Review: AUKEY 10 USB port QuickCharge 3.0 charger

I’ve used a lot of device chargers, from included wall chargers to portable powerbanks to multi-device chargers. However, never before had I used a 10 port charger! AUKEY have taken multi-device charging to a whole new level with their 10 port USB dual QuickCharge 3.0 mains charger.

Features

• 10 USB ports
• Mains powered
• 70W charging capacity
• 2 x QuickCharge 3.0 USB ports
• 8 x 2.4A adaptive ports (INOV Technology – Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage)

Design

Although relatively simple, the AUKEY 10 port charger stands out amongst the crowd to me. At just over 10oz (just over 283g), 1.09″ thickness, 3.15″ width x 6.65″ height – this charger has a bit of heft to it despite the fact it’s only made out of plastic. Regardless of this, the main body of the charger feels rather premium – more than likely due to the clean matte finish. There are 4 rubber pads on the bottom to prevent the charger slipping around your desk when you’re plugging in/unplugging cables.

All 10 USB ports are type A, but the standard and QuickCharge ports are distinguished by colour. The first 8 ports are the 2.4A adaptive charging ports and are all coloured bluey-green (almost teal). The bottom 2 ports are the QuickCharge 3.0 ports and are coloured orange. It’s worth noting that AUKEY include a silicone cap for each USB port (coloured the same as the port), to prevent dust/water entering the USB ports when they’re not being used – which I, personally, think also improves the aesthetic.

The mains cable is of the C7 type, which some refer to as a “figure of 8” or “2-pin mains” cable. Next to where the cable plugs in to the body of the charger is an On/Off switch and a small (but bright) green light next to the AUKEY logo on the top face of the charger to show whether it’s on or off.

Performance

The charger performed exactly as expected. I originally purchased this device for work, as I was preparing 200+ smart devices (Samsung Galaxy Note 4‘s and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge‘s) for roll out to guys in the field. Part of the process requires the phone to be at 100% charge and, as I’m sure you’re aware, there are only so many plugs one can borrow to charge a phone!

All 8 ports ran at the full 2.4A output consistently, while the QuickCharge 3.0 did fast charge the devices. It’s worth noting that the Note 4’s are also only QuickCharge 2.0, but the ports were fully backwards compatible and did register as fast charging (finishing noticeably quicker than the other 8 devices).

What would I change?

There’s one thing I’d change to the design of this device, and that’s the inclusion of holes in the back to allow the device to be wall-mounted. The device can only be sat on a desk and results in a LOT of spaghetti cables running everywhere. It also means that without long cables, only one person can utilise the charger (the person with it on their desk).

We came up with a “ghetto repair” solution for this – using Blu-Tack/strong Velcro to mount this to the side of joint desks.

Summary

So, who is this device for? In reality, everyone! If you look at how many devices the typical person/family has these days, this single charger can more than likely accomodate most if not all of them at once.

From big, power hungry tablets such as an iPad – to Xbox controllers – to the entire households smartphones.

If you think about it, it can negate the need for everyone to bring every type of charger on holiday with them. As long as you have the right cable (USB A to lightning/micro USB/USB C/mini USB), you can charge everyone’s device with no problems, as well as the camera to make sure you’re capturing all of those memories!!! At £24.99 (the price at the time of writing this post), each port costs you less than £2.50! AUKEY even sell 5 x micro USB cables for £2.99 (less than £0.60 per cable!). I’ve not looked extensively, but I’ve never found a full, reputable, safe charger for a single device that negotiates the correct power output for that device, for less than £3.10 ($3.77)…

Useful links

AUKEY website: http://aukey.com.sg/

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/AUKEY-Quick-Charge-charger-iPhone/dp/B01GZTEBPY/

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Charger-Quick-Charge-Smartphones/dp/B01FJ7HURO/