Simicore Smart Charging Station Review

We purchased the Simicore Smart Charging Station so our expert reviewer could thoroughly test and assess it. Keep reading for our full product review.

The Simicore Smart Charging Station is a four-port charging station that allows you to charge up to four phones or tablets simultaneously. It includes slots for four devices, and the slots are spaced widely enough that they’re even capable of accommodating most oversized and ruggedized cases, including ones designed for small children. It also comes with two USB Lightning cables and two micro USB-Cables packed in the box.

There are a lot of charging stations and docks on the market, so we put the Simicore Smart Charging Station to the test around the office and at home, checking out things like how well it accommodates various devices, whether it can really charge four devices at once, and more.

Design: Basic design with some nice touches

The Simicore Smart Charging Station has an attractive aluminum-like finish, and clear dividers, giving it a modern look that fits well in a lot of home and office spaces. Each device slot features a rounded, rectangular non-slip strip to help hold phones and tablets in place. The dividers serve a dual purpose, both separating your devices and lighting up to show when a device is charging.

The back of the charging station features all four USB-A ports and the power cable input, so the charging station can easily be situated against a wall to keep the cables out of the way. The power switch is conveniently located on one site.

The bottom of the charging station features rubberized feet to help hold it in place when devices are placed and removed, although we found that it still slides around a little on smooth surfaces.

Setup Process: Plug it in, and it’s ready to go

The charging station isn’t ready to go right out of the box, but it’s pretty close. The setup process involves attaching the power cable, inserting the USB cables, plugging the unit into power, and turning it on. It even includes a small assortment of USB cables to get you started.

The one difficulty that may crop up during installation is that the included cables are limited to two Lightning cables and two micro USB cables. If you own any newer Android devices that use USB-C, or older devices that use mini USB, you’ll have to buy those cables before you can complete the setup process.

Ease of Use: Couldn’t be any easier

The Simicore Smart Charging Station works like any other charging dock, and there aren’t any wrinkles that create usability issues. The clear dividers make it exceptionally easy to see each device, even when it’s fully loaded. Each divider also lights up when the device behind it is charging, which provides an easy visual indicator that everything is working. It’s also helpful that it includes a power switch, so you don’t have to worry about unplugging it when it isn’t in use to reduce power usage.

Our only complaint is that the indicator lights only work when devices are powered on. If you plug in a device that’s powered off, the indicator light will shut off after a few seconds.

Charging Speed: Smart USB ports provide optimum amperage

The dock has four USB ports, and each port is capable of delivering between 1A and 2.4A, depending on the needs of the device that is plugged in. It’s also capable of putting out a total of 5V/6.8A across all four ports at once.

Those numbers mean that you can plug four devices into this dock at once, and they’ll all receive a charge. However, it isn’t capable of providing the full 2.4A to more than two devices at one time. If four devices are plugged in at once, they each have to share the total available 6.8A that the charger is capable of providing.

Chargers like this are often referred to as fast chargers because they’re capable of providing 2.4A to at least one device. Some devices are capable of charging very quickly when plugged into a charger that’s able to provide significantly more than 2.4A, and sometimes even more than the standard 5V that all other USB chargers use. This charger is not capable of that type of rapid charging.

Charging capacity: Slots and ports for four devices, but not enough juice for all

On the Simicore Smart Charging you get four slots, and four USB ports so you can charge up to four phones or tablets at once. You can also charge devices that won’t fit in the slots, like smartwatches and large 2-in-1 devices, but you can’t charge more than four at any one time.

As discussed in the previous section, the ability to charge four devices at once doesn’t mean it can charge all four at full speed. It just doesn’t have enough power to provide fast charging on all four ports at the same time. It does have enough juice to provide fast charging to two devices, or slower charging for four devices.

Price: Decent price and comes with free cables

The Simicore Smart Charging Station retails for about $20 to $30, which is more or less in line with other chargers in this category. It also comes with free USB cables, which is a nice touch at this price point. It’s an especially good option for anyone who uses Apple devices, as it includes two Lightning cables.

Competition: Some competitors provide more functionality

While the Simicore dock is priced competitively, there are other options that will make more sense for some consumers.

For example, the Dooreemee Charging Station includes five ports, an assortment of cables, and a Qi wireless charging pad. On the other hand, it has shorter dividers, and no lights to indicate when charging has completed, so the Simicore unit is still the better choice for any consumer who prefers those design elements.

Similar Products We've Reviewed:

• SIIG 90W Smart Charging Station
• Eco Bamboo Multi-Device Charging Station
• EasyAcc Multi-Device Organizer