Desktop chargers aren’t just useful in the home either, they’re also great for taking on holiday and prevent us having to carry multiple power adaptors in our suitcases. This Zendure works with any 100V-240V AC input, and is supplied with a UK three-pin plug. Also see: Best power banks 2015. Zendure’s 5-Port Desktop Charger stands out among a sea of devices that in essence do the same thing in two ways: it’s very compact, just 97x60x27mm and 166g; and it builds in Zen+ technology, which it uses to intelligently recognise each plugged-in device and then deliver an optimal amount of power for charging. It’s a well-built rectangular device with rounded edges and encased in glossy black or white plastic. A silver band with Zendure logo wraps around the desktop charger’s body, while you’ll find an AC input on top and five fast-charging USB ports and a power indicator at the bottom. We’ve seen desktop chargers that cost less and are only slightly larger that offer six USB ports, though, such as the iClever 6-Port USB Travel Wall Charger. When you’re choosing a desktop charger you should take into account not only how many ports it offers and how much power each delivers, but also how many of those ports it can support at once. In the case of the iClever there are six 12W USB outputs, but the device can support only 50W output. This means that not all six ports can simultaneously offer 12W charging. With six devices attached, and each looking to draw maximum power, the iClever can offer each only 8.3W. The Zendure has a max output of 40W, so to the untrained eye it immediately looks inferior. By offering 40W to five ports it is able to deliver 8W to each, which is still faster than the 5W output of many smartphone chargers, and not far enough behind the iClever for you to notice a difference. Also see how you could be charging your smartphone or tablet faster today. For both desktop chargers this is where intelligent charging technology comes in (SmartID for the iClever, and Zen+ for the Zendure). Not all devices require the full 12W, so by giving each device exactly what it wants more power is free for other phones, tablets, MP3 players, cameras, smartwatches, fitness trackers and the like. Zendure’s 5-Port Turbo Desktop Charger builds in protection for over-voltage, over-current, leakage and short circuit, and it comes with a 12-month warranty. Follow Marie Brewis on Twitter. Marie is Editor in Chief of Tech Advisor and Macworld. A Journalism graduate from the London College of Printing, she’s worked in tech media for more than 17 years, managing our English language, French and Spanish consumer editorial teams and leading on content strategy through Foundry’s transition from print, to digital, to online - and beyond.
