Develop Bugs

Review of Bolse 60W/12A 7-port usb wall charger w/lots of pics!!!

This is a review of Bolse 60W (12A) 7-port usb wall charger. http://mybolse.com/product/detail_B00L2SBZ80.html , available on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Desktop-Technology-Bluetooth-Speakers-Detachable/dp/B00L2SBZ80/
How many smartphones and tablets do you have in your family? A lot, right? How about wireless headphones or speakers, or maybe smartwatch, or activity bracelet, and so on. What does it all mean? You have all these devices requiring a usb charging port. If you are relying on the original single port wall charger that came bundled with your gadget, you will not have enough wall power outlets to cover each device. There is a number of multi-port charging solutions, but so far I haven't found anything in compact footprint and higher than 40W. Apparently Bolse realized that if you factor in all the latest devices that benefit from 2A fast charging and latest iDevices that require 2.4A, you will need more current to keep everybody charging happily at the same time. So they come up with a 7-port compact wall charger that's able to supply 12A of a combined current!!! Here is what I found.
Arrived in environmentally friendly packaging, it had plenty of details about the product as you flip the box around. The most notable details were compact size (approximately 4.3" x 2.6" x 1.2"), 12A of a combined current, and 7 ports featuring new SmartIC technology. This new SmartIC technology is based on a controller chip which detects and optimizes amount of current based on a device you are using. Each of the 7 ports of this charger have this SmartIC technology so you don't have to guess which port to use for your phone or your tablet or even your iPad. In addition to current detection to maximize the charging speed, each port also has over-heating, over-current, and short circuit protection. As a matter of fact, the top of this charger has perforated surface to allow a better cooling of the device. The wall charger itself connects to a power outlet through a provided 5ft cable, and there is also led indicating when charger is powered up.
During my testing I had no issues connecting multiple devices to this charger, and was able to monitor and to confirm all of them charging at their max speed where the only limitation was the usb cable. You should be aware that not every usb cable will be able to provide a maximum amount of current due to a thickness of the wires which play a limiting factor in charging speed. Also, the max combined current can't exceed 12A, so for example, you can't have 7x iPad w/Retina charging simultaneous at the max speed, or 7x Galaxy phones/tablets charging at 2A each at the same time. But still, a combination of 7 USB ports and 12A of shared current is more than enough for any household.
Overall, I was very impressed with a spec of this wall charger and wasn't disappointed with its actual performance. Being able to supply 12A of combined current, providing 7-ports for charging, and equipping each port with SmartIC technology, while being covered under 12-months warranty - definitely a great deal, now offered on Amazon for $35.99.
Here are the pictures.
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Great review, I was a bit cautious about buying one of these from Amazon or eBay as I have been 'stung' before by similar cheap Chinese products that fail quickly or are just plain dangerous. So now I intend to buy one based on your recommendation!
Your comment about the USB cables is interesting, I struggle to find a quality USB cable because there never seems to be a proper specification to them when ordering online. It seems to be common assumption that USB cables are all the same. Can you recommend any quality ones?

Usb cable recommendation is always a tough one because most of them are inconsistent in production quality. I used to love monoprice cables, but now you get one good out of two or three. It doesn't really matter if you spend more money since I've seen better performing $1 cables than some $6. Might as well get a bunch of cables and see which one gives you a faster charging speed. You can use something like I reviewed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2451375 - doesn't tell you the exact reading but rather a relative reading so you can compare to find the one with a faster charging speed.

That's been very helpful. Thanks very much for the info.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Review of UNU Ultrapack GO and TOUR external batteries w/lots of pics!!!

This is a Review of UNU Ultrapack GO and TOUR external portable batteries with Ultra-X fast-charging technology. http://www.myunu.com/products/ultrapak-fast-charging-batteries.html
Some of you may noticed that I'm no longer reviewing as many different external batteries. Unfortunately, there has been very little innovation in this sector of smartphone accessories. One of the new trends I have seen so far is the increase in external battery capacity to keep up with new power hungry big screen phones and tablets. As you increase the capacity you also increase the charging time for the battery itself where in some cases even overnight charging is not enough to get to 100% ready. Realizing this shortfall, UNU engineers decided to come up with a new line of Ultra-X fast charging batteries which I got a chance to review. Here is what I found.
Since both of these batteries have a very similar design and functionality with the only difference of capacity and a number of charging ports, I decided to combine review of GO (3,000 mAh) and TOUR (10,000 mAh) Ultrapack batteries together. Both arrived in a very similar packages, only scaled in size, with a clear message of 8x Faster charging rate. The package also has a lot of useful info about the benefits of using this battery, in terms of additional hours in extended functionality, but it's all relative to your use and I typically recommend taking it with a grain of salt. The most important thing you have to realize is that once you are away from a power source and need to recharge your phone battery - you now have a portable source on the go. Also, a total advertised capacity of the external battery is not what you are actually going to see because it's based on their internal 3.7V-3.8V voltage which needs to be converted through 5V usb interface where you will loose some of this capacity due to a typical 85%-90% conversion efficiency. Therefore, you need to choose the capacity of your external backup battery based on how long you are going to be away from the power source and how many times you will need to recharge your phone or tablet battery.
With this explanation out of the way, let's take a closer look at the design and special features of UNU Ultrapack batteries. The design of GO and TOUR is almost identical with a piano finish top/bottom surface and softer material sides for a better grip. Both of the batteries have a power button which turns on a hidden LCD screen with a charging capacity info and also turns on a built-in led flashlight (convenient when you are in the dark, like during a power outage). GO features a single USB charging port rated up to 2.1A and TOUR feature a double USB port rated at 1A and 2.1A for a combined output of 3.1A. Another port they share in common is DC input charging port. Unlike most of the other external batteries with micro-usb charging port and a typical 5V/1A charging speed, here you have 12V/2.5A charging port which enables a much faster charging speed of the battery. Just keep in mind, we are not talking about faster charging speed of your phone/tablet battery, but the actual external battery itself.
Faster charging speed, up to 8x faster, means you don't have to wait hours to charge up this battery before you can start using it. As a matter of fact, it has a rapid charging mode where in 15min you get 2,000 mAh of capacity from empty. This means if you are in the rush you can still get a charging capacity boost for this backup battery in only 15min. The only catch is that you have to use a bulky wall AC adapter. It's the only drawback which is a price to pay for a fast re-charging. Another fantastic feature is the built-in LCD screen which tells you exactly in % how much battery left and also tells you how long before battery is full when you charging it up. When not turned on, the display is fully hidden under the top surface. Also, charging mechanism has it's own current regulator to optimize charging speed of your smartphone/tablet. With a smaller capacity GO, I was only able to charge my Note 2 at 1.2A speed. With dual output TOUR, Note 2 was charging at a maximum speed while S5 connected to another port only had 1.3A of charging current not to exceed a combined 3.1A output. It didn't even matter which port I had my phones connected to, either 2.1A or 1A ports were able to charge at max speed individually and current draw was regulated when two phones were connected simultaneously.
Overall, I was very impressed with performance of both batteries and all the additional bonus features they had to offer. Fast charging speed and a detailed LCD screen functionality was a very useful new feature if you are willing to pay premium price for these batteries. I know there are a lot cheaper alternatives with a similar or higher capacity, but you really have to factor in all the additional design features Ultrapack brings to the table in order to have a true comparison. And even so I typically don't review smaller capacity batteries, if you want this Ultra-X fast charging technology and LCD info screen but don't want to drag around a large and heavier TOUR, GO is a perfect solution for that.
Here are the pictures.
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AUKEY Quick Charge 2.0 & 3.0 5 Ports Wall Charger - Review & Unboxing

AUKEY Quick Charge 2.0 & 3.0 5 Port USB Wall Charger
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Unboxing (QC 2.0 on the left, QC 3.0 on the right)
Luckily I had the oppurtunity to compare both devices, so you’ll see both variants.
Both versions come with an eco-friendly packaging and basic accessories: 1x Micro-USB Cable, 1x Power Plug (mine is an European Version), 1x User Manual, 1x Warranty Card and the Charger (of course).
As regards the Charger, it is made of Plastic, pretty solid but with glossy sides that can be scratched easily, handle it with care. No Chassis differences are there between the two versions, so it makes me think that the only difference is related to the internal motherboard.
There are 5 USB Ports available, and one of them supports Quick Charge (depending on the model you choose, it can be QC 2.0 or QC 3.0). The other USB ports supports Standard 5V output, just with another technology called “AIO” from AUKEY that works on the voltage depending on the attached device. It seems to work pretty fine, without voltage issues. Follow my next paragraph to know more.
As regards the size, this is probably the smaller Multi-Port Charger I have ever tried, super-compact.
Efficiency
All tests have been done using AUKEY’s Cables, in order to get maximum efficiency and to avoid any possible issue.
First of all, I have tested the “AIO” USB Ports using my USB Capacitor (1A/2A), and it is clearly noticeable that there are no issues at all. Stable Voltage.
In order to show you differences between the two Quick Charge versions, I want to show this image (found on the net) first.
So, as you can read, Quick Charge 3.0 uses Dynamic Voltage (starting from 3.2v up to 20v), while Quick Charge 2.0 uses 3 Voltage Steps (5v-9v-12v).
Let’s start with the Quick Charge 3.0 variant, as soon as I have plugged my QC 3.0 power bank, the charger reduced its voltage from 5v to 3.3v, then it gradually increased. At 5V it was able to handle more than 3.5A! That’s even higher than Official Quick Charge spec.
After a while, the voltage increased again, now to 7.24v with 2A load more or less. And so on, up to 12V.
With the Quick Charge 2.0 variant, as soon as I have plugged the power bank, the voltage increased from 5V to 9V, but just for a little while, then it instantly increased to 12V with more or less 1.8A load.
The difference is clearly noticeable, and it is also clear that QC 3.0 version is much more advanced than the previous version. This doesn’t mean that QC 2.0 isn’t good, but it is just different and less efficient.
Conclusions
As always AUKEY accessories are quality-made, efficient and cheap enough. It’s a pity that they choose to use a glossy surface on the sides, but there are no other negative aspects.
So...do I recommend it? If you need to charge multiple devices, and if you have a Quick Charge device, then...Yes. Be careful to choose the right variant depending on your device’s CPU, or just go for the Quick Charge 3.0 variant to avoid mistakes and to be futureproof.
Pros:
- Qualcomm Quick Charge Support
- Compact and Solid
Cons:
- No Power LED
- Useless Glossy Sides
Rating: 8.5
Packaging and Accessories: 7.5
Design and Materials: 8.5
Performance and Efficiency: 9.5
Price: 8.5 (based on Amazon price)
QC 2.0 (PA-T1) Product page: http://www.aukey.com/product/PA-T1
QC 3.0 (PA-T15) Product page: http://www.aukey.com/product/PA-T15
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/AdU4Y​

I bought the 3.0 version and it's great. It's constantly plugged in, charges all my usb devices (garmin forerunner, lezyne bike led light, smartphone etc) and it doesn't get hot.
Plus it's ready when I replace my phone for something with qualcomm quick charge
Great little charger for a very reasonable price.

PA-T15 Port failed
Hi All, bought one of these though Zapals one of the 5 ports failed 2 weeks after i started using it.
Came complete with AUKEY warranty card in original unopened packaging. Went to AUKEY website for warranty and found out they only provide warranty on items purchased direct from them or through Amazon.
Zapals has a 6 month warranty only and you have to ship the lot back at your expense for them to consider that. I am anm overseas customer so its a cost, inconvenience and disappointment.
Poor service by Aukey i would say.

AUKEY 20000mAh Power Bank with Lightning Input - Review & Unboxing

AUKEY 20000mAh Power Bank with Lightning Input
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Unboxing
The Power Bank comes with an eco-friendly packaging and basic accessories: 1x Micro-USB Cable, 1x User Manual, 1x Warranty Card and the Power Bank (of course).
Its chassis is made of Plastic, pretty solid and it reminds a sort of Modular design (it isn’t modular though).
On the front, there is a Power Button with a LED, used to check the battery level.
It is pretty smart, as you can see from this image.
There are 2 USB ports available, with 5V/2.4A output, featuring the usual technology called “AIO” from AUKEY that works on the voltage depending on the attached device. Follow my next paragraph to know more. There are two types of USB inputs: Micro-USB & Lightning.
Together with the USB ports, there is also an useful (even if not extremely powerful) Flashlight that can be turned on by long-pressing the Power Button.
As regards the size, being a 20000mAh battery, it is bit bulky and heavy, but it is rare to find something smaller with the same capacity.
Efficiency
All tests have been done using AUKEY’s Cables, in order to get maximum efficiency and to avoid any possible issue.
I have tested the “AIO” USB Ports using my USB Capacitor (1A/2A), and the voltage seems to get a bit too much low on high-load. Unfortunately this is a common issue (well, it isn’t a real issue, but a limit), so you can’t expect the same voltage that you get using a standard AC charger.
I have measured its capacity using my USB Tester, and sincerely it disappointed me a bit because real capacity is considerably lower than declared. (20000mAh vs 16664mAh)
While charging, it reached just 37°C, the coolest power bank I ever tried.
Conclusions
Well...its hard to express an opinion about this power bank. It is solid, smart, but it isn’t perfect. Battery Capacity doesn’t match declared value (at least on mine) and there is no Quick Charge support, but it has a Flashlight and a Lightning input for Apple users.
So...do I recommend it? If you are an Apple user, and if you don’t mind about Quick Charge, then Yes, otherwise just go for something else, such as the smaller (16000mAh) variant with Quick Charge or other brands.
Pros:
- Flashlight
- Lightning Input
- Solid
- Smart Power LED
Cons:
- Real Battery Capacity is lower than Declared
- No Quick Charge support
Rating: 8.3
Packaging and Accessories: 7.5
Design and Materials: 9
Performance and Efficiency: 8
Price: 9 (based on Amazon price)
Official Product page: http://www.aukey.com/product/PB-N36
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/v800H​

Cons:
- Real Battery Capacity is lower than Declared
- No Quick Charge support
You did not consider the DC/CD conversion ratio and efficiency. The manufacturer states that the power bank has 20000mAh capacity @ 3.7V nominal battery voltage.
That's 74Wh. It's written on the case.
You discharged 16664 mAh while the output voltage was 4.85V. That's 80.82 Wh. Already higher than 74Wh.
But the DC/DC conversion efficiency is lower than 100%. It should be somewhere 85% and 90% since Aukey is using very well built synchronous converters.
So the real energy pool of the power bank is somewhere between 89.8 Wh and 95.1 Wh before the conversion.
At the nominal 3.7V battery voltage that's between 24270 and 25700 mAh.
Which means that in fact You got a much better battery than specified.
Quick charge is supported in PB-T5 ( QC 2.0 ) PB-T10 ( QC 3.0 ). These are the same power banks but equipped with quick charge ports.
Dont't expect quick charge when You purchase the only model from 3 similar which is intentionally not quick charge capable.

Thanks, good review.

AllMaybe 6-Port 12A Desktop Charging Station - Review & Unboxing

AllMaybe 6-Port 12A Desktop Charging Station
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Unboxing
This accessory comes with an standard packaging (not eco-friendly unfortunately) and some accessories: 1x Protective Pouch (nice quality), 1x Power Plug (mine is an European Version), 1x User Manual, 1x User Satisfaction Card, 1x Warranty Card and the Charger (of course).
As regards the Charging Station, it is made of Plastic, entirely covered with a rubber-coating, a bit fingerprint unfriendly but it guarantees an excellent grip on the Desk.
On the front, there is an useful Power LED (Blue) that could be pretty useful if you need to find the charger in a dark room or just to know if it has been plugged properly to the power socket. Just like another Charging Station i have reviewed, its color doesn’t seem to change, so it is just a standard Power LED.
Being a Charging Station, it couldn’t have had few USB Ports. There are 6 USB ports available that support Standard 5V output (2.4A max each, but also more, check my next paragraphs to know more), i don't know what the "IM" word means though. (some other technology name made by AllMaybe, maybe)
As regards the size, it isn't super compact, a bit thick compared to others, nothing serious to complain about though.
Efficiency
As always, all my tests are made using high-quality cables (with 20AWG or 22AWG power lines) in order to get the best results. AllMaybe doesn't provide any USB Cable, neither they produce them as far as i know, so i had to go with other brands cables.
On idle, the voltage is just fine: 5.17V. Increasing the current to 1A, it decreases to 5.09V.
Let's start with the real stress test, with 2A of Load the voltage decreases to 5.03V, and with more than 3A of Load (over-specs, do not do this frequently or for long-period usage otherwise you risk to fry the USB Port) it decreases to 5.00V. Great Results!
Something i noticed is a slight buzzing noise coming from the charger on idle, it isn't annoying, but if you place your ear on the charger it is noticeable.
Conclusions
Well, this is the first charger i review from AllMaybe, a brand that was completely unknown to me, available officially on Amazon.com only (excluding other chinese e-shops). What to say, there are lots of Desktop Charger available on the Market currently, some of them with Qualcomm Quick Charge support, others with a different number of USB ports, etc. so can this one be considered too? My reply is: so and so.
I am not saying that this isn't a good charger, it is powerful (see my risky stress test i made) and solid, but it lacks something that, i think, everyone would have expected.
Nowadays Type-C ports and Quick Charge devices are becoming the new standards so the release of a standard 5V charger may be a bit risky. If you are looking for a powerful standard USB charger with lots of USB Ports, i can definitely recommend it, if you need QC Support or anything else, this isn't for you.
Pros:
- Lots of USB Ports
- Powerful
- Rocking Stable Voltage Regulation
- Power LED
Cons:
- No Quick Charge
- No Type-C Ports
- No USB Cables included
- Slightly noisy on Idle
Rating: 8.3
Packaging and Accessories: 7
Design and Materials: 9
Performance and Efficiency: 9
Price: 8 (based on Amazon price)
Official Facebook page (no website available): https://www.facebook.com/Allmaybe-434309326762638/
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/jXUc4​

Hi Alberto,
Thanks for your unbiased and honest review. We really appreciate your help and your advice on our product. Yes, we totally agree that a standard charger can not best meet people's need nowadays, so we are developing two QC3.0 chargers at present. They are expected to be available in April. Please keep tuned.
It's true that the charger is not amazing for its size or appearance. It has no advantages in these, but I hope you will love it more and more since you will find it quite durable and long-lasting. Performance is quite good too.
Meanwhile, please allow me to specify some concerns in your review. IM means "Intelligent Management" the same technology as Power IQ of Anker or Aipower of Aukey. Your guess is right.
We have an official website www.allmaybe.com.
This charger is officially available on both Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. Also, it can be found on ebay and aliexpress. We have our official stores on these platforms at present.
Thanks again for your time and help.
Regards,
Allmaybe