These days, more and more devices are including USB charging as an option, if not ditching wall plugs altogether. Since not everyone has a desktop PC loaded with USB ports that always sits in the same place, it would nice to find a way to set up a charging station for all of your toys.
Inateck's 4-port desktop charging dock does just that. It creates a central location for you to juice up your electronics, be it a smartphone, power pack, fitness device, headphones, or even a tablet.
The Inateck charging dock is a standalone USB charger that plugs directly into the wall. The 9.5cm square base has four USB ports, three in the front and one in the back. Each port is 5V/2.4A, and the entire dock puts out a maximum of 36 watts.
There is also a 12mm slot in the top of the dock so you can stand up a phone or tablet for it to charge. The 7mm insert closes the gap to make it a better fit for slimmer devices.
The Good
Inateck's USB charger is well designed. Four USB ports seems to be reasonable for most situations. It will work nicely as a central charging hub for your average family's phones, or fit a handful of a gadget junkie's favorite gizmos.
The tablet/phone slot reduces the overall footprint and keeps larger devices out of the way by standing them vertically, rather on flat on the table or counter.
The rear USB port is perfect to accommodate your tablet while leaving the front of the dock open for devices that you plug in and unplug more often.
I didn't do any scientific tests with how fast things charge on the dock, but the power output seemed more than adequate. I hooked up three 18000mAh battery packs with varying charge levels to it, and all three were at full within a few hours, maybe sooner.
So with design and performance both given thumbs up, the only remaining factor is the price. Inateck's dock sells for $14.99, which is a great bang for the buck.
The Not-so-good
The only disadvantage I can see from using this dock is that if you are charging up multiple devices at once, then the cable situation can get unruly pretty quickly. However, this is in no way Inateck's fault it is just the way of the electronic world.
Until we fully transition to wireless charging for our devices, we will always have to wrangle our wires. I found that using some twist ties or cable wraps reined in the mess enough for me to be happy.
Conclusion
The Inateck 4-port desktop charging dock accomplishes everything it sets out to do. It is a single place for all of your portable electronics to charge.
At the end of the day, it comes down to whether or not this is something you think you will use. If you are simply a phone user and do not have other peripherals, then you can probably get away with just using the charging cable that came with it.
However, if you are like me and have a smartphone, small tablet, Fitbit, etc., then it is helpful to have all of your devices in one place.
And at just under fifteen bucks, the Inateck desktop charger is a wallet-friendly solution. You can order it directly from Inateck on Amazon for $14.99 with free Prime shipping.
Buy the Inateck 4-port USB Charging Dock on Amazon.com ($14.99)
