We’ve all probably experienced a situation, on a daily basis for some, where you’re trying to find your charging cable and wall charger only to find that one of your family members or flat mate has borrowed it without your permission. It becomes really irritating to look for it and there are probably a hundred reasons why you need it right now.

Having a charging station is not only a game changer, it is also a life hack to help overcome the misconception that we will have charging available whenever we need it, which we take for granted way too often. Most of us would never think of ever using one and would just sucker up to try get it sorted which may delay many things that needs to be completed later.

By smartly placing a charging station where people gather, there’s no more hassle for sharing a charging cable or wall socket for your wall chargers. There’s no need to unplug your TV and appliances just to make an available wall outlet to charge one phone only. Usually charging stations are great to be placed near the dining room at home for charging everyone’s phone while having a meal or in the lounge by the corner while everyone’s surrounding the TV or having a social gathering. It serves as a great organizer which frees up lots of desk space and reduces the chances of your device slipping off the table and breaking or being stepped on.

How to pick out the right charging station for you?

Before you rush to buy a charging station, it is probably important to know that not all chargers deliver the same charging speeds. If you are not quite sure what kind of fast charging technology is supported by your mobile device, you will first want to find out what make your phone or tablet is to try and identify the type of charging technology it comes with. For reference, some common charging technology is Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0/3.0/4.0, Fast Charge, Dash Charge, Turbo Power, VOOC and Power delivery charging. For iPhone 6 (and newer) owners, your phone can actually charge faster than the free 5W (5V/1A) wall chargers which Apple provided. In addition there are also wireless charging technologies called Qi charging which also delivers different charging speeds. You can enjoy the convenience of picking up your phone to use and dropping it down to charge with just one hand and no cables, but this method of charging is slower than plugging a charging cable.

What if there is more than one charging technology?

Not all charging are made the same but a good rule of thumb is to find Smart IC chargers which supports up to 12W (5V/2.4A). These types of chargers will determine the greatest power to charge your device at outside the speeds of the previously mentioned charging technologies and this will still depend on how much voltage and current your phone’s battery will accept. Although it might not be as fast, it will still be the second fastest charging method after your phone’s own dedicated charging technology. But as mentioned before, if you’re an iPhone user with the previously mentioned models, your phone will charge quicker in general. For example an iPhone X charging from 0% to 85% could be almost an hour difference between the free 5W (5V/1A) wall chargers and an iPad wall charger which provides 10W (5V/2A) of power.

Don’t wait to make your life easier!

So now you’ll know how to go about picking the right charging station and you’ll have somewhere to charge whenever you need it at home or in the office. Having a charging station will not only save you time on charging, it will also provide convenience for large groups of people and is a great way to organize many mobile devices to make everyone’s lives easier. Less time Charging, More time Enjoying!

Related Article: Difference between Fast Charging, Quick Charge (QC) and USB Power Delivery (USB-PD)

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