATTERS.
WHILE BELKIN HAS some cheaper car chargers (such as the similar $25 BOOST UP), the MIXIT really stands out. The $30 charger is clad in a metallic finish body, and available in a range of classy colours — black and white, as well as silver, grey, gold and rose gold. In the MIXIT range, you can also get battery banks, wall chargers and cables in the same colours for a coordinated look.
The unit has a single USB port that can output up to 2.4A, for faster charging of smartphones and tablets. In testing, it happily outputted the rated current and has a very slim form factor. The charger does not include a USB cable, but Belkin has a great (if on the pricier side) range available. While there are cheaper charges that are more capable, Belkin has something the others don’t — a connected equipment warranty. In other words, peace of mind that the charger won’t damage your device, or it does, Belkin will cover up to $2,500 to make it right.
Comsol 2 Port Car Charger AVAILABLE IN BLACK OR WHITE.
THOSE PURSUING USB car chargers at Officeworks will notice a very large range of Comsol-branded devices. Sitting around the middle is the $26.88 Comsol 2 Port charger, which has a total power rating of 3.4A (17W), but max 2.4A per port.
During testing, the charger happily outputted 2.4A, or the full 3.4A across both ports. The Comsol unit is made from tough plastic, with a flared end that makes removal easy. It’s still compact enough to fit in accessory ports without much extra room, and measures in at 7.2cm deep, 2.8cm wide and 2.9cm high. The charger includes an indicator light, can accept 12–24V inputs, and as is usual, does not include a cable.
For $7 less there is a single port 2.4A version, while paying $3 more ($29.88) gets a charger with the same power rating, but with a Type-C port instead of one normal USB port. The same price also gets a 4.8A (24W) rated model with a single USB port, and a built-in Micro USB cable.
Comsol 3 Port USB Car Charger AVAILABLE IN BLACK, OR BLACK.
TWO-PORT USB CAR chargers might cut it for some, but we tech-obsessed people can always do with more. The Comsol 3 Port charger is available from Officeworks and will set you back $29.88. While chunkier than lesser chargers, the three-port model is still pretty slim and should work fine in all but the most cramped accessory sockets.
The charger offers a total of 4.8A (24W) output, but that is spread across the three ports, with a max of 2.4A on each. It happily outputs the rated wattage, though, and handily can be plugged into both 12V and 24V accessory sockets. It’s made of plastic, but feels quite solid, and has a LED indicator so you know it is plugged in properly.
Like most affordable car chargers, it does not include any USB cables. The charger measures in at 7.1cm deep, 2.5cm wide and 3.3cm vertically, and is backed by a one-year warranty. Even better, for just $5 more, you can upgrade to a Quick Charge 3.0 rated version.