When is the last time you got excited about a charger? The first (and last) time I ever got excited about a charger was when I learned about quick charging. I can have my device fully charged how fast?! I’m known for using my phone a lot and sapping the life out of it pretty quickly. My days of getting excited about chargers were over… Until I saw the Chuwi HiDock. The clean design and 4 – yes, 4 – USB ports made it an accessory I knew I had to have. And, as luck would have it, I was lucky enough to get a chance to review the Chuwi HiDock, thanks to the nice folks at the company. Here are my thoughts.
Chuwi HiDock Design And Build
How do you make a charger sexy? Talk to the designers at Chuwi, I guess. The HiDock is a wonderful design that puts an emphasis on space saving and minimalism. Out of the box all you see is a small charging dock that can fit in the palm of your hand. It almost reminds me of a sleek, Apple-like design you would see for the AirPort or Apple TV.
The ports are covered by little brackets which allows you to use as many ports as you need while keeping the others covered and hidden. Plus, those brackets serve a secondary purpose… You can use them as a stand for your device while it charges! My wife is not a gadget geek. When I showed her the HiDock she shrugged her shoulders. Then she saw me charging my tablet with it mounted on my nightstand playing a YouTube video. The next day I noticed my HiDock had moved to her night stand and she was watching Netflix as she fell asleep with her iPad docked and charging on the HiDock. It was a bold move on her part but I respect that kind of take what you want attitude. I stole the HiDock back the next day.
In terms of footprint; the HiDock doesn’t take up much room on your nightstand or desk. This is the best part of the design, in my opinion. Until I got this HiDock I had a 4 outlet extender protruding out from behind my bed with 4 different charging blocks plugged into it for my various devices. Now, all I have is one simple HiDock and I can easily put away cables if I’m not using them to maintain a clean look on my night stand. No more clutter!
Using The Chuwi HiDock
A sexy charging dock is, at the end of the day, still a charging dock. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make the most out of the HiDock. That’s the beauty of this little device; it just sits there and does its job. When I’m done using the ports I fold up the brackets and go on my merry way until we meet again.
I love that Chuwi included a Quick Charge 3.0 port. If you have a capable device then this little port can come in handy and charge your device much faster than a typical charger. I use a Nexus 6P which does support Quick Charge so I didn’t notice any slowdown in charging time after moving from the official OEM charger.
Plugging in multiple devices for charging is as easy as plugging in one. The only difference is the amount of space you need on your outlet. I take up one spot which means I was able to put my extenders back in storage.
The bottom of the Chuwi HiDock has little padded feet so the unit doesn’t slide around on my nightstand when I unplug my devices. Again, it just sits there and does its job. What else could you want?
The Best Travel Companion
When I got the HiDock I figured it would just sit on my nightstand and never move. That’s exactly how I used it for the first few weeks. Then I began to notice situations where I wanted my HiDock with me. First was at an airport. If you have been in an airport that wasn’t built or renovated in the last 5 years then you know it’s virtually impossible to charge your device. Some gates have one or two outlets and passengers fight over them in some sort of Hunger Games ritual. This is where the compact HiDock could come in handy. Not only do you get to juice up but you help out 3 of your fellow passengers as well. Congrats; you just became the hero of gate C32.
When I finally did take my HiDock on the road with me I was so happy that I did. The hotel I was staying at had one plug-in by the bed. ONE! No problem. I used it to plug in my Chuwi HiDock and then began plugging in my various devices to charge. Is that the most major inconvenience you will experience in your day? No. Still, it’s nice to have your HiDock in your bag when traveling. The small, compact design makes it easy to carry around and you won’t even notice it’s in your bag until you need it.
Final Thoughts
What is there to say about the Chuwi HiDock? It has a simple job and it does that job incredibly well. A charger is just a charger, right? Wrong! Chuwi has incorporated some very clever design elements to create the HiDock and I think it’s an essential device for anyone who loves to travel or simply wants to take back control of the outlets in their home or office. The docking feature and Quick Charge 3.0 are both very nice additions to an awesome product. My one, very minor complaint is that the dock doesn’t support USB Type-C. It’s not a big deal but if you have a bunch of USB Type-C cables lying around then they don’t do you much good here.
Other than that one small complaint, the Chuwi HiDock is about as perfect as a charger can get. You can find them online for $20 and, trust me, that is $20 very well spent. If you find yourself fighting over outlet space with other devices or other people then this is an essential accessory to add to your collection. You’ll be glad you did.
Full disclosure: We received a free HiDock in return for an honest review of the product
