iDsonix USB Charging hub
Idsonx has sent what is possibly the most unique usb charger I have tested to date, it literally has it all, charging, a hub, usb 3.0 functionality and a card reader all in a package roughly the same size as a can of soda(a bit wider and shorter) overall we have 6 usb 3.0 ports, two BC 1.2 capable and a TF(microSD) SD combo reader capable of UHS-I read speeds. For many users this is quite simply everything they need, a reader for their phone or camera some ports for a keyboard and mouse and the odd flash drive and a way to charge their phone, the only step above this is the full docking stations with video out.
Starting with design everything is well laid out although moving some of the ports to the back side would have allowed for better cable management in some instances while reducing the overall size of the unit, the SD card slots are located on the top and easy to use although they are of the push in pull out variety as opposed to the push to spring out type, there’s not wrong with this design although I do prefer when a card sits flush inside a reader. I do wish the unit was weighted a bit more i’ve knocked it over a few times and i can see issues with getting it to lay flat, this shouldn’t be difficult to adjust if they ever release an updated model.
Performance
A quick performance check shows the microSD/SD card reader coming in at speeds we’d expect on the read side, dancing around the margin of error compared to the readers we normally use for evaluation, the write speeds are a bit lower than we’re used to seeing but that isn’t what a hub like this would normally be used for, USB3 capabilities also check out well, I’m unfortunatly limited to using a SATA2<>usb3 bridge(removed from a seagate backup plus drive very handy) to test this but the hub was able to sustain a speed of 180MB/s for 10 minutes with no signs of slowdown writing to an SSD(about the same I see using other ports with this bridge) Charging comes in at an impressive 2.9amps@5v for a short duration in line with the manual’s listed super charging capabilities.
Overall i’m impressed at the flexibility and have no problem recommending it for anyone who needs two out of it’s three separate functions(from a cost perspective it’s a bit expensive to buy for just one) It’s available on amazon here.
