You’ve got a USB charger, but what is your smartphone or other gadget REALLY doing with that power? The Allreli LCD Dual USB Charger gives you a glimpse under the hood with a handy display that shows current and voltage.
In the box you get the dual USB charger, four prong adapters, and a set of instructions.
Something that bothered me a little was the prominent misspelling of “Digital”…
…and the label “Thunder USB Charger” with four USB power ports. Nowhere on the product is this referred to as the Thunder USB Charger, and it most certainly does not have four USB ports. If I had to guess, the markings were recycled from a different product.
Attaching the power plug is pretty straightforward. I noticed a spring-loaded release button where my thumb is. Nice touch!
Each USB port is listed at 2.4A each. AC input is listed at 100-240V (50 or 60Hz) making it suitable for international travel.
Size comparison: Apple 1A charger on top
Here you can clearly see there are two USB ports (not four).
Once you plug it in the power/mains outlet, the LCD display comes to life. It’s a backlit inverse LCD (dark background, light lettering). In this photo, no USB devices are plugged in. The LCD turns off after a few moments if there’s no load attached.
It’s not obvious by looking, but the USB ports are oriented so the label side is down, or pointed towards the LCD display end.
I’ve plugged in two devices for charging. The top USB shows 0.19A draw, and 0.26A for the bottom.
I was a little curious to see what kind of difference I’d see in current readings, so I plugged in a USB voltage/current tester in line with a device being charged under USB.
In this example, the Portapow USB tester reads 5.14V at 0.62A. The Allreli charger reads 5.0V at 0.69A. Not exactly the same, but I’m not surprised. I don’t know what kind of inaccuracies or variances there are between the two. There are bound to be some.
Despite the sloppy exterior box labeling, I found the Allreli LCD Dual USB Charger to be pretty neat. This is the first USB charger I’ve tested to incorporate an LCD display of this kind. I’d like to see more manufacturers do this as well.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Allreli. Please visit their site for more info or Amazon to buy one.
