I am always looking for a way to keep these devices organized as well as fully charged. The main issue with charging multiple devices in the same area is that you get a bunch of cables laying around and making the area look like a mess. In my mind, a charging dock should be able to charge one to multiple devices and make the whole process look clean and simple. When it comes to the Inateck 4-port USB charging station, this isn't quite the way it works out.
When you take the charging station out of its box, you will find the slot that is meant to hold your phone or tablet on top. The plastic feels rough and unpolished but not to the point that it might harm your device. Separate from the dock is a piece of plastic that slides into the top slot and is supposed to hold your phone or tablet more securely.
On the back of the Inateck charging dock, you will find a port that attaches to the included power adaptor which feeds power to the 4 USB ports. Additionally, there is a little LED light and the first of four USB ports. This USB slot is meant to provide power to whichever type of device you have sitting in the dock.
The front edge of the device is the home of the last three USB ports. These will be used to charge three additional devices that will end up laying somewhere near the charging dock. There is a total output of 36 watts which means that each USB port is outputting 2.4 amps. This will be able to give your devices a quicker charge than a typical AC power brick but not as fast as something that is Qualcomm Quick Charge certified.
From my usage with the charging dock, I never used the insert because it would hold every device I tested with it parallel to the table that the dock was sitting on. When you use the more unfinished slot by itself, your device will lean backwards at an angle that makes it easier to look and interact with your device's display. When you are using the insert, you won't be able to read incoming notifications or quickly interact with your phone or tablet.
The main issue I had with the Inateck charging station is that I just couldn't keep it looking neat. There is no cable management built into the charging dock to hide the USB cables so the entire setup ended up looking messy. Even if you wrap your cords up, you still get bunches of black and white cables taking up valuable space on your desk or workstation. While it didn't quite work for me as a charging station for my desk, it did work nicely on my counter where I would already have all of my devices charging at night. By having it mounted on my kitchen counter, I was then able to use the dock to hold my phone up while cooking or doing the dishes.
Buy the Inatek charging station from Amazon
For only $15, the Inateck 4-port USB charging station is great for charging multiple phones or tablets at once, so long as you're willing to still have a mess of cables for all of the devices.
