- Note: Please consult your product's user guide to determine compatibility with your device.
- Easy to use universal design
- USB port accepts a variety of charging cables
- Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
This compact and foldable 2.1 A (2100 mA) charger can QUICKLY charge Kindle Fire or Apple iPad/iPad2 (you need a different cable for each one). It is NOT one of those "ordinary" USB chargers that outputs only 0.5 A of current.
The Kindle Fire requires just 1.8A of charging current, so this charger is fine (1.8 < 2.1). It is functionally the same as Apple's 10 Watt USB charger which outputs 2.1 A, so it is also suitable for charging the iPad.
You also need to buy a $6 AmazonBasics USB Cable 2.0 A Male to Micro B (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters). Do not use one intended for your cellphone; it may not work.
The total cost is $16, still much cheaper than the dedicated Kindle charger which sells for $25. Apple's 10W charger costs $35.
You enjoy better utility with this charger/cable combo because they are separate, and the charger prong is foldable.
Additionally, the micro USB cable can be used for copying files from your computer to the Fire, and vice versa. This is the kind of cable (USB 2.0 on one end and micro USB on the other) that some reviewers were saying that Amazon should have included in the Fire box.
You can check what both look like in Customer Images on this web page.
The main draw of this AmazonBasics USB wall charger is the 2100 mA current output, which is required for most modern smartphones and iPad/iPad2. You get these gadgets charged the fastest with this charger.
But the shape of this charger will BLOCK adjacent power outlets if it is plugged into the wall or even an extension power strip. In this respect, it is really not an improvement over Apple's 10W USB Power Adapter.
This is why I also bring along a Ziotek ZT1212518 Power Strip Liberator Plus with Pass Through, 5-Pack when I travel. It will allow all outlets to be used by extending the plug a few inches. With its pass through feature, a normal plug can be piggybacked on top of the extender plug, thereby doubling plug density (from 6 plugs to 12 plugs, for example), although the total power consumption still cannot exceed 1680 watts. It comes in a pack of 5, and the average cost is $2.65. I consider this a small price to pay for more convenience and flexibility.
In summary, I do recommend this AmazonBasics charger because it works, is well-made, and costs only 1/3 the price of Apple's part.
Buy AmazonBasics Wall Charger with USB Outlet (2.1 Amp Output) Now
UPDATE 26 NOV 2012: I received one of these for review purposes and have liked it so much I've since bought 4 more as my all purpose charger. I use them primarily with a few of my Raspberry Pi Model B Revision 2.0 (512MB) units, a couple of tablets, and my Blackberry. Great all purpose unit (but still check the specifications).ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Pros:
LED light lets you know it's working
Good for both small devices (e.g., cell phones) and larger devices (e.g., tablets)
With 30 pin USB Charging/Sync Cable can be used with iPads and iPhones
Nice fold down plug in prongs (they don't poke out so easier to store)
Cons(iderations):
You'll need to buy extra cables to use this.
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USB wall chargers will have two "Output" values clearly printed on them, albeit in really tiny letters. This charger is listed as:
Output: 5.0 VDC / 2100 MA (5.0 volts Direct Current / 2100 milliamps or 2.1 amps)
Before getting an extra, or a replacement, charger for your device, check the output values listed on your existing charger, or check the documentation for the device you will be charging. You can't go wrong if you purchase a charger with the exact volts and amps as indicated (though higher amps is OK see below). An output of 1.0 to 2.0 amps is fairly common for many tablets. The 5.0 volts DC is also pretty common for a lot of devices.
If your device requires a charger with lower amperage, such as a cell phone, this could still charge it. You can ALWAYS use a wall charger with higher amperage than your device requires. Devices PULL the amperage they need, so if your phone requires 500 MA (1/2 of an ampere) and you have this 2.1 amp charger, the extra amperage won't hurt it it will just be there for extra capacity. Too much amperage is not a problem.
Since this product doesn't come with an attached cable, so long as you get a cable with a standard USB plug to attach to the charger, and the other end the correct size, you should be able to charge a lot of different products. For example, my Android tablet uses a non-standard 30 pin USB connector (the kind Apple iPads and iPhones use). I use this quite nicely for my Le Pan TC 970 Android Tablet which has a factory USB wall charger rated at 1.0 amps. With a micro USB cable, I've also used this product to power, and charge, my 500 MA (0.5 amp) Blackberry Curve cellphone. This does require keeping multiple cables around, and swapping them out as needed.
If the devices you want to charge require 500 milliamps or less, and they have a micro or mini USB port, you may want to consider the similar AmazonBasics Micro USB Wall Charger with Micro to Mini USB Adapter. Since that product comes with the cable attached you don't have to acquire anything extra (but you can't use it on iPads and iPhones).
This is a a solid device, 5 stars because it does what it's supposed to do. I will update and annotate over time if it turns out durability is an issue (if it breaks or falls apart I will post an update).
Read Best Reviews of AmazonBasics Wall Charger with USB Outlet (2.1 Amp Output) Here
USB charger does work; unfortunately won't charge Nexus 7 tablet, which is what I bought it for. I just wanted to convey that information for anyone else who may be searching (I had to type extra words to meet Amazon's minimum word limit).Want AmazonBasics Wall Charger with USB Outlet (2.1 Amp Output) Discount?
Some months ago I slightly mangled the USB micro connector on my Kindle Fire charger. It finally became so finicky I had to replace it. I know just any old wallwart will not work because it needs at least 1.8 watts. I searched through Amazon (my fav store for everything). I found the Amazon Basic Wall Charger with Amazon Basic USB cable. The charger specs say 5v@2.1A, the pins fold up and it can use a replaceable USB to micro cable. I ordered the pair for less than $17. I received the pair today. I am testing the charging performance. Reading reviews of the product, whether or not it is compatible with the FIRE is controversial. We shall see. I never liked the design of the charger shipped with the FIRE but I used it constantly while traveling to charge everything I have. Maybe I just wore it out.OK, I have had it for a few hours. I recharged my KINDLE FIRE from 93% to Fully Charged while operating in about 30 minutes. I will let it fully discharge and see how long it takes to charge 100% both while operating and shut down.
August 16, 2012. I have been using the CHARGER with my Kindle Fire and LG OPTIMUS V and it is the best wall charger I have had for those devices. To charge my Kindle Fire from dead to full: I have not absolutely timed it but I know it takes less than 6 hours. I will try to time it more accurately. Kindle Fire has a weird habit of powering itself up when the charger cable is inserted, then you have to power it back off or it will not charge as fast.
November 8, 2012. My Basic Charger is no longer usable. It has become intermittent. My theory is that the folding plug is the cause. I will not buy another one and I have reduced the rating from 5 to 2. It is time to try something else.
For those who are trying to use this with Kindle Fire, here's what you have to know: Kindle Fire tries to detect if it's O.K. to pull the full 1.8 A from whatever is plugged into its USB port, and it detects the "dumb" AC adapter by checking if the data wires (two inner conductors in USB A connector) are shorted together (because they wouldn't be on a computer, so it's a quick and dirty way to rule out being connected to a computer. This is not part of standard USB spec, but many tablet manufacturers are doing it, I guess following Apple's iPad). If the data wires are not shorted together, Fire assumes you plugged it into a computer and draws no more than 500 mA, so that it doesn't trigger protection circuits for (or burn out) the USB port.
Anyways. This adapter doesn't short the data wires itself, so if you want your Fire to charge at full speed and draw 1.8 A, you need to use a special charging cable that shorts the wires in the cable. Any USB cable you can use to transfer data is NOT a charging cable; a charging cable will be specifically marketted as one, as it cannot be used as regular USB cable and transfer data.
As for me, I don't have a charging cable, so I modded the adapter to short the data pins in the adapter, it's easy enough to open it up and do the quick soldering job (as usual, screws are under the sticker), but you need to have some experience soldering to make sure you don't break something while you are doing that.
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