Hey gang, Valkor here. As much as I enjoy traveling, what I don't like is when I get to my hotel and there aren't enough ports to sustain the entirety of my devices. I'm sure many of you fall under this category, not just when you're away but also at home (especially in a family setting) or at work. And don't get me started with airports! Well, the folks at RapidX has answered the call with their latest hub, the X4 Home Multipurpose Charging Station. And with this device in your tech repertoire, the hunt for ports will come to an end!
On the outset, the X4 Charging Station, minus the wire hanging from it, looks like a small, portable battery pack. However, the charging station features fours ports – 3 USB and one Type-C, all of which connects to a 33W AC adapter. The X4 also comes with a stand that can be placed just about anywhere around your home, office, or hotel thanks to its adhesive bottom. Finally, the cord extends to about 6 feet in length, so you'll have more than enough slack to reach from the outlet to wherever you'll place the X4. I find it quite useful in a hotel where the outlets are in the oddest of places.
For this round of testing, I chose to plug in my Samsung Galaxy S8+ as well as an iPhone 6 Plus (pic below related). The X4 converts the power down so that each device is charged equally; I noticed that no matter what I'd do, I could not get the S8+ to read “fast charge”. But I'm content so long as it doesn't charge “slow”. Unfortunately, I don't have anything that uses the Type-C port... yet. So that part of the testing is out! In the end, what is the verdict on the X4? Let's find out in the TOV Breakdown!
The Bang:
From the jump, the X4 Charging Station gets plus points for having a compact and sleek design; my first experience with a charging station was with the Ventev rq600 and that's a brick by comparison. The X4 also blends well with any desk or counter top and given its size, it's pretty much out of the way. I found no issues with the charging since it charges devices equally; both the S8+ and the iPhone 6 Plus were down to zero when I started testing. And after an hour both were charged at a reasonable amount. Finally, while there is a cord attached to the X4, I think it travels quite well. And if you're prone to traveling with multiple devices, then you'll want to bring the X4 along for the ride. It'll do well in a checked bag, but I didn't have any issues with it being in my carry-on. In the end, if you're in the market for the perfect shared hub that's small enough that it's not in the way yet powerful enough to charge multiple devices simultaneously, then you'll do just fine with RapidX's X4 Charging Station.
The Slack:
More of a suggestion than a negative, but for the next version, the cord should be detachable. This is something the Ventev rq600, while it is bulky, the cord detaches, which makes traveling with it a breeze.
RapidX X4 Home Charging Station is available now. And with the season of giving upon us, you'll find that the X4 is the perfect gift for someone's office (home or away), the business traveler, or great for families, whom you know to hog all of the ports. I'd highly recommend it! So, out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving RapidX X4 a 4.5.
